Management by Values

Management by values is a theory that involves intentionally leveraging an organization's values into how an organization operates at every level. Using this method of management can help guide decision making by "allow[ing] for creative responses to the challenges, issues, and risks associated with an increasingly complex environment" (The Value of Managing by Values, pg. 31).

Traditionally, organizations have been managed by objective: they do what they need to do to produce a specific output. Research is now showing that this method may no longer be sufficient, and with trends moving towards quality, client satisfaction, autonomy, professional responsibility, and working in flat structures, managing by values may need to be introduced to increase organizational effectiveness and to remain competitive in the job market (Dolan, S., Garcia, S. Managing by values: Cultural redesign for strategic organizational change at the dawn of the twenty-first century, 2011).

After completing a pilot project on the process of integrating values into day-to-day operations, the CCES has incorporated these learnings into the Risk Management Program, as managing by values is, in itself, a strong component of an effective risk management strategy.

Management by Values Workshop

Canadian sport organizations looking to integrate values-based decision-making into their culture and advance their risk management efforts will benefit from the Management by Values Workshop.

As organizations mature, they follow a development cycle that often requires renewal of key processes and foundational concepts. Sport leaders who participate in the Management by Values Workshop explore high-level risks, share common solutions with like-minded peers from other sport organizations and examine how to support cultural transformation.

The workshop provides significant value for participants, their organizations, and the Canadian sport community by aligning leaders around a common decision-making framework, effecting better business processes. Longitudinal research collected in collaboration with Brock University since 2010 has shown that this training offers substantial positive outcomes, not only at the individual level, but also at the organizational and systemic levels of Canadian sport.

  • This workshop is facilitated by Sport Law and coordinated by the CCES, with funding from Sport Canada.
  • The workshop will be facilitated by an experienced Sport Law consultant who specializes in risk management and management by values.
  • The workshop is designed to hone risk management skills by providing additional context and tools, and to emphasize how a management by values approach can support more proactive risk management and strategic leadership abilities.
  • Registration is limited to facilitate meaningful interaction among participants.

To learn more about CCES risk management programs, please contact [email protected].

See Also...

Linking Sport for Life with Management by Values (Dina Bell-Laroche)

Explores how Management by Values can assist sport leaders with not only avoiding the risks that prevent them from achieving their objectives, but more importantly, work towards creating a culture that is people-centered, values-driven and results-oriented