The impact of institutionalized resources, rules and practices on the performance of non-profit sport organizations

Abstract

The paper focuses on the external pressures and constraints which impinge upon the performance of non-profit sport organizations. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from 20 Hellenic national sport organizations, which operate in a highly institutionalized context as they are regularly funded and controlled by the state agency for sport. The results demonstrate a restrictive resource dependence on the state, which is accompanied by a lack of performance inducements, poorly defined technical arrangements and state intervention in sport-related activities. The low performance of the sport organizations is explained in terms of the influence of the institutional processes on their internal organizational behaviour.