EVALUATION OF A CAREER ADVANCEMENT PROGRAM IN
PROFESSIONAL SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
A Project
Presented to the faculty of the Department of Psychology
California State University, Sacramento
Submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of
MASTER OF ARTS
in
Industrial-Organizational Psychology
by
Taylor Dianne Wolgamott
FALL 2020
© 2020
Taylor Dianne Wolgamott
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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EVALUATION OF A CAREER ADVANCEMENT PROGRAM IN
PROFESSIONAL SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
A Project
by
Taylor Dianne Wolgamott
Approved by:
______, Committee Chair Dr. Oriel Strickland
______, Second Reader Dr. Gregory Hurtz
______Date
iii
Student: Taylor Dianne Wolgamott
I certify that this student has met the requirements for format contained in the University format manual, and this project is suitable for electronic submission to the library and credit is to be awarded for the project.
______, Graduate Coordinator ______Dr. Lisa M. Bohon Date
Department of Psychology
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Abstract
of
EVALUATION OF A CAREER ADVANCEMENT PROGRAM IN
PROFESSIONAL SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
by
Taylor Dianne Wolgamott
The purpose of this action research project is to evaluate and provide recommendations for an existing career advancement program at the Sacramento Kings organization. The
Career Advancement Program (CAP) has been in the organization for many years but was revamped to accommodate members from all departments in the organization. A program evaluation is needed to determine what changes need to be made to ensure its effectiveness. Twenty team members were recruited to participate in the program and a survey was developed to determine areas of the program that need improvement.
Analyses show increased training and workshops, increased knowledge of the organization, and mentorship are areas for improvement. It is believed the recommendations proposed by this project will provide a first step in improving these
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areas, as well as having a positive impact across the organization. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.
______, Committee Chair Dr. Oriel Strickland
______Date
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would first like to thank my biggest supporter, Erik, for his continuous encouragement, love, patience and understanding during the final stretch of my graduate student career. There are no words to capture my gratitude and love for you and your support during this time means the world to me.
To my friends and family, thank you for your support and understanding as well.
From events and gatherings cut short so I could finish schoolwork, to stressed out phone calls and texts, the completion of my project would not have been possible without you.
To the Sacramento Kings HR department and CAP program participants, thank you for being accepting of my project and for your contribution. I am thankful the whole program and organization was accepting of my ideas and participated with enthusiasm.
Your willingness to help me succeed and accomplish my goals is something I am very thankful for.
Lastly, this would not have been possible without the support and encouragement from my advisor Dr. Strickland. Her feedback and resources greatly improved my writing and helped me develop my skills throughout my time at Sacramento State.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Page
Acknowledgements ...... vii
List of Tables ...... x
Chapter
1. PROJECT OVERVIEW ...... 1
Purpose and Importance of the Current Study ...... 1
History and Organizational Strategy ...... 2
The Current Status of the Sacramento Kings Organization ...... 6
2. LITERATURE REVIEW ...... 8
Employee Development Overview ...... 8
Development Programs and Outcomes ...... 9
Career Advancement ...... 13
Kings Specific Training ...... 15
Mentorship ...... 18
Leadership ...... 20
Personality and DiSC Assessment ...... 22
Researcher Context ...... 25
Statement of Value ...... 27
3. METHOD ...... 28
Participants ...... 28
Measures ...... 30 viii
CAP Knowledge Questions ...... 30
CAP Activities ...... 30
CAP Satisfaction Questions ...... 31
Procedure ...... 31
Data Analysis ...... 32
4. RESULTS ...... 34
Descriptive Statistics ...... 34
Correlations ...... 37
Subgroup Analyses ...... 38
5. RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS ...... 39
Summary of Major Findings ...... 39
Recommendations ...... 40
Strength and Limitations ...... 45
COVID-19 Implications...... 46
Directions for Future Research ...... 48
Appendix A. Current CAP Program Overview ...... 51
Appendix B. Program Application Questions ...... 52
Appendix C. Current CAP Curriculum ...... 53
Appendix D. Survey...... 54
Appendix E. Room Layout ...... 56
References ...... 57
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LIST OF TABLES Tables Page
1. Percent Completed and Frequencies for CAP Activities……..…..... …………35
2. Open Ended Responses……………………….………………………………. .37
x
1
Chapter 1
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Purpose and Importance of the Current Study
Navigating a career in the sports and entertainment industry can be challenging, particularly for entry-level roles such as Account Executive positions, which perform duties such as generating leads and making cold calls. Recent college graduates typically fill this position as their first job after completing school. To combat the trials of a new career in this industry, the sales staff at the Sacramento Kings put together a Career
Advancement Program, hereafter referred to as CAP, to help new sales executives grow, develop, find mentors, and build a solid foundation to move up within the organization.
