Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

Volume 1 | Number 2 Article 4

June 2010

Affirmative Action as a Dimension of DiversityManagement: Perceptions of South African SportFederationsAnneliese GoslinUniversity of Pretoria, South Africa, anneliese.goslin@up.ac.za

Darlene KlukaKennesaw State University, dkluka@kennesaw.edu

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Recommended CitationGoslin, Anneliese and Kluka, Darlene (2010) "Affirmative Action as a Dimension of Diversity Management: Perceptions of SouthAfrican Sport Federations," Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective: Vol. 1 : No. 2 , Article 4.Available at: https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/jgi/vol1/iss2/4

Journal for Global Initiatives 1(2) (2006). pp. 140-149

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION AS A DIMENSIONOF DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT:

PERCEPTIONS OF SOUTH AFRICANSPORT FEDERATIONS

Anneliese GoslinDarlene Kluka

Abstract

Affirmative action in the transformation process ofSouth Africansport aims at balancing the concerns of white sport participantswith the aspirations ofparticipants ofcolor. The aims ofthis studyare to determine perceptions of South African sport federationsin diversity management and the affirmative action profile ofSouth African sport federations, and to suggest strategies tomanage affirmative action. A Likert scale questionnaire evaluatedperceptions of 32 sport federations on affirmative action factors.Below-average scores were recorded on affirmative action policyand the provision of specialized training opportunities. Politicalrather than managerial reasons are regarded as the leadingfactorfor implementing affirmative action initiatives. Organizationalchange, institutionalized policy, and organizational analysis arestrategies for managing affirmative action initiatives.

Key words: South African sport federations, affirmative action, diversitymanagement

The political transformation of South Africa since 1994 has resulted in newpolitical structures and changes in social institutions and economic frameworks.The corporate business environment has been compelled to develop and

Goslin & Kluka: Affirmative Action as Diversity Management 141

implement new strategies and structures to facilitate the management of thediverse South African labor force. Affirmative action is undoubtedly at this stageof South African transformation a contentious issue. Recently, a South Africanlabor union, Solidarity, has embarked on an international campaign lobbyingsupport for its Code of Best Practices in Affirmative Action. South African sportorganizations in the business environment are also not exempt from finding newstrategies to actively recognize value and manage the increasingly multiculturalnature of postapartheid sport. Transformation charters, quota systems, anddevelopment plans are realities that have to balance the concerns of white sportparticipants with the aspirations of participants of color. De Beer and Radley(2000) claim that unless South African leaders in all industries recognize,value, and manage diversity and change, they will miss a critical opportunityfor the successful integration necessary for the country to achieve progress andtransformation. South African sport leaders should, therefore, take responsibilityfor this opportunity and make strategic adjustments to facilitate the full potentialof South Africa's human capital through sport.

Problem Statement and Aims

The rationale, value, and scope of diversity management to corporates(including sport organizations) have been well debated in literature (De Beer& Radley, 2000; Cavanaugh, 2001; Cornelius, 2001; Melymuka, 2001; Smit& Cronje, 1997). From a perusal of diversity management literature, threeintegrated dimensions of diversity management emerge: (a) affirmative actioninitiatives (reflecting South Africa's diversity in management structures,formal policy regarding affirmative action, provision of specialized trainingopportunities for diverse groups, quantifiable affirmative action targets, andrelation between diversity management and affirmative action); (b) economicempowerment initiatives (representation of stakeholders, service providers, andmembers from designated groups, and implementation of equal opportunitiespolicy), and (c) supportive management philosophy (women's position withinthe sport federation and accommodation of ethnic and cultural differences).Although South African sport organizations are required to meet minimumstandards of diversity management, it seems as if South African sport federationleaders are unaware of the multifaceted scope of diversity management and tendto concentrate on isolated elements of affirmative action issues in team selectionand governance structures (WeIman, 2005). Examples taken from South Africannewspaper headings such as "Green and gold still looks like black and white,""Mpitsang hits quota bogey for a six," and "UCB will reintroduce quota system incricket" illustrate the contentious and emotional nature of affirmative action in

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South African sport. Bill (2002) warned against a strategy emphasizing a singledimension of diversity and emphasized that effective diversity managementreflects continuous monitoring ofcritical success factors. All three dimensions ona continuum of diversity management are needed before intervention strategiesare recommended. The dimension of affirmative action is probably most visiblein the transformation efforts of South African sport federations.

