The Universal Transformational Management Framework (UTMF). Facilitating entrepreneurship in and through sport to leave no one behind
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JEPP-D-18-00091 |
| Pages | 122-146 |
| Date | 11 March 2019 |
| Published date | 11 March 2019 |
| Author | Gerard Masdeu Yélamos,Catherine Carty,Úna Moynihan,Breda ODwyer |
| Subject Matter | Strategy,Entrepreneurship,Business climate/policy |
The Universal Transformational
Management Framework (UTMF)
Facilitating entrepreneurship in and through
sport to leave no one behind
Gerard Masdeu Yélamos, Catherine Carty, Úna Moynihan and
Breda ODwyer
Institute of Technology Tralee,Tralee, Ireland
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to present the development and validation of the Universal
Transformational Management Framework (UTMF), an entrepreneurial tool that guides the development of
inclusion-driven strategic management, planning and practice in sport organizations.
Design/methodology/approach –A range of qualitative data collection techniques was undertaken in this
action research: seven cross-sectoral semi-structured interviews; one focus group with sports professionals; a
qualitative survey and research group consultations. A matrix analysis, a thematic analysis and secondary
research were undertaken to analyze data.
Findings –The UTMF is a staged framework that embeds principles of behavioral, organizational and
transformative change theory, guiding strategic development toward inclusion from a contemplation phase
toward an action and maintenance stage. The UTMF is composed of 14 fundamental components identified
as key areas that sport entrepreneurs should recognize and address for planning and delivering sport services
that leave no one behind.
Practical implications –Policy makers, management and sport professionals have at their disposal an
inclusion-driven framework that challenges their systems and establish mechanisms to leave no one behind.
Social implications –Organizational transformation can ultimately produce a contagion effect advancing
equality and inclusion in society. The UTMF offers a structure for sport entrepreneurs aiming to facilitate and
activate social transformation in and through sport.
Originality/value –The UTMF is a wide-ranging framework to facilitate an orchestrated transformation of
sport organizations in order to provide universal services that include marginalized groups and address
global challenges identified in intersectional agendas like the SDGs.
Keywords Organizational change, Innovation, Inclusion, Sport entrepreneurship, Strategic development,
SDGs, Management tool, Policy tool, UTMF
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
The sport sector is large, dynamic and one of the most globalized industries in the world
(Ratten, 2012). The increasing relevance of sport in society serves as an ideal scenario to
start entrepreneurial initiatives to generate social change as well as profitable benefit
(Hayduk and Walker, 2018.) There is a growing interest in the combination of sport and
social entrepreneurship, yet research in this specific area is limited (Bjärsholm, 2017).
Ratten (2012, p. 66) defines sport entrepreneurship as “the mindset of people or
organisations actively engaged in the pursuit of new opportunities in the sports-context.”
The latest global and sport-specific policy developments can support sport entrepreneurs to
have a better understanding of the current trends and circumstances influencing the sport
sector. Dutta and Crossan (2005) uphold that entrepreneurial opportunities stem from a set
of environmental conditions that lead to new products or services. In the last years, an
increasing amount of global public policies related to social inclusion in and through sport
were developed, thus, encouraging entrepreneurial endeavors to advance this area.
In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly, with the support of governments, made a
historic call for action related to people, the planet and prosperity, by adopting the Agenda 2030
Journal of Entrepreneurship and
Public Policy
Vol. 8 No. 1, 2019
pp. 122-146
© Emerald PublishingLimited
2045-2101
DOI 10.1108/JEPP-D-18-00091
Received 30 November 2018
Revised 9 January 2019
Accepted 10 January 2019
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2045-2101.htm
122
JEPP
8,1
for Sustainable Development (United Nations, 2015). The Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) are a set of 17 wide-reaching goals and 169 targets that aim to address the most pressing
challenges for humanity and the planet. The SDGs replaced the Millennium Development Goals
(United Nations General Assembly, 2000), an international development agenda that set global
goals with a deadline of 2015. Despite its chronological relation and maintained efforts to
complete the original goals, the SDGs differ in terms of purpose, conception, and the political
process that drove their elaboration (Weber, 2017; Fukuda-Parr, 2016).
In the preamble of the Agenda2030 (United Nations, 2015) a clear commitment is outlined:
We are resolved to free the human race from the tyranny of poverty and want, and to heal and
secure our planet. We are determined to take the bold and transformative steps which are urgently
needed to shift the world on to a sustainable and resilient path. As we embark on this collective
journey, we pledge that no one will be left behind.
This paradigm shift toward “leaving no one behind”is a multidimensional agenda that aims
to address the systemic deprivation and unequal access to resources by marginalized
populations (Stuart and Samman, 2017). This approach acknowledges the heterogeneity of
population groups, yet, in practice, requires identifying the ones who are being left behind
and involve them from the beginning of the process (Klasens and Fleurbaey, 2018). Some
researchers have explored these phenomena and provided evidence of challenges
experienced by these groups, for instance, women (Stuart and Woodroffe, 2016); indigenous
populations (Magni, 2017); and people with disabilities (Owuor et al., 2017; Grech, 2016).
Social inclusion can be considered a “wicked issue”(Rittel and Webber, 1974) and for
dealing with this type of societal challenge, policies should be presented in a way that they
are manageable for entrepreneurs, companies and government agencies (Boon and Edler,
2018). The principle of supporting the most disadvantaged is grounded in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights (UN General Assembly, 1948) and the United Nations Charter
(United Nations, 1945). Leaving no one behind is a call for action to address Article 1 of the
UDHR, which states that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act toward one another in a spirit
of brotherhood.”
Sport and sport values are entrenched in many aspects of our society and, therefore,
global contemporary issues such as social exclusion, are present in sport organizations and
practice (Houlihan and Malcolm, 2015). The human rights responsibilities in sport are
ubiquitous from the Olympic Games to grassroots levels sports organizations. Likewise, the
Olympic Charter (International Olympic Committee, 2017) and Olympic values have a
permeating impact on sporting organizations and sports policy internationally.
The sport sector has been attentive to the development of the SDGs and proactive to
strengthen the linkages between sport policy development and the SDGs. In July 2017, the
Sixth International Conference of Ministers and Senior Officials Responsible for Physical
Education and Sport (MINEPS VI) took place in Kazan. This event marked a shift from
declaration of policy intent toward measurable action. Consequently, the conference agreed
on a plan of actions, to which the ministers committed, which is structured around three
main policy areas: developing a comprehensive vision of inclusive access for all; maximizing
the contributions of sport to sustainable development and peace; and protecting the
integrity of sport.
The Kazan Action Plan (UNESCO, 2017) arose as a key output and reference policy
document for mobilizing resources and capacities of intergovernmental organizations,
governments and the other important stakeholders in the fields of sport, physical education
and physical activity. This contains a follow-up framework, which is instrumental in five
areas: creating a shared vision; mobilizing action; measuring progress; exchanging
knowledge; and providing evidence of the role of sport and physical activity as an enabler of
123
Universal
Transformational
Management
Framework
To continue reading
Request your trial