21.08.2023

Trust within boards of voluntary sport governing bodies

A research paper by Marcel Fahrner (Institute of Sports Science) examines conditions and mechanisms of trust within boards of voluntary sport governing bodies.

Enabling trustful relationships is considered an important aspect of governance in every organisational context – and thus also in voluntary sport organisations. However, strong trust can also limit innovation and creativity or encourage abuse of power and corruption. Hence, dealing adequately with trust is a challenge for organisations and decision-makers involved.

Addressing trust as a coping response to risks in social settings, the study conducted by Marcel Fahrner (Institute of Sports Science) draws on both personal trust and system trust. Comprising data from organisational documents and semi-structured interviews with 16 volunteer board members of German state-level SGBs, the study highlights trust-relevant conditions and mechanisms of trust, and reveals how these affect the functioning of the board. Findings illustrate low reliability of decision-making structures, with personal trust serving as a functional equivalent to the weak formal regulations set out by the organisations. In this respect, system trust seems to be based on a common sense of mutual personal trust between the board members.

The research paper was recently accepted for publication in Sport Management Review.

Fahrner, M. (2023). Conditions and Mechanisms of Trust Within Boards of Voluntary Sport Governing Bodies. Sport Management Review. doi.org/10.1080/14413523.2023.2247652