Buried Accomplishments: Institutional Isomorphism in College Athletics Mission Statements

Abstract

Despite suggestions that mission statements represent a strategic component of organizational communication, there has been little research of these documents in athletic departments at U.S. colleges and universities. The purpose of this research was to explore the relationship between mission statement content and athletic department accomplishments in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I schools (N = 343). The content analysis of mission statements revealed that athletics missions do not differentiate accomplished from less accomplished athletic programs. Athletic departments with strong traditions of promoting the academic advancement of student-athletes, achieving gender equity, and complying with NCAA rules tend to reference these distinctions in the same way as departments with less favorable histories. Grounded in institutional theory, this article describes the external pressures toward sameness rather than differentiation in mission statement content. Implications for intercollegiate athletics and higher education are discussed.

What are we saying by saying so little? Mission statements, diversity mission statements, and NCAA programs.

“…This use of ambiguous and vague language to describe diversity has been echoed in prior research focused on mission and diversity mission statements (Bernhard, 2016; Taylor et al, 2019; Ward, 2015). Here, data suggests NCAA programs rarely publish athletic diversity mission statements, and when they do, they employ ambiguous, vague language to describe diversity within athletic diversity mission statements.…”

Athletic Ticket Pricing in the Collegiate Environment: An Agenda for Research

“…At the heart of institutionalization is the idea that organizational survival depends on conforming to prevailing environmental rules and cultures, thereby achieving legitimacy when adhering to such norms (DiMaggio & Powell, 1983). According to Ward (2015), "legitimacy seeking may be especially important for organizations that depend on stronger organizations for resources, function in environments with ambiguous or disputed goals, and rely on managers and staff with similar academic training" (p. 19). DiMaggio and Powell (1983) identified three forms of isomorphism -coercive, mimetic, and normative.…”

“…Mimetic isomorphism describes situations in which organizations imitate the actions of peers that have achieved levels of success and stature, especially during times of uncertainty or when faced with ambiguous goals. Some suggest there may be a general lack of entrepreneurship among athletic administrators (i.e., Ward, 2015), who might instead opt to reincarnate policies, programs, or promotions that have proven successful at other institutions. This may be by design, however, as imitation could be seen as a strategy to ameliorate the effects of insufficient resources (O'Hallarn, Morehead, & Pribesh, 2016).…”

Withstand or succumb : Christian universities and the implications of Obergefell v. Hodges

“…Universities must guard, however, against making purely symbolic gestures in an attempt to thwart external pressure; this will likely lead to a lack of trust on the part of institutional constituents (Stensaker & Norgård, 2001). Attempts to demonstrate legitimacy can prevent institutions from highlighting their distinctive nature, keeping them bound by tradition (Blanco Ramírez, 2015;Ward, 2015).…”

“…Norms govern what is considered acceptable (Blanco Ramírez, 2015), and as universities seek legitimacy, they often rely on symbolic compliance with norms as they respond to multiple environments (Bastedo, 2007). Universities use artifacts like mission statements as symbols to demonstrate to accreditors and others that they understand the rules and traditions (Morphew & Hartley, 2006;Morphew & Huisman, 2002;Ward, 2015). Institutions dependent on external organizations create structural components to ceremonially recognize the exchange relationship (Tolbert, 1985).…”