The lack of structure and attention to this program led it to be unsuccessful and it ceased to exist after a couple of years. Today, there are no lasting members of the program and there have not been any in over two years. Participation was voluntary, which led to many participants dropping out and there were no guidelines on what the program entailed. This initiative was no longer providing any benefit to the Sacramento Kings organization. In the summer of 2019, the program's foundation was brought back, overhauled, and made available to all full-time employees who have been employed with the organization for more than one year.
The current program (Appendix A) includes more structure than the previous program. The purpose of this program is to provide career growth and leadership opportunities for those individuals who are looking to grow both personally and professionally. These opportunities come from mentorship opportunities, regular meetups
2 that include training and informational talks, and working with a mentor. Like previously mentioned, this program was only available for new sales executives but was relaunched to include team members from across the organization to make a more significant impact.
While the sales department has the most career progression opportunities and a clear path for promotion, every department could benefit from having team members participate in this program.
The purpose of this research is to review the current literature on employee development and career advancement programs and evaluate a newly-launched career advancement program at the Sacramento Kings organization. An assessment measure was developed to evaluate the program and reveal areas of the program that need improvement. This measure and the literature review were used to develop specific recommendations to enhance the program and increase participation and satisfaction. The following pages will provide the organizational background, a focused literature review, an analysis of the assessment measure, and recommendations for the program.
History and Organizational Strategy
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team in the National
Basketball Association (NBA). The NBA was created after the National Basketball
League (NBL) and the Basketball Association of America (BAA) merged in 1949 after years of rivalry and battles to win both players and fans. This merge brought the total number of teams up to 17, located in a mix of large and small cities. The number of teams quickly dropped to just eight due to financial troubles. Between 1966 to 2004, the number of teams grew to 21 and today there are 30 NBA teams with 29 teams in the United States
3 and one in Canada. The teams are divided into the Western and Eastern conference, with
15 teams in each. The NBA is also an active member of USA Basketball, participating in games and tournaments worldwide. USA Basketball is recognized by the International
Basketball Federation (FIBA) as the governing body for basketball in the United States.
The Kings originated in Rochester New York after Les Harrison, a former player and coach, organized the Rochester Seagrams in the early 1920s. In 1943 the team was renamed the Rochester Pro's and two years later, the team joined the NBL. After the NBL merged with the BAA in the late 1940s, the Rochester Pro’s won their first NBA
Championship in 1951. Six years after their first NBA Championship win, the team moved to Cincinnati and became the Cincinnati Royals. In the 1970s, the team moved to
Kansas City and the franchise became the Kansas City – Omaha Kings to stick with the
"royal" theme. Ten years later the team was purchased with the plan to move to
Sacramento California and in 1985, the move was official with the team now known as the Sacramento Kings.
The 1990s were a time of change for the Sacramento Kings. The team acquired vital players as well as new ownerships led by Gavin and Joe Maloof. These changes led to years of victory for the team with a division title in 2002 and 2003. On March 21 of
2013, it was announced that Vivek Ranadive had joined Ron Burkle and Mark Mastrov in an attempt to purchase the Sacramento Kings. In May 2013, the new owners reached an agreement with the Maloof family to acquire 65% of the team for $348 million (Press,
2013).
