MANAGING TECHNOLOGY 1

Managing Technology Research Paper
JMM
March 30 2010
95-250

MANAGING TECHNOLOGY 2 Technology has profound effects on almost every modern facet of today’s world. Understanding and working with technology is fundamental to any person striving to be an elite competitor in their respective field. Whether the person is an athlete, a teacher, a trades worker, or a businessman a thorough knowledge and utilization of the available tech related to that field is needed to be an industry leader. This may not seem like an overly difficult task, but the fact of the matter is that technology is constantly changing and advancing, at a speed that is increasing exponentially. These advancements bring about changes in the field itself that are generally positive in the sense that tasks become easier allow for more time efficiency, but it is nearly impossible to keep up. Sport management is a field that has evolved to become fairly dependent on technology. In order to gain a better understanding on what it takes to become a successful sport manager we can study the technology involved in the field by answering the question of how exactly has the rapid advancement in technology changed the world of sport management and the way sport managers operate.

One of, if not the most fundamental aspect of any business or organisation is communication. Whether it be communication between co-workers, other organisations, or customers, effective communication is vital to success. In a short as time as the last decade the way people communicate has changed vastly due to technological advances and are expected to continue to change. The advancement yielding the most profound effects on how people communicate is the invention of the internet, and with it electronic mail (e-mail) and instant

MANAGING TECHNOLOGY 3 messaging (IM). E-mail has more or less replaced the traditional communication through a physical letter with a much more time efficient method of communication allowing for information to be sent world-wide in a matter of seconds. As of 2006 72% of the American adults who are online 91% use email (Fox & Madden, 2006) and these figures have surely risen in the past four years. This means that nearly anyone can be contacted by e-mail and any other business is surely to utilize this tool. This is method of communication is used effectively in the sport management industry as a formal yet time efficient manner of communicating. E-mail is also effective in the marketing facet of sport management where it can be used to advertise, retain customers, and gather information about target markets. An example of which would be sending e-mail newsletters which is an effective way to keep the community up to date with information (Branstetter, 2008).

More recently the development of instant messaging has provided yet another avenue in communication. Instant messaging is a form of real time chat where messages are sent and received instantaneously. Instant messaging is not a particularly formal method of communicating, but rather an efficient way to get quick answers as the average instant message conversation lasts 20 seconds (Brownell & Newman, 2008). From a sport management perspective this technology would be used more internally or within the organization for quick information.

There is one large limitation to both e-mail and instant messaging that can prove to be very dangerous in the business setting, or any conversation for that matter. Both e-mail and
MANAGING TECHNOLOGY 4 instant messaging are simply text, and text does not convey emotion or tone. This forces the reader to interpret tone and emotion of the message for themselves which posses the risk of misinterpretation. A seemingly harmless sent e-mail or instant message can read to be threatening or angry depending on how the reader interprets it. Due to this ambiguous factor regarding these technologies another form of communication is necessary regarding topics in which emotion and tone is vital to correctly convey the message.

In cases where electronic mailing is not appropriate technology has allowed for other, more personable forms of communication. For example a telephone call, which may seem standard, but with new advancements in telecommunications a telephone has become a powerful tool in the sport management world. Organisations are now able to communicate with several other businesses or people, located all around the world all at the same time. This creates an extreme ease in the flow of information and is very productive in the sense that it can be preformed from one’s office. Even more recent is the development of a webcam based conference call, which has the same concept as a telephone based conference but with the added element of being able to physically see those who you are communicating with. Technology continues to advance the ways we communicate with each other, continuously bringing us closer and closer to being face to face while still great distances away.

The further advancement of the computer and computer systems also greatly results in advancements in the field of sport management. As word processing becomes more advanced managers and their employees are able to create and modify more sophisticated and organized
MANAGING TECHNOLOGY 5 documents and representation of data. Website development software has also been making leaps and bounds which allow sport organizations to create elaborate websites which attract, inform, and retain consumers. Information has becoming increasingly easy to access which increases the overall speed work can be done at.

