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  • © 2019

Servant Leadership in Sport

Theory and Practice

Palgrave Macmillan
  • Bridges gap between theory and practice to show the applicability of positive psychology and servant leadership theory to sport management
  • Provides empirical evidence of the effective use of servant leadership principles in sport organizations
  • Written for academic audience and includes practical elements that will appeal to sport administrators and coaches
  • Provides a model for servant leadership with a focus on leader self-care and well-being

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Hardcover Book USD 169.99
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Table of contents (18 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xi
  2. Servant Leadership in Sport: Theory and Practice

    • Gregory S. Sullivan
    Pages 1-28
  3. Servant Leadership

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 29-30
    2. Servant Leadership: An Introduction

      • Gregory S. Sullivan
      Pages 31-39
    3. Servant Leadership: Research

      • Gregory S. Sullivan
      Pages 67-79
    4. Servant Leadership in Sports and Athletics

      • Gregory S. Sullivan
      Pages 81-113
  4. Positive Psychology: Well-Being as a Servant Leadership Antecedent

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 115-115
    2. Positive Psychology: An Introduction

      • Gregory S. Sullivan
      Pages 117-121
    3. Character Strengths: The Pathway to Well-Being

      • Gregory S. Sullivan
      Pages 123-144
    4. Positive Emotions

      • Gregory S. Sullivan
      Pages 145-157
    5. Engagement

      • Gregory S. Sullivan
      Pages 159-172
    6. Positive Relationships

      • Gregory S. Sullivan
      Pages 173-187
    7. Meaning

      • Gregory S. Sullivan
      Pages 189-202
    8. Accomplishment

      • Gregory S. Sullivan
      Pages 203-210
  5. Need Satisfaction: A Self-Determined Perspective

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 211-212
    2. Servant Leadership and Need Satisfaction

      • Gregory S. Sullivan
      Pages 213-218
    3. SDT in Athletics

      • Gregory S. Sullivan
      Pages 241-246

About this book

This book applies the principles of well-being theory and positive psychology to sport to establish a basis of servant leadership in sport organizations. Though the win-at-all-cost mentality is pervasive in sport, leading to acceptance of leadership styles more associated with controlling and extrinsic motivators, the author proposes need satisfaction based on three psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and belongingness, which leads to enhanced job performance, job satisfaction, and well-being. Through need satisfaction, servant leaders positively influence organizational outcomes by enabling followers' growth and well-being. This book will make a new contribution to sport management research in applying the principles of positive psychology to servant leadership and to sport.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Ohio University, Athens, USA

    Gregory S. Sullivan

About the author

Gregory S. Sullivan is Associate Professor and Director of the Professional Masters of Sports Administration (PMSA) program in the Department of Sports Administration, College of Business at Ohio University, USA. His research focuses on the role of positive psychology, servant leadership, and self-determined motivation in a sports context, both in the workplace and on the playing field.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Servant Leadership in Sport

  • Book Subtitle: Theory and Practice

  • Authors: Gregory S. Sullivan

  • Series Title: Palgrave Studies in Workplace Spirituality and Fulfillment

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11248-6

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: Business and Management, Business and Management (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2019

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-11247-9Published: 25 March 2019

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-11248-6Published: 18 March 2019

  • Series ISSN: 2662-3668

  • Series E-ISSN: 2662-3676

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XI, 297

  • Number of Illustrations: 3 b/w illustrations, 10 illustrations in colour

  • Topics: Business Strategy/Leadership

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access