Research Methodology

Research Approach

A qualitative approach was followed. It provides well-grounded explanationsof diversity management perceptions and affirmative action practices in thenatural settings of the sport federations (Henderson, 1991).

Research Instrument

A questionnaire consisting of 38 statements evaluated sport federationson a 5-point Likert scale (1 = completely disagree,S = fully agree) on the threemain dimensions of diversity management: (a) affirmative action initiatives(reflecting South African diversity in management structures, formal policyregarding affirmative action, provision of specialized training opportunitiesto diverse groups, quantifiable affirmative action targets, and relation betweendiversity management and affirmative action); (b) economic empowermentinitiatives (representation of stakeholders, service providers, and members fromdesignated groups; tempo of economic empowerment of designated groups; andimplementation ofequal opportunities policy); and (c) supportive managementphilosophy(women'spositionwithinthesportfederation, equitablerepresentationofmen and women in management of the sport federation, and accommodationof ethnic and cultural differences). Questions on the demographic profile(related to diversity management) of the sport federations were also included inthe questionnaire. Questions evaluating the dimensions ofdiversity managementwere based on the literature review as well as discussions with researchers at theCenter for Diversity Management at the University of Pretoria.

Sample Size

Questionnaires were administered electronically to all (N=82) national SouthAfrican sports federations registered at the South African Sports Commission.One electronic follow-up was done and yielded a response rate of 39% (n=32).

Goslin & Kluka: Affirmative Action as Diversity Management 143

Theoretical Framework Of The Study

In his initial budget speech to Parliament, the Honorable Minister of Sportand Recreation (Stofile, 2004) stated that sport is an important barometer ofhow a particular society is organized. For that reason, South African sport mustbe assisted to transform in the direction of an integrated South Africa that issensitive to all dimensions of diversity. Sport is a powerful transformative forceand has already contributed substantially to nation building and reconciliation.The challenge now is to maintain momentum and build on prior successes.Transformation and diversity management constitute an integral part of asport and recreation system in which the interests of participants at all levelsare cared for. They will, however, never be fully realized without clear policyguidelines and support. The concepts of affirmative action, access, and equityas mechanisms for transformation and diversity management are, therefore,embedded in official government priorities and strategies for sport.

Two priorities of the White Paper on Sport and Recreation (Sport andRecreation South Africa, 2004) specifically address these issues: (a) developthe human resource potential required for effective management of sport andrecreation in South Africa, and (b) ensure that all sport and recreation bodiesmeet their affirmative action objectives. The report of the ministerial task teamon high performance sport (Phaahla, 2002) also sets a clear framework forenabling access and equity to sport as the foundation for effective affirmativeaction management strategies.

Affirmative action is frequently confused with diversity management. Thesetwo terms are often used interchangeably. Affirmative action and diversitymanagement, although related concepts, are separate points on the continuumof interventions available to the sport industry to facilitate transformation.Affirmative action is grounded in moral and social responsibility to amendwrongs done in the past and implies the active extension of participationopportunities to groups formerly underutilized or underrepresented in a

·'particular-industryor institution (South African sport). Diversity managementimplies the creation of an intranational environment within which divergentperspectives, approaches, and sensitivities are incorporated and developedto capitalize on diversity in such a way that the full potential of individuals(sportspersons) and institutions (sport federations) may be optimally realized.Diversity management in sport focuses on the business case for diversity andcan be regarded as a strategic approach to sport that contributes to maximizingperformances, creativity, and commitment of participants and management,while meeting the needs of diverse consumer groups. Affirmative action,although one mechanism involved in changing the organizational culture

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of South African sport, provides essential input into· a holistic diversitymanagement strategy.

Results and Discussion

Efficient diversity management directly influences the success oforganizations (Arredondo, 1996) as it creates and sustains desired organizationalchange. Researchers (Cornelius, 2001; De Beer & Radley, 2000; Griggs &Louw, 1995; Wentling & Palma-Rivas, 1997) seem to agree that diversitymanagement initiatives should be incorporated into approaches to managementorganizational strategies and depend on employee involvement. They furtheragree that diversity management initiatives should be dynamic to progress alongthe diversity management continuum. The starting point for facilitating diversitymanagement action plans is diagnosing an organizations current perceptionson dimensions of diversity management, including affirmative action, prior todesigning intervention strategies (De Beer & Radley, 2000).

