Identifying important management competencies in fitness centres in Greece

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable instrument to identify the competencies needed to manage fitness centres and to determine if organizational size plays a significant role in perceived importance of managerial competencies. A sample of 186 fitness centre managers from a selected region in Greece participated in the study. Fitness centres were classified in groups according to organizational size. In Group I (n=87), the number of members was <100, in Group II (n=63), the number of members was 100-300 and in Group III (n=36), the number of members was >300. Exploratory factor analysis revealed four factors consisting of 16 competency statements: marketing and communication (five items), human resource management (five items), financial management (three items) and administration (three items). A one-way analysis of variance and a subsequent Tukey's test demonstrated significant differences in managing fitness centres of different organizational sizes. Managers of medium and large fitness centres perceived that financial management, human resource management, and administration be of more importance than did their colleagues in smaller fitness centres.