Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Na.C., Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran
2 Department of Sport Science Management, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Isfahan State University, Isfahan, Iran
Abstract
The present study was conducted to analyze the cross-impacts of factors influencing the future of management stability in Iranian sports federations. In terms of purpose, the study was applied, and in terms of nature and method, it was descriptive-analytical, adopting a futures studies approach and based on an exploratory sequential mixed-method design. The participants in the qualitative phase consisted of 26 experts and specialists in sport management, senior managers and board members of sports federations, senior officials from the Ministry of Sport and Youth, and university faculty members, who were selected through purposive and snowball sampling based on the principle of theoretical saturation. Among them, 10 individuals participated in the structural analysis phase as the research strategic panel. Data were collected in two stages through semi-structured interviews and a 28×28 cross-impact matrix. The data from the first stage were analyzed using thematic analysis based on Braun and Clarke’s (2006) framework, while the data from the second stage were analyzed through structural analysis using MICMAC software. The findings showed that in the qualitative phase, 139 basic themes were identified and organized into 28 organizing themes and 7 overarching themes. The results of the structural analysis also indicated that, among the 28 identified variables, four variables—institutional autonomy and independence, rule-based managerial appointments, policy and institutional alignment, and political and governmental instability—constituted the most important critical uncertainties affecting the future of management stability in Iranian sports federations.
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