Smit and Cronje (1997) postulate that the key elements of an effectivediversity strategy center around three main dimensions: affirmative actioninitiatives, economic empowerment ofpreviously disadvantaged groups, and theinstitutionalization of a supportive management philosophy. Even though thefocal point of the resultant discussion is on the perceptions of South Africansport federations on affirmative action initiatives, it cannot be divorced from theperceptions on the nature and necessity of diversity management as a concept.

Perceptions on Diversity Management

Results displayed a somewhat myopic view ofSouth African sport federationsregarding diversity. Diversity was primarily defined as meeting quotas in sportteams, a view that unequivocally disregards the complexity of the concept andundoubtedly influences resulting management strategies in this regard. Elementssuch as religious and sexual orientation, family status, gender, cultural diversity,health status, physical ability, age, ethnicity, and diverse value systems werenot recognized by 60.14% of the respondents from the analysis of definitionsprovided on diversit~ Cavanaugh (2001), Carnevale and Stone (1994), as wellas Thomas (1995), caution against the narrow definition of diversity, as it leadsto one-dimensional management strategies. Women represented only 34.7%of management in South African sports organizations although they comprise51.9% of the South African population. People with disabilities represented only2.9%, and people of color only 23.5%, signifying that the demography of theSouth African population is not adequately reflected.

Goslin & Kluka: Affirmative Action as Diversity Management 145

Affirmative Action Initiatives as Dimension ofDiversity Management

Figure 1 reflects the scores of ten critical success factors relevant to thi~

dimension. The above average score of x= 3,460 recorded for perceived reflectionof a South African diversity clearly contradicts the previous demographic

findings. The existence of formal policy regarding affirmative action (x = 2,750:and provision ofspecialized training or mentoring programs aimed at historicall)

disadvantaged groups (x = 2,750) deserve further clarification.

Figure 1. Affirmative Action Profile as a Dimension ofDiversity Management; SouthMrican sport federations' Responses to Factors Relevent to Affirmative Action

5-Point Likert Scale

South African sport federations •••

reflect South African diversity

have formal policy addressing the position I'\)

of historically disadvantaged persons

provide specialized training opportunities w

'".. to diverse groups0..,Ufa set quantifiable benchmarks ~~

'" for developing diverse groups

'"<IIuu regard implementation of affirmative action CJ1::s'" as legal requirementsfau

regard implementation of affirmative action-.: 0)

.~ as amoral requirementUc~ regard implementation of affirmative action .......

as asocial requirement

regard implementation of affirmative action CD

as apolitical requirement

regard implementation of affirmative action co

as amanagerial requirement

regard affirmative action -\,

0

as synonymous to diversity management

146 Journal for Global Initiatives

The earlier deduction that sport federations are myopic regarding training/mentoring programs is reinforced when analyzing the relevancy ofthe mentionedtraining/mentoring initiatives. It can be surmised that sport-specific traininginitiatives for people of color and open competitions are incorrectly regardedas affirmative action initiatives. South African sport federation officials regard

political reasons as the primary motivational factor (x =3,940) for implementingaffirmative action initiatives in contrast to research (De Beer & Radley, 2000;Solomon, 2002), suggesting that managerial reasons should be the primarydriving force. Only 48.62% of the respondents listed managerial reasons as theprimary concern, a finding that should question the sustainability of relevantorganizational change in South African sport. The eclectic and myopic approachto diversity management is reiterated in the limited perception (43.58%) thatsport federations have a legal obligation toward affirmative action. The latterfinding seems to indicate that sport federations regard the implementation ofaffirmative action as an option rather than a legal requirement. Equating diversitymanagement to mere affirmative action likewise confirms sport federations'myopic perception of diversity management.

