MSc Sports Directorship

The module is designed to help students understand the complexities of leadership issues concerning styles, personalities and decision-making regarding all aspects of what is becoming the defined role of a Sporting Director. The module will investigate current and classic leadership theories and issues in the context of the global sporting environment using research, cases and examples from both the sporting and the broader business world.

Students will critique and evaluate the role of reflective learning and self-awareness in relation to the role of Sports Director as leader and examine the dynamics of trust, power and conflict in relational and collaborative setting of leadership practice. Critical evaluation of the contribution of theoretical models and approaches associated with leadership in a global context when applied in complex settings will support an assessment of the various approaches to the development of leaders as coach, and the practice of leadership.

This module is designed to help strategic leaders in sport explore the features of a high performing sporting organisation. The module will focus on high performing organisations, strategy, culture and talent management and will investigate what can be learned about high performance from both the sporting and the broader business world in order to overcome challenges. The focus of the module is on two critical questions:

• What is a high performance organisation?
• How do we build and sustain a high performance organisation?

This module will provide students with knowledge and understanding of the theory and practice of innovation in the global sports industry context. It will explore the effects of innovation on global organisations, drivers of change, and the challenges of implementing change in the context of high performance sporting organisations in a global economy. Students will develop insight into a range of tools and techniques to develop innovative ways to solve problems. Gaining competitive advantage through analysis of neuroscience and psychology will allow students to consider and apply thinking to new situations in practice.

Students will develop a broad knowledge and conceptual base of the foundations of the legal, financial and media issues in the global sporting industry. They will explore the duties of a sporting director with respect to financial, legal and media responsibilities and understand the similarities and differences between the issues confronting contemporary global sporting organisations. Regulatory financial, legal and media frameworks will be explored to support students to operate effectively in the role of the Sporting Director.

This module will equip students with the research skills to undertake a rigorous and critical professional project. It will support the development of an integrated understanding of theory and practice related to the analysis of selected organisational issues within the global sports industry. Students will learn to apply both theoretical and practical knowledge gained from both the taught element of the programme and their prior management experiences to a business/organisational issue. Through the assessment, students will deploy and utilise effectively appropriate research and/or problem-solving processes throughout the planning and execution of a live business project.