Join sportanddev.org for a workshop on organisational innovation in SDP

Practitioners and researchers are invited to share their views and participate in a conversation which will bridge the gap between disciplines.

This year’s European Association of Sport Management (EASM) Conference, on 5-8 September, will include a workshop on ‘Organisational Innovation in Sport for Development and Peace’. Taking place in Bern, Switzerland, the workshop is co-organised by one NGO (the Swiss Academy for Development/sportanddev.org) and one university (Louisiana State), reflecting the spirit of cross-discipline dialogue which will characterise it. Organisers are inviting a range of voices to participate. Whether a researcher or practitioner, you are encouraged to submit a proposal to present and share your experiences.

The aim of the workshop is to explore the nature of organisational innovation in sport for development and peace (SDP) and create a space for dialogue about potential future collaboration between researchers and practitioners. The number of SDP organisations has increased since the turn of the century and this growth is likely to continue because of the formal recognition of sport as a viable tool for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Many academics agree that sport and physical activities are neither inherently good nor bad. Whether SDP efforts result in positive outcomes depends on the organisations implementing these programmes. According to a recent review of SDP research (by Schulenkorf, Sherry, & Rowe, 2016), our understanding of the structures, management, processes, and behaviour of SDP organisations is still limited.

Research in related disciplines has shown that organisational innovation in civil society organisations often takes place in a diverse range of ways. They may use new technologies or products, change their processes, or innovate to influence policy and public awareness. However, many factors affect an organisation’s ability to make use of such innovations.

The workshop will provide a space for in-depth discussions among researchers and practitioners. These will focus on what is needed to enable SDP organisations to develop and sustain innovative solutions for fulfilling their missions. This includes identifying what funding agencies, external partners, and policymakers can do to promote progress in this field.

We encourage contributors to consider organisational innovation from a broad range of perspectives, including (but not limited to):
- How SDP practitioners define innovation
- Creative programme designs
- New organisational forms in SDP
- Executive leadership
- Local community perspectives
- Creative monitoring and evaluation approaches
- Critical intra-organisational factors
- The role of funders and funding requirements
- Creative inter-organisational collaborations
- The organisational cultures of innovative SDP agencies
- The role of environmental factors (economic, political, social)

The workshop will combine presentations with a small symposium, to encourage discussion. Conveners will open the workshop with an overview of the current state of the field, before moderating interactive discussions. The lead convener will conclude by identifying key takeaways and areas to follow up on in future.

Participants will be able to share the results of their work via short video recordings that will be posted on sportanddev.org.

Submission requirements (Deadline: 20 April 2017)

Standard conference abstract

Short paper (no more than five pages)

Per Svensson, Louisiana State University
Marc Probst, Swiss Academy for Development/sportanddev.org