Measured against the benchmarks of the diversity management continuum ofBill (2002), it seems as if South African sport federations are primarily positionedin a neutral diversity zone. The benchmarks ofthis neutral position are declared asawareness of affirmative action programs, conflicting views on div~rsitypolicies,limited attention given to management philosophies and economic empowerment,limited to no support for and implementation of diversity training programs, andconflicting management commitment to diversity management. Organizationspositioned in the neutral zone concentrate mainly on affirmative action initiativesand regard it as the primary dimension of diverSity management (Bill, 2002).When the above benchmarks are superimposed on the results reflected in FigureI, it could justify sport federations' one-dimensional perspective on diversitymanagement relegating it to mere affirmative action quotas in sport teams. It seemsas if South African sport federation leaders do not yet consider affirmative actionas an element of diversity management for enhancing organizational change andeffectiveness, but rather perceive it principally as a political issue. This undoubtedlyprevents sport federations from capitalizing on diversity in South African sport.

Strategies for Managing Affirmative Actionin South African Sport

An affirmative action strategy is more than a declaration ofgood intention. Itdescribes a program ofaction leading toward the accomplishment of specific andmeasurable results contributing to an intranational business scenario meeting the

Goslin & Kluka: Affirmative Action as Diversity Management 147

moral and legal responsibilities of diversity in the South African sport industry.Various strategies may be applied to implement affirmative action optimally. Forthe purpose of this article, three generic strategies are emphasized briefly.

Organizational Change

The search for competent and committed sports participants and managerscannot be limited to one group. South African sport federation leaders need to shiftthe emphasis away from the political player-quota perception on the sport fieldsto a management approach of valuing diversity and creating an organizationalculture of inclusion. Social inclusion should represent a broader range ofconstituents than just team members and must be visible in the boardroomswhere the full spectrum of diversity should be reflected. Visible positive rolemodels in management positions in South African sport that the total spectrumof sport stakeholders can identify with could accelerate the required change inorganizational culture. Sustainable organizational change to facilitate affirmativeaction is, however, based on a compatible and supportive management style.Concerted efforts to move sport federations from the currently dominatingEurocentric management style to an Afrocentric style where the underlyingvalues of cohesion, participative decision making, interpersonal support, andacceptance ofdiversity prevail, could accelerate management efforts to repositionaffirmative action beyond the political arena.

Institutionalize Policy

Clear and effectivepolicyon affirmative action as well as diversitymanagementserves as a bonding and directive strategy. National leadership structures inSouth African sport therefore have to formulate clear guidelines to move sportfederations out of the neutral and aware phase of holistic diversity management.Effective leadership and management are essential as a dynamic force of thesport leader/manager in order to institutionalize polic~ The value ofappropriate,participative, and inclusive management training programs according to theneeds of individual sport federations can for that reason not be overemphasized.Attempts of sport federations to formulate transformation charters and bestpractice documents in this regard have to be recognized and supported.

Organizational Analysis and Monitoring

A strategy ofurgently pursuing and evaluating affirmative action benchmarksand objectives should be adopted. Continuouslyevaluatingand monitoring targets

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make it possible to demonstrate progress, institutionalize policy, and changeorganizational culture. Conducting regular audits of progress on all elements ofaffirmative action in sport federations as well as on diversity management andthe appointment ofa transformation monitor as proposed by the ministerial taskteam on high performance sport in South Africa could guide the visible mappingof performance targets. In this regard national government stated in its StrategicPlan for 2004-2007 (Sport and Recreation South Africa, 2004) that governmentfunding policy ofnational sport federations will be linked to meeting affirmativeaction objectives and criteria set out in a Transformation Charter. Representivitytargets in the proposed Transformation Charter are set with regards to women,people with disabilities, and race as well as geographical location in all spheresof participation in South African sport, thus reflecting a more multidimension~lstrategy than mere race quotas in sport teams.

Conclusion

South African sport federations equate and relegate diversity managementto mere race quotas on sport teams. The affirmative action profile of SouthAfrican sport federations therefore seems unsatisfactory and one-dimensionaland is mainly perceived as a contentious political issue in South African sportrather than a management strategy to optimize human capital. Affirmativeaction in the form of team quotas is, however, a short-term solution to a long­term challenge. Implemented in isolation, affirmative action attempts to addressimbalances with debatable effectiveness. A more long-term sustainable solutionis a holistic diversity management strategy for South African sport focusing onall dimensions of diversity management with clear benchmarks to be obtained ata specified point in the future in order to move along the diversity managementcontinuum. Managing diversity should, in the long term, make affirmative actionunnecessary as managing diversity in its broadest sense might make people morereceptive to affirmative action primarily because it suggests that there is a light atthe end of the tunnel (Thomas, 1995).

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