International Journal of Sport Management

Volunteers in Sport Organizations and Events: A Source of Competitive Advantage?

Erik L. Lachance, Milena M. Parent

Abstract: Using resource-based theory, the purpose of this study was to explore the role of volunteers as a potential source of competitive advantage in sport. Data were gathered from eight semi-structured interviews with four volunteers and four executives (executive director, president) from different sport organizations and events in the same community. Following an inductive and deductive thematic analysis, findings highlight the ability for volunteers to be valuable, rare, and inimitable resources supported by organizational practices, thus representing a source of competitive advantage in sport. These findings indicate how volunteers should be considered when planning and developing the strategic outcomes of sport organizations and events to outperform their competitors (e.g., as brand ambassadors/organizational representatives providing legitimacy to the sport organization or event). To gain a competitive advantage in sport, managers should develop formal human resource management practices and procedures, and incorporate volunteers into their strategic planning.

Keywords: performance, success, strategic management, strategy, qualitative, sport management

Citation: Lachance, E. L., & Parent, M. M. (2021). Volunteers in sport organizations and events: A source of competitive advantage? International Journal of Sport Management, 22(3), 272-295.

References

  • Aisbett, L., & Hoye, R. (2015). Human resource management practices to support sport event volunteers. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 53(3), 351-369. https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7941.12062
  • Amis, J. (2003). “Good things come to those who wait”: The strategic management of image and reputation at Guinness. European Sport Management Quarterly, 3(3), 189-214. https://doi.org/10.1080/16184740308721950
  • Amis, J., Pant, N., & Slack, T. (1997). Achieving a sustainable competitive advantage: A resource-based view of sport sponsorship. Journal of Sport Management, 11(1), 80-96. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.11.1.80
  • Anderson, K.S., & Birrer, E.G. (2011). Creating a sustainable competitive advantage: A resource-based analysis of the Gonzaga University men’s basketball program. Journal of Sport Administration & Supervision, 3(1), 10-21.
  • Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2015). General social survey: Summary results, 2014. Retrieved from: http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/4159.0
  • Bakhsh, J.T., Lachance, E.L., Thompson, A., & Parent, M. M. (2021). Outcomes of the sport event volunteer experience: Examining demonstration effects on first-time and returning volunteers. International Journal of Event and Festival Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEFM-09-2020-0057
  • Bang, H., Lee, S., & Swart, K. (2014). Predicting volunteers’ intention to return: An examination of brand personality, prestige, and identification of sporting events. Event Management, 18(2), 169-183. https://doi.org/10.3727/152599514X13947236947509
  • Barney, J.B. (1986). Organizational culture: Can it be a source of sustained competitive advantage? Academy of Management Review, 11(3), 656-665. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1986.4306261
  • Barney, J.B. (1995). Looking inside for competitive advantage. The Academy of Management Executive, 9(4), 49-61. https://doi.org/10.5465/ame.1995.9512032192
  • Barney, J.B., & Clark, D.N. (2007). Resource-based theory: Creating and sustaining competitive advantage. Oxford University Press.
  • Berman, S.L., Down, J., & Hill, C.W. (2002). Tacit knowledge as a source of competitive advantage in the National Basketball Association. Academy of Management Journal, 45(1), 13-31. https://doi.org/10.5465/3069282
  • Braun, V., Clarke, V., & Weate, P. (2016). Using thematic analysis in sport and exercise research. In. B. Smith & A. C. Sparkes (Eds.), Routledge handbook of qualitative research in sport and exercise (pp. 191-205). Routledge.
  • Burke, S. (2016). Rethinking ‘validity’ and ‘trustworthiness’ in qualitative inquiry: How might we judge the quality of qualitative research in sport and exercise sciences? In B. Smith & A.C. Sparkes (Eds.), Routledge handbook of qualitative research in sport and exercise (pp. 484–497). Routledge.