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When the Kings first moved to Sacramento in 1985, the team was housed at
ARCO Arena. This was the smallest arena in the NBA, accommodating only 10,333 people. This was a temporary location for the Kings and was nicknamed "The Madhouse on Market Street" as the Kings games were always sold out (Moore et al., 2019). After only three years, the team moved to the new ARCO Arena in 1988, which was later renamed Sleep Train Arena. This arena hosted the team from 1988 to 2016 and had nearly 200 events each year. ARCO Arena costs $40 million to build, the lowest of any
NBA venue; even with this upgrade from the original location, ARCO was still the smallest arena in the NBA, accommodating 17,317 fans and 30 luxury suites and 412 club seats. This arena hosted various events such as Kings games, concerts, ice shows, rodeos, and monster truck rallies. The arena attracted nearly two million spectators from around the state in the span of one year. This arena set the Guinness World Record for the loudest sports roar by reaching 126 decibels in 2013 (Rocketdept, 2014). Being the smallest NBA venue and having the loudest fan base are a few characteristics the
Sacramento Kings are still known for, even in the new downtown Sacramento Arena.
In 2006, there was a campaign to build a new facility in downtown Sacramento and there was an overwhelming response to reject this proposal. The Kings, the city, and the county agreed to fund a new arena with a quarter-cent sales tax increase. The Maloofs abandoned this plan, voters rejected the sales tax increase, and the economy started to decline (Henry, 2014). The idea was mentioned again in 2012, but the Maloofs backed out and started talking about moving the team. They proposed Anaheim, Seattle, and
Virginia Beach as possible suitors for the team. In 2013, former NBA player Kevin
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Johnson was the Mayor of Sacramento, and his efforts were integral to keeping the team in Sacramento. Government officials, the local community, businesses, and a loyal fanbase successfully persuaded Vivek Ranadive to purchase the team. It was finally decided that a new arena would be built in the heart of downtown Sacramento.
When Vivek announced the new arena and the city council approved plans, a small group of deal opponents organized efforts to stop the project. Some wanted to stop the public financing of the arena and stated that the deal does not represent the people's will. Other arena opponents intended to sue to stop the deal under the California
Environmental Quality Act, alleging that the arena is "hideously designed" and will cause traffic, noise and public safety problems, including riots after games (Bizjak, Kasler &
Lillis, 2014). Despite these setbacks, the Golden 1 Center Arena began construction in
October of 2014. It was completed and ready for the first Kings game by October 2016.
The Kings contributed approximately $284 million, and the City of Sacramento contributed $223 million.
The design and technology of this arena are recognized as one of the best in the
NBA. The Golden 1 Center reflects Northern California by including regionally sourced materials such as glass and recycled aluminum. The arena also has a rooftop solar array that can generate up to 1.2 megawatts. Under the new ownership, the goal was to have the most technologically advanced sports and entertainment center in the country, including being energy efficient. The arena has the second-largest screens in the NBA, consuming more than 6,000 square feet. The Golden 1 Center is also considered the
6 world's most connected indoor sports and entertainment venue with the fastest internet in the NBA, 17,000 times faster than the average home network.
The Current Status of the Sacramento Kings Organization
The change in arena and ownership called for many changes on the business operations side. A larger arena requires a larger team to staff events and take on arena programming and more talent to keep all departments running smoothly. During this change, the team went through rebranding as well. The team updated its logo, inspired by the classic Kings logo from 1985. The new logo has the same half-basketball half-crown logo but with an updated purple and grey color scheme and a new typeface. With a new arena being built and an overhaul of the company’s brand and image, there was a need for more employees to keep up with the workload.
Along with this rebrand, the organization made changes to its mission and values.
According to the Sacramento Kings Careers website, the mission of the organization, which covers both the Sacramento Kings and the Golden 1 Center, is to “build a winning franchise that enhances the lives of those it touches and makes the world a better place”
(Singh, 2019, para. 2). The Sacramento Kings and Golden 1 Center value:
Excellence as we embrace, support, and practice a culture of exceptionalism in
everything we do. We value integrity, and we are an honest organization and
honest individuals in all that we do. We value openness and are open to all ideas,
peoples, and cultures. We value hard work, and finally, we value fun. The
Sacramento Kings are bigger than basketball. We invest our time, resources,
talent, and passion to the region and Sacramento community the economic and
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emotional support it needs to flourish. We strive to do good, impact the world,
and make Sacramento Proud (Singh, 2019, para. 2).
While the Kings have struggled to be a winning team, that has not stopped the organization from growing and developing. The team currently has over 1,000 full and part-time employees and has continued to increased headcount over the years. When this information was gathered in March 2019, there were 271 full-time employees for the
Sacramento Kings and Golden 1 Center and 827 part-time union employees in departments such as ticket sales, marketing, analytics, security and customer service.
