Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Sport Management

Document Type

Dissertation

Abstract

Leadership scholarship within the SDP domain has mostly conceptualized leadership as a relational and influence-based process, emphasizing how leaders mobilize stakeholders, shape organizational culture, and generate social impact. While these perspectives have advanced our understanding of outward-facing leadership behaviors, relatively little attention has been paid to the intrapersonal process through which individuals in leadership roles regulate their thoughts, emotions, and motivation in complex, resource-constrained environments. Drawing on self-leadership theory, this study explores the role of self-leadership in the SDP field by investigating how practitioners engage in self-leadership, the perceived benefits of said practices, and the environmental and intraorganizational factors that shape them.

Using a basic qualitative research design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 SDP leaders from US cities across diverse organizational contexts. Findings suggest that practitioners engage in three primary categories of self-leadership strategies: behavior-focused strategies (e.g., intentional goal setting and structured routines), constructive thought-pattern strategies (e.g., cognitive reframing and emotional regulation), and natural reward strategies (e.g., value-driven motivation). These strategies were associated with enhanced professional effectiveness, improved relational influence, and mitigating burnout. At the organizational level, supportive leadership structures, autonomy, and collaborative cultures strengthened practitioners’ self-leadership ability. On the other hand, data analysis also indicated that bureaucratic constraints, funding instability, and role overload redirected emotional and cognitive energy away from proactive initiative and long-term focus, thereby impacting their self-leadership capacity.

By integrating structural and individual perspectives, this dissertation advances SDP leadership scholarship by conceptualizing leadership not only as influence over others but also as an internal, self-regulatory process that underpins sustainable leadership practices in the sector. The findings from this study also extend the self-leadership theory into the mission-driven context of SDP and provide practical implications for fostering organizational environments that support resilient, effective leaders in social impact settings.


Date

3-31-2026

Committee Chair

Per Svensson

LSU Acknowledgement

1

LSU Accessibility Acknowledgment

1

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