  • Cnaan, R.A., Handy, F., & Wadsworth, M. (1996). Defining who is a volunteer: Conceptual and empirical considerations. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 25(3), 364-383. https://doi.org/10.1177/0899764096253006
  • Corley, K. G., & Gioia, D.A. (2011). Building theory about theory building: what constitutes a theoretical contribution? Academy of Management Review, 36(1), 12-32. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2009.0486
  • Curran, R., Taheri, B., MacIntosh, R., & O’Gorman, K. (2016). Nonprofit brand heritage: Its ability to influence volunteer retention, engagement, and satisfaction. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 45(6), 1234-1257. https://doi.org/10.1177/0899764016633532
  • Cuskelly, G., & Boag, A. (2001). Organisational commitment as a predictor of committee member turnover among volunteer sport administrators: Results of a time-lagged study. Sport Management Review, 4(1), 65-86. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1441-3523(01)70070-8
  • Cuskelly, G., Taylor, T., Hoye, R., & Darcy, S. (2006). Volunteer management practices and volunteer retention: A human resource management approach. Sport Management Review, 9(2), 141-163. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1441-3523(06)70023-7
  • Cuskelly, G., Fredline, L., Kim, E., Barry, S., & Kappelides, P. (2020). Volunteer selection at a major sport event: A strategic human resource management approach. Sport Management Review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2020.02.002
  • Febriani, D.M., & Selamet, J. (2020). College students’ intention to volunteer for non-profit organizations: Does brand image make a difference? Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, 32(2), 166-188. https://doi.org/10.1080/10495142.2019.1656136
  • Gerrard, (2003). What does the resource-based view “bring to the table” in sport management research? European Sport Management Quarterly, 3(3), 139-144. https://doi.org/10.1080/16184740308721947
  • Gerrard, B. (2004). Why does Manchester United keep winning on and off the field? A case study of sustainable competitive advantage in professional team sports. In D.L. Andrews (Ed.), Manchester United: A thematic study (pp. 65-86). Routledge.
  • Hansen, T., & Slagsvold, B. (2020). An “army of volunteers”? Engagement, motivation, and barriers to volunteering among the baby boomers. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 63(4), 335-353. https://doi.org/10.1080/01634372.2020.1758269
  • Hatch, N.W., & Dyer, J.H. (2004). Human capital and learning as a source of sustainable competitive advantage. Strategic Management Journal, 25(12), 1155-1178. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.421
  • Hayton, J.W., & Blundell, M. (2020). Exploring the relationship between social class and sport event volunteering. Sport Management Review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2020.06.002
  • Holt, N.L. (2016). Doing grounded theory in sport and exercise. In B. Smith & A.C. Sparkes (Eds.), Routledge handbook of qualitative research in sport and exercise (pp. 24–36). Routledge.
  • Hoye, R., Cuskelly, G., Auld, C., Kappelides, P., & Misener, K. (2020). Sport volunteering. Routledge.
  • Lachance, E.L. (2020). COVID-19 and its impact on volunteering: Moving towards virtual volunteering. Leisure Sciences. 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1080/01490400.2020.1773990.
  • Lachance, E.L., & Parent, M.M. (2020). The volunteer experience in a para-sport event: An autoethnography. Journal of Sport Management, 34(2), 93-102. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2019-0132
  • Lachance, E.L., & Parent, M.M. (2021). Understanding the sport event volunteer experience in the implementation mode of a para-sport event: An autoethnography. Event Management. https://doi.org/10.3727/152599520X15894679115556
  • Lachance, E.L., Bakhsh, J.T., Thompson, A., & Parent, M.M. (2021). What predicts the volunteer experience? Examining motivation, satisfaction, commitment, and sense of community. Event Management. https://doi.org/10.3727.152599521X16106577965107
  • Lewis, M. (2004). Moneyball: The art of winning an unfair game (2nd ed.). WW Norton.
  • McGregor-Lowndes, M., Crittall, M., Conroy, D., & Keast, R. (2017). Individual giving and volunteering: Giving Australia 2016. Brisbane, Australia: Australian Government Department of Social Services.
  • O’Brien, D., Parent, M.M., Ferkins, L., & Gowthorp, L. (2019). Strategic management in sport. Routledge.
