The micro-politics of organisational change in professional youth football: Towards an understanding of “actions, strategies and professional interests”

Abstract

Employment within professional football is characterised by high levels of staff turnover, uncertainty, vulnerability and insecurity. This paper aims to investigate the experiences of James, Head of Foundation Phase within an English professional youth academy, during a period of organisational change. Data were collected through field notes, informal observations and meetings, formal academy team meetings, co-worker interviews and four semi-structured in-depth participant interviews, which were subjected to an iterative process of inductive and deductive analysis. Theorising regarding the influence of professional selfinterests upon the actions and strategies of the social actors was utilised to make sense of James' narrative. The findings highlighted how James strategically managed his relationships with others to further his own professional selfinterests. Finally, following the findings of this study, we propose that the ability to develop micro-political literacy and a repertoire of micro-political actions and strategies would benefit coaches working within professional football during such periods of instability and change.

The emergence of the sporting director role in football and the potential of social network theory in future research

“…This is illustrated by the reputation for a high turnover of head coaches and the associated background staff, policy and cultural changes (Bridgewater, 2010). Indeed, employment within professional football is characterised by limited tenure and a surplus of potential labour, all of which can lead to a social climate of employment instability, vulnerability, and Machiavellian political activity (Gibson and Groom, 2018a, 2018b, 2018cRoderick, 2006aRoderick, , 2006bRoderick, , 2014Roderick and Schumacker, 2017). This instability has created challenges for clubs and their owners as they focus on delivering success on the pitch and protecting their investment.…”

The micro-politics of organizational change in professional youth football: towards an understanding of the “professional self”

“…Specifically, the interactionist-interpretive methodology employed within the present study seeks to explore the interests, motives, and actions of the participant coach and the subsequent meanings that he attaches to his behaviours and the behaviours of others during the change process within his professional football club (Blumer, 1969). Such a perspective is adopted to increase our understanding of issues about which very little is known, such as coaches' experiences of organizational change in professional football (Gibson & Groom, 2018a, 2018bPotrac & Jones, 2009a;Potrac, Jones, Gilbourne & Nelson, 2013).…”

“…Professional football is typified by the increasingly polarizing financial funding structures of a small number of rich clubs and a large number of clubs that operate with scarce financial resources, which impacts the working lives of the individuals they employ and who rely on professional football as their primary source of financial income (Gibson & Groom, 2018a, 2018bGilmore & Gilson, 2007;Huggan et al, 2015;Roderick, 2006aRoderick, , 2006bRoderick, , 2014. Although professional football clubs are an important part of the social fabric of many societies, there are surprisingly few studies that examine the working conditions and experiences of employees within the professional clubs (Gibson & Groom, 2018a, 2018bGilmore & Gilson, 2007;Huggan, Nelson, & Potrac, 2015;Ogbonna & Harris, 2015;Roderick, 2006aRoderick, , 2006bRoderick & Schumacker, 2017). This is important, as Roderick (2006a) has highlighted that 'professional football is a form of entertainment work that is highly contingent in the sense of lacking long-term security and breeding a pervading sense of insecurity ' (p. 245).…”

“…Following each managerial departure, the coaching staff aligned with the manager also left their employment positions with the clubs. However, there is a paucity of research that explores the working lives of professional football coaches during periods of organizational change and, in particular, how coaches experience the process of organizational change (Gibson & Groom, 2018a, 2018b.…”

“…This work therefore offers rich and detailed narrative resources to support the education of those working within professional football and the impact of organizational change on individual day-to-day working practices, so that they are better able to see and act upon change (Gibson & Groom, 2018a, 2018b.…”