Abstract
This study aimed to clarify the process of generational change of club managers for the sustainable management of community sport clubs. Specifically, we attempted to visualize the process of “why” and “how” the generational change of club managers take place in community sport clubs using a sensemaking framework, which is a continuous process for individuals and organizations to find meaning in events and situations, understand them, and act accordingly. Data were collected through interviews with predecessor and successor managers from three clubs, which served as case studies. As a result, we clarified the sensemaking regarding predecessor and successor managers of each club, and by contrasting them, we visualized the organizing process of generational change of club managers. The analytical perspective of focusing on individual differences in sensemaking more clearly explains how the various actions that are ultimately organized transcend individual interpretations and disagreements. The results suggest that the following two points contribute to the promotion of generational change of club managers: 1) Club managers should intentionally foster their successors’ growth by providing opportunities for experiential learning and development; and 2) Club managers should not exercise leadership alone, but rather, should build an emergent management team in which leadership is shared among members. The functional differentiation of management and operational leadership in club management has created a “chief executive stage” in the growth stage of club managers, suggesting a structure in which the generational change of club managers and succession of club management develop on different levels. Future research should clarify how clubs that have completed the generational change of club managers move toward the generational change of chief executives (succession of community sport clubs), and what processes and steps are required for successor managers to grow into chief executives.
