Management Competency for Physical Activity Education and Sport

About the Book

The introduction of this combined text and laboratory workbook - with its "tear-out" sheets on which to complete specific "experiences" - is a "first" in the field! It can be employed either by itself or in connection with a standard text that has limited or no practical exercises included. If desirable, also, the instructor could amplify what is offered here by the addition of other "laboratory experiences" developed from the listing in Part I of well over 100 desirable experiences under the five broad categories included. A comprehensive analysis of management science literature indicated the need to introduce a step-by-step plan for management skill or competency attainment.

In doing so, the authors built on Katz's (Harvard) tripartite categorization of skills and expanded it to five subdivisions so as to cover also the personal attributes needed by the prospective manager, as well as those "conjoined" skills gained through a "combinatorial process" that the individual is required to employ on the job. What Katz calls human skills, we now call interpersonal skills so as to distinguish this category from personal skills (No.1 below). These subdivisions or categories are, therefore, as follows:

1. Personal skills (or developing one's own individual competencies prior to concentrating of the managerial task)
2. Interpersonal skills (or acquiring the skills needed to influence people positively to work toward accomplishment of organizational objectives and goals)
3. Conceptual skills (or learning to formulate ideas and plans while on the job as a manager)
4. Technical skills (or acquiring the various skills and techniques needed to cope with the various organizational details and problems that arise)
5. Conjoined skills (or developing the various managerial skills in some combination or proportion to achieve both immediate and long-range objectives and goals)

Granting that Katz's categories of human (interpersonal, as we call it), conceptual, and technical managerial skills, along with our additional subdivisions of so-called personal and conjoined skills, are not mutually exclusive, this plan enables the teacher and the students to move selectively from theory to practice within each of the five categories described.

The method for working toward the achievement of the specific competencies or skills is (1) through the provision of statements describing the objectives of the modules used to develop the competencies, (2) to offer "knowledge statements introducing the trainee to the theoretic bases of the competencies and their roles and functions in the management process, and (3) by recommending selected laboratory exercises for achieving a degree of success (at least) based on involvement in a variety of problem-solving experiences. After the student comprehends the problem to be met or solved, a questioning process determines (1) what needs to be known, (2) where this information may be obtained, (3) how to organize the actual learning experience, (4) what the probable result will be, and (5) how to evaluate the level of competency attainment (where such is possible).

The teaching and learning process employed by the instructor is designed, therefore, to include a variety of laboratory experiences. The tear-out sheets for each laboratory experience are to be completed and handed in as indicated by the course instructor. In addition to standard lecture and discussion techniques that we assume will be included by the instructor, other learning devices available can include use of the case method, role-playing, independent study, interaction with a personal computer, elementary theory formulation, response to questionnaires and self-testing devices, individual projects, small discussion groups, etc. When the instructor wishes, and there is class time available, he or she can introduce action or applied research, based independent investigation (e.g., survey, game theory), debates, internship experiences, panels, forums, and so forth. Basically, a fivefold learning process is recommended. This process employs three steps: (1) understanding of the objective of the learning experience module, (2) reading and comprehension of a "knowledge statement" or "lecturette" about the particular skill involved, and (3) skill learning through analysis and practice. Thus, the instructor can (1) assess initial student status, (2) introduce selected experiences to strengthen areas of possible weakness, and subsequently (3) evaluate competency attainment.

About the Author

Earle Zeigler is semi-retired from professional and scholarly endeavor. A dual citizen of Canada and the United States, he has taught, researched, and/or administered programs at Yale University (1943-49), The University of Michigan (1956-63), University of Illinois, CPU (1963-71), and The Univ. of Western Ontario (the latter from 1949-56 and 1971-89). His primary areas of scholarly interest have been in the history and philosophy, management, international & comparative, and professional preparation aspects of his field in education. All together Zeigler has published 42 books and monographs and 409 articles. In addition to receiving the top four awards in his field (Honor Award, Can. Assoc. for HPERD; Hetherington Award, AAKPE; Gulick Medal, AAHPERD; AAHPERD Scholar-of-the-Year, 1977), Zeigler has been recognized by election to Who's Who in Canada, Who's Who in America, and Who's Who in the World. He has received three honorary doctorates (LL.D., 1975, Univ. of Windsor, Canada; D.Sc.,1997, University of Lethbridge, Canada; and LL.D., 2006, The Univ. of Western Ontario, Canada).

Related Resume Items

1. Earle F. Zeigler
2. 105-8560 Gen. Currie Rd., Richmond, BC, Canada V6Y 1M2
3. Tel. & FAX: (604) 270-8414 / E-mail: zeigrog@axion.net
4. Ph.D., Educational History & Philosophy, Yale University, CT, 1951 (Minor in Educational Administration)
M.O., Germanic Languages
Yale University, CT, 1944
A.M., Bates College, ME, 1940
5. Professor/Dean Emeritus, The University of Western Ontario London, ON, Canada
Professor (Retired), Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL.

Other Trafford titles by this author:
Sport and Physical Education in the Middle Ages
Who Knows What's Right Anymore?: A Guide to Personal Decision-Making
Whatever Happened to the Good Life? or Assessing Your "RQ" (Recreation Quotient)
History and Status of American Physical Education and Educational Sport
A Way Out of Ethical Confusion (Untangling the Values Fiasco in North America)
Through the Eyes of a Concerned Liberal Applied Ethics for Sport & Physical Activity Professionals

Gary Bowie is a professor emeritus at the University of Lethbridge. A citizen of Canada, he has taught, researched, and/or administered programs at Lethbridge College (1962-1967) and then at the University of Lethbridge (1967-1999). His primary areas of scholarly interest have been in the history and philosophy, management and professional preparation aspects of his field in education and coaching. All together Bowie has published 10 books and monographs and 27 articles and papers.In addition to receiving top awards in his field (Honour Award of the Can. Assoc. for HPERD and the Routledge Memorial), Bowie is also a Fellow of CAHPERD with certificates of merit. He has been recognized for meritoral service at all levels having received The Queen's Jubilee Commemorative Medal, The Alberta Centennial Medal, and the 2007 Citizen of the Year award. Earlier he was elected to the Lethbridge, Alberta Sport Hall of Fame and the University of Lethbridge Sport Hall of Fame. In 1996 he was named Lethbridge Sportsman of the year.