Walking the Middle Line: Organizational Culture Work in Sport

Citation

McKenzie G, Wagstaff CRD & McDougall M (2023) Walking the Middle Line: Organizational Culture Work in Sport. Journal of Sport Psychology in Action, 14 (3), pp. 158-169. https://doi.org/10.1080/21520704.2022.2155740

Abstract
Organizational culture is typically perceived a variable that organizations “have” that can be manipulated for a competitive advantage. Conversely, some scholars hold the view that organizations “are” the culture and are consistently and dynamically shaped by members. Drawing from 20 months of organizational culture work in a military sports team, we illustrate how SPPs might go beyond a functionalist approach to organizational culture work. We establish our own stance on the organizational culture debate and describe our work across five phases. We conclude by offering several recommendations for practitioners working on organizational culture.

Keywords
Applied sport psychology; change management; long-term intervention; subjectivist-interpretivist approach; team performance; values

Journal
Journal of Sport Psychology in Action: Volume 14, Issue 3

• Published Version