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Chapter 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
Employee Development Overview
Many companies use a combination of approaches to develop employees. Formal education can include on and off-site programs designed for the company's employees.
Companies rely on in-house development programs because they can be directly tied to the company's business needs. Assessment involves giving employees information and feedback about their performance. This can help identify employees with potential for promotion, measure strengths and weaknesses, and identify factors that inhibit productivity. Most employees develop through new job experiences, including stretch assignments where they are put in a position to learn new skills and apply knowledge in a new way. Another way to develop through job experiences is learning different areas of the company through job rotation (Noe, 2017).
Cultivating an employee development planning system requires four steps and responsibilities: self-assessment, reality check, goal setting, and action planning. Self- assessment is the use of information by employees to determine their career interests, values, and aptitudes. Through this, a development need can be identified. A reality check is the information an employee receives about how the company evaluates their skills and where they fit into the company's plans. Performance reviews or 360-degree- feedback can provide this. Goal setting refers to developing long and short-term development objectives such as desired positions or skill acquisition. Action planning is a
9 written strategy that employees use to determine how they will achieve their goals (Noe,
2017).
Once a company chooses its strategic training and development plan that aligns with the business strategy, it identifies specific training and development activities to achieve its goals. To determine what training and development activities contribute to the strategy and goal metrics need to be identified and collected. Examples of relevant metrics include employee retention, employee engagement, productivity, and quality.
While metrics are important, it is also essential to look at the business-related outcomes.
(Noe, 2017). The Career Advancement Program at the Sacramento Kings was designed to provide team members with the skills to achieve their goals and meet business-related outcomes.
Development Programs and Outcomes
Employee development programs have been around for some time in the United
States. General Motors was one of the first to establish a corporate university in 1927 with the General Motors Institute. Eventually, a variety of organizations followed the same path. During the 1950s, General Electric established Crotonville Management
Development Institute, and Walt Disney began Disney University (Gerbman, 2000).
McDonald’s quickly followed this trend with the establishment of Hamburger University to train its managers in the early 1960s (Garger, 1999). Approaches to employee development include formal education, assessment, job experiences, and interpersonal relationships (Shawel, 2011). Development is formal education, job experiences, relationships, and evaluation of personality and skills that help employees prepare for the
10 future (Noe, 2017). Development differs from traditional training because it is focused on the future and may not be related to the employees' current job.
Different companies have established different types of employee development programs for an assortment of reasons, depending on the organization's needs. Tires Plus offers Tires Plus University (TPU) to its employees to enhance recruitment, retain strong workers, fill leadership positions, and promote overall wellness. A key component of
TPU is that it coincides with a special promotion track for workers who get involved
(Dobbs, 2000). In the early 1990s, Sears Credit experienced a major restructuring and reacted with a development initiative. This new venture was done to support employees with their new and changing jobs. They felt they were not sharing career opportunities with employees and the knowledge and skills to take advantage of those opportunities
(O’Herron and Simonsen, 1995). These are just a couple of existing development programs, and while some vary in nature, most are based on a similar philosophical construct. SAS is a leader in business analytics software and services. They offer their employees leadership programs, career mentoring, and a career resource center. When asked about why they offer these programs to their employees, senior communications specialist Shannon Heath stated, “Knowledge workers never want to be stagnant, so SAS provides opportunities for growth to keep our employees challenged, motivated and engaged.” (Pribanic, 2019, para. 9).
AT&T is the company that brought millions around the world high-speed internet, entertainment, and voice services. They offer their employees a one of a kind AT&T
University program that focuses on leadership and management development. The
11 program has its own degree and micro-degrees to help participants accelerate their learning. When asked about why AT&T offers these programs, communications manager
Marty Richter stated:
We cannot depend on just hiring and the traditional educational system as sources
for retooling or finding new talent. We need employees who are ready to work in
a competitive and more digital world. We are focused on aligning company
leaders to strategic business innovation and results, skilling and reskilling our
280,000 employees, and inspiring a culture of continuous learning. (Pribanic,
2019, para. 11)
These examples demonstrate that employees and organizations both have a lot to gain from development programs, such as increasing engagement and satisfaction and reducing turnover. One study found that employee development initiatives and programs were the greatest contributing factor to employee engagement (AbuKhalifeh & Som,
2013). Typically, the best performers do not leave a job for the sole purpose of financial benefits. Though salary and benefits play an essential role in selecting and retaining the employees, employees are always noticing the opportunities to attain new skills, encounter new or different duties, and look for personal and professional development
(Wagner, 2000). Therefore, nourishing these requirements helps build confidence, self- esteem, and job satisfaction in employees (Nunn, 2000). When a company communicates to its employees that they are marketable outside the organization yet still invests in their training and development, it makes a strong statement to workers that they are valued.
