Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policies in Canadian Nonprofit Sport Organizations: A Management-by-Values Approach

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine Canadian nonprofit sport organizations’ (NPSOs) diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies through a management-by-values approach. A sample of 757 Canadian national and provincial/territorial NPSOs was used. All NPSOs’ websites were consulted whereby documents were the sole data collection method (i.e., DEI-related publicly available policies and strategic plans to identify espoused values). Data were analyzed thematically according to the strategic plans and DEI policies collected from 69 NPSOs, with the remaining excluded (i.e., no DEI policy and/or espoused values). Results demonstrated that espoused values within the collected strategic plans are not represented in DEI policies. Most DEI policies remain largely intraorganizational and at an intuitive level, with few examples of inspirational-level management-by-values. With a push for values-based management in sport, the management-by-values approach suggests NPSOs’ DEI-related policies are managed intuitively, thereby only communicated internally and not strategically leveraged.