  • Parent, M.M., & Ruetsch, A. (2021). Managing major sports events: Theory and Practice (2nd ed.). Routledge.
  • Parent, M.M., & Séguin, B. (2008). Toward a model of brand creation for international large-scale sporting events: The impact of leadership, context, and nature of the event. Journal of Sport Management, 22(5), 526-549. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.22.5.526
  • Parent, M.M., Naraine, M.L., & Hoye, R. (2018). A new era for governance structures and processes in Canadian national sport organizations. Journal of Sport Management 32(6), 555-566. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2018-0037
  • Poppo, L., & Weigelt, K. (2000). A test of the resource-based model using baseball free agents. Journal of Economics and Management Strategy, 9(4), 585-614. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1430-9134.2000.00585.x
  • Porter, M.E. (1981). The contributions of industrial organization to strategic management. Academy of Management Review, 6(4), 609-620. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1981.4285706
  • Robinson, L., & Minikin, B. (2012). Understanding the competitive advantage of National Olympic Committees. Managing Leisure, 17(2-3), 139-154. https://doi.org/10.1080/13606719.2012.674391
  • Shannon, C.S., Robertson, B.J., Morrison, K.S., & Werner, T.L. (2009). Understanding constraints younger youth face in engaging as volunteers. Journal of Park & Recreation Administration, 27(4), 17-37.
  • Shilbury, D. (2012). Competition: The heart and soul of sport management. Journal of Sport Management, 26(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.26.1.1
  • Shilbury, D., Ferkins, L., & Smythe, L. (2013). Sport governance encounters: Insights from lived experiences. Sport Management Review, 16(3), 349-363. Smart, D.L., & Wolfe, R.A. (2000). Examining sustainable competitive advantage in intercollegiate athletics: A resource-based view. Journal of Sport Management, 14(2), 133-153. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.14.2.133
  • Smart, D.L., & Wolfe, R.A. (2003). The contribution of leadership and human resources to organizational success: An empirical assessment of performance in Major League Baseball. European Sport Management Quarterly, 3(3), 165-188. https://doi.org/10.1080/16184740308721949
  • Statistics Canada. (n.d.a.). Table 45-10-0012-01 Volunteer rate and average annual volunteer hours, by age group, inactive. https://doi.org/10.25318/4510001201-eng
  • Statistics Canada. (n.d.b.). Table 45-10-0039-01 Volunteer rate and average annual volunteer hours, by definition of volunteering and age group. https://doi.org/10.25318/4510003901
  • Statistics Canada. (2020). Study: Volunteering in Canada: Challenges and opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Retrieved from https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/200626/dq200626c-eng.htm
  • Suchman, M.C. (1995). Managing legitimacy: Strategic and institutional approaches. Academy of Management Review, 20, 571-610.
  • Truyens, J., De Bosscher, V., Heyndels, B., & Westerbeek, H. (2014). A resource-based perspective on countries’ competitive advantage in elite athletics. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 6(3), 459-489. https://doi.org/10.1080/19406940.2013.839954
  • Vetitnev, A., Bobina, N., & Terwiel, F.A. (2018). The influence of host volunteer motivation on satisfaction and attitudes toward Sochi 2014 Olympic Games. Event Management, 22(3), 333-352. https://doi.org/10.3727/152599518X15239930463145
  • Wicker, P. (2017). Volunteerism and volunteer management in sport. Sport Management Review, 20(4), 325-337. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2017.01.001
  • Wolfe, R.A., Wright, P.M., & Smart, D.L. (2006). Radical HRM innovation and competitive advantage: The Moneyball story. Human Resource Management, 45(1), 111-145. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.20100
  • Wright, P.M., McMahan, G.C., & McWilliams, A. (1994). Human resources and sustained competitive advantage: A resource-based perspective. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 5(2), 301-326. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585199400000020
  • Wright, P.M., Smart, D.L., & McMahan, G.C. (1995). Matches between human resources and strategy among NCAA basketball teams. Academy of Management Journal, 38(4), 1052-1074. https://doi.org/10.5465/256620

Discover more from International Journal of Sport Management

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading