Preferred Name
Tiffany Brutus
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Date of Graduation
12-14-2024
Semester of Graduation
Fall
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
School of Strategic Leadership Studies
First Advisor
Adam Vanhove
Abstract
This study explores predictors of perceived environmental uncertainty among college athletic directors (ADs) of National Intercollegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) member institutions amidst the evolving dynamics of the intercollegiate athletics industry. This research specifically focuses on uncertainty associated with environmental forces outlined in the political, economic, sociocultural, technological, environmental, and legal (PESTEL)model, which captures recent industry disruptions such as Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) legislation, social justice movements, the COVID-19 pandemic, changes in transfer rules, and conference realignments. Using a contingency theory perspective, the central inquiry of this study is how AD individual, departmental, and institutional characteristics relate to ADs' perceptions of environmental uncertainty over PESTEL factors. Key findings are as follows. First, ADs reported the most uncertainty over legal, economic, and social/cultural environmental forces. Multiple institutional characteristics were predictive of legal and social/cultural uncertainty, and department characteristics (i.e., division) were related to legal uncertainty. None of the predictors included in this study significantly predicted economic uncertainty scores. Uncertainty over other environmental forces also showed a distinct pattern in prediction. For example, individual characteristics tended to predict political and environmental uncertainty scores. Given the size of athletic departments and the societal impact of intercollegiate athletics, the scarcity of interest in strategic planning and decision-making during this volatile period is surprising. This study contributes meaningfully to understanding how ADs perceive their current environments which leads to implications for ADs' strategic decision-making.