Many feel compelled to offer a high level of commitment and have increased feelings of
12 satisfaction (Moses, 2000). For example, Sears has found that supporting employees through career planning and development has made their workforce more motivated and invested in meeting its business goals (O'Herron & Simonsen, 1995).
The research literature on turnover and retention describes that employee retention is a challenging notion. There is no particular method to retain employees with the organization; there is no one-size-fits-all strategy. With that being said, several organizations have revealed that one of the characteristics that help retain employees is to offer them opportunities to improve their learning (Logan, 2000). Therefore, it has been confirmed that there is a strong relationship between employee training and development and employee retention (Rosenwald, 2000). The companies that recognize this relationship and that utilize an employee development program are experiencing decreased turnover rates and increased retention (Wagner, 2000). Employees have difficulty caring about a company if they do not believe the company cares about them
(Garger, 1999). People recognize value in working for a company that is willing to invest money in them, even if that investment ultimately benefits the organization (Wilson,
2000). Not only are the organizations benefiting from the programs, but the employees are as well.
To evaluate a development program, a company must decide how it will determine the program's effectiveness. The Kirkpatrick Model is one of the best-known models for evaluating employee training and development programs. The focus in the current study is on reaction outcomes, cognitive outcomes and skill-based outcomes.
Reaction outcomes fall into level 1 of Kirkpatrick's framework for evaluation; they are
13 the participants' perceptions of the program. This can include the facilities, trainers, and content of the training or program. Learning or cognitive outcomes are in level 2 of
Kirkpatrick's criteria and is the degree to which trainees are familiar with the principles, facts, and techniques in the training. Pen and pencil or online tests are used to collect data on this type of outcome. Skill-based outcomes are used to assess the level of technical or motor skills and behaviors. Skill-based outcomes fall into levels 2 and 3 of Kirkpatrick's criteria, and these assess the level of technical skills or behaviors. The extent to which trainees have learned skills can be evaluated by observing their performance in work samples such as simulators.
Pre-tests and post-tests, comparison, and control groups can be used to control for validity threats. To combat external validity threats, one could obtain a large sample, replicate findings, and address how representative the sample is. There are many ways to gather data and designs to evaluate training. Some of the most common are post-test only, pre-test and post-test with and without a comparison group, time series, and Solomon four-group design. The current study utilized the pre-test survey data to develop hypothetical recommendations for the program.
Career Advancement
The current view of careers developed during the decades after World War II, when the world experienced unprecedented economic growth and career research began to look at how individuals progress and develop in their careers. Employee development is often centered around developing one's career. The purpose of career planning is to help employees feel like their employers are investing in them, help people manage the
14 many aspects of their lives, and deal with the fact that there is no clear promotion track.
A career is a pattern of work experiences throughout one's life and is usually perceived in terms of a series of stages reflecting the passage from one life phase to another (Callanan
& Greenhaus, 1999). Today's careers are known as protean careers based on self- direction and the goal of psychological success (Hall, 1996).
Career development is the process of managing learning, work, and transitions throughout one's life to move toward a preferred future, and career advancement is the upward progression of one's career. Research in this field assesses this movement through hierarchical advancement or horizontal mobility (Carmeli, Shalom & Weisberg,
2005). Research has also shown that mentorship and formal mentor programs are linked to career progression. Graco and Kraimer (2019) found that career goals and mentoring play an essential role in developing and advancing an employee's career. Specifically, that psychosocial mentoring relates to professional identification. Psychosocial mentoring addresses the interpersonal aspects of the relationship between mentor and mentee and includes functions such as friendship, counseling, and offering advