ABSTRACT
The job of a sport facility manager is best described in terms of management functions and roles. The four major functions of management are planning, organizing, leading, and coordinating (or controlling). Planning involves selecting and prioritizing goals and objectives and the methods to be used to achieve desired results. There are various types of planning, for example, strategic planning, business planning, project planning, and staff planning. Organizing is simply identifying resources and allocating those selected resources to meet specific goals and objectives established during the planning stage. Sport facility managers may organize their staff, teams, and events, or sponsoring agencies. Leading entails providing direction for the sport organization and its staff, and influencing staff to follow the desired direction. Coordinating or controlling activities include monitoring resources and processes to achieve goals and objectives in an efficient manner. Management roles can be divided into three categories – interpersonal roles, informational roles, and decision making roles. Interpersonal roles are social in nature and include serving as a figurehead or ‘face’ of the sport organization. Informational roles include disseminating pertinent information to staff members and acting as a spokesperson to external constituencies. The sport facility manager also assumes a decision making role which includes initiating change, resolving disputes, and conducting negotiations with internal and external entities.