The most profound computer related advancement in technology has been the increase in mobility due to the decrease in device size and boundaries. A sport manager has the power to do an entire days work while never stepping foot in the office, and this is often the case. As the demand to travel to conferences and meetings is present, a sport manager can now still complete work while traveling with devices such as a laptop or smart phone. This can allow for increased multi-tasking, for example a team scout can be traveling to Alberta to watch an athlete while at communicating with an athlete in Ontario via mobile phone and sending a report back to the teams coach through email all at the same time. Devices continue to become smaller with the recent development of “netbooks” which as specifically designed for e-mail and internet browsing in a mobile setting. These mobile devices turn whatever setting a sport manager is in, into his or her office allowing work to be done anywhere and at any time.

Social networking on the internet has been a recent world-wide phenomenon that has proved to be an effective tool in the sport management setting. Websites such as Facebook and Myspace are the leaders of the online networking front and business use the popularity of these websites to their advantage in networking and advertising. Much like websites a sport marketer can develop a Facebook page to advertise and attract potential consumers, and they would be
MANAGING TECHNOLOGY 6 foolish not to in knowing that there are over 400 million active Facebook accounts, 50% of which are online at any given day (Facebook Statistics). This provides an excellent medium to communicate with potential consumers. Such networks are often also used as a means for aspiring sport managers to develop business relationships as they must realize that good grades and interviews alone may not be good enough. (Bey & Walker, 2009) to acquire a job in the field. These networking sites are a strong tool for a sport management organization to utilize to their own benefit.

Not only do sport mangers have to be aware of the technologies that apply directly to them, but also technologies that are used in sport in general. This can include new training methods, therapeutic technology, supplements, or even technologies developed for sport facilities. The goal of a sport manager is to sell the event or to “put rear-ends in seats” and to do this the manager must have a quality product that people are willing to buy. To develop this quality product a manager should take into account what makes an athlete or facility elite. In the case of an athlete often times highly advanced training equipment and regimes are used, along with top of the line therapy/rehabilitation equipment to aid in developing a high performance athlete and knowledge of these technological aids would be in a mangers best interest. As for a facility all new state of the art entertainment technology will help in drawing consumers demand as it will provide an all together better product. With the goal of creating a demand to go to an event in mind a sport manger should at least be aware of all the tools at his or her disposal.

MANAGING TECHNOLOGY 7
The difference between a successful sport manager and an unsuccessful one may all come down to their ability to utilize the technology available to them. If one manager is being highly productive both in and outside of the office due to utilization of mobile devices than that manager will be miles ahead of the competition which is limited to work inside the office. While technology is a sport mangers greatest tool, it is also his or her greatest challenge for it is always changing. This is why in simply keeping up with technology a sport manger is almost already obsolete, which forces us to think and predict ahead of technology and begin preparing for its changes today. Predicting the nature of technological changes is the most important challenge a sport manger faces, and identifying how they can engage with the technology for the benefit of sport is next on the list (Chadwick, 2006). If a sport manager can persevere in the face of both of these challenges than they are bound to be far ahead of their competition.

MANAGING TECHNOLOGY 8
References
Fox, S., & Madden, M. (January, 2006) Generations Online. Pew Internet and American Life Project. Retreived March 23, 2010, from http://www.pewinternet.org/reports/2006/genrations-online.aspx Branstetter, S. (March, 2008) New Technologies to Improve Camp Marketing Technology. Camping Magazine, Vol. 81

Brownell, J., & Newman, A. (November, 2008) Applying Communication Technology: Introducing E-mail and Instant Messaging in the Hospitality Curriculum. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport, & Tourism Education, Vol. 7

Chadwick, S. (October 2006) Technology and the Future of Sport. International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship. Vol. 8

Facebook Statistics. (January, 2010) Retrieved March 23, 2010, from http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics#!/press/info.php?statistics

Bey, L. W., & Walker, C., (October, 2009) The Benefits of Incorporating Networking Strategies Into Sport Management Courses and Related Experiences at Virginia State University. Virginia Journal. Vol. 30