The inherent risk of being fired: the institutional logics enabling sport directors to replace coaches in professional football

ABSTRACT

Research question: The purpose of this study is to explain how institutional logics enable sport directors regularly to dismiss coaches in professional football. Thus, it aims to explain why coach dismissals have turned into the preferred managerial solution in times of sporting failure.

Research methods: Using an institutional logics perspective the paper draws attention to the position of the coach in the organizational setup-up of a club by using qualitative data consisting of semi-structured interviews with Danish sporting directors (n=8).

Results and findings: In the football field, three forms of logic blending are identified: a market logic as winning matches and increasing efficiency rather than profit making; emotions as a community legacy; and the marketization of the coaching profession. By integrating a conflict perspective, the paper argues that although clubs are facing logic multiplicity, these logics are compatible resulting in no or little conflict.

Implications: The logicś blending means that in times of sporting failure, a coach dismissal has become highly taken-for-granted managerial solution that seems to be accepted, even by the coaches themselves. This study adds insights to the understanding of why a widespread practice in a sport that attracts massive media attention does not lead to severe conflicts.

KEYWORDS:

• Coach dismissals
• club management
• middle manager
• conflict
• professionalization

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).