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During this 1-hour live webinar, Rob Ramseyer, Vice President of Student Development and Director of Athletics at Hesston College, will lead a presentation based on his research into small college athletics organizational culture. This webinar will go much deeper than our podcast interview with Rob from December 2017.
Topics to be discussed include:
- Institutional organizational culture, common values and “standing in the gap”
- External environment factors and influence
- The current climate of higher education
- Athletics department common values, community and clarity of expectations
- Integrating institutional and athletic department cultures based on alignment of values
As a reminder, replays and downloads are available for ATHLEDIFY premium members only. Learn more here.
Full Abstract of Rob’s Dissertation Research
This multisite case study explored the perceptions of athletic department members of the important factors of organizational cultures in athletic departments at small Christian institutions in the Midwestern United States. The study comprised of site visits to three small Christian institutions in the Midwestern United States. At each site, six individuals associated with the athletic department were interviewed; other data sources included observation, examination of institutional websites, social media, and artifacts. The findings identified common important factors of the athletic department organizational cultures and were organized around the elements of athletic department culture elements described by Schroeder (2010).
The themes within institutional culture were organizational structure, common values, and standing in the gap. The important factors of the external environment included the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, denominational environment, and the climate of higher education. The themes within the internal athletic department environment include common values, clear expectations, and community. The leadership and power element revealed no additional subthemes that were conceptually different than themes within other elements. These themes are described for each institution.
The dissertation concludes with evidence-based recommendations for the development of athletic department cultures at small Christian institutions in the Midwestern United States. The proposed solution provides seven recommendations that are based upon creating an understanding of institutional and athletic department cultures and developing an integrated structure with clear expectations and alignment of values that align with the mission of each unique university.