Understanding Organisational Cultures in Elite Sport - Dr Niels Feddersen (Pt1) - Meaningful Sport Series

Physical Activity Researcher

Understanding organisational cultures and the processes of culture change in elite sport is an increasingly visible field of study. If we think of culture as being much about meanings that people negotiate in their communities of practice, how should we think of culture change and dysfunctional or even 'destructive' cultures in the world of elite sport?

This exciting episode with Dr Niels Feddersen explores these questions and draws on his extensive fieldwork in one elite sport organisation that went through turbulent times of conflict as a result of a culture change process that insiders felt as threatening their sense of meaning in sport-work.

Dr Niels Feddersen holds a postdoctoral researcher position at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. He completed his PhD at Liverpool John Moores University with his thesis focused on culture change in an elite sport organisation. Currently, he is also working on a project that explores nature-based exercise activities as a lifestyle intervention for people with stress, anxiety, and depression. This will be the focus of the second part of our conversation.

Research that is the focus of today's conversation includes:

The emergence and perpetuation of a destructive culture in an elite sport in the United Kingdom

A Longitudinal Study of Power Relations in a British Olympic Sport Organization

You can follow Niels on Twitter @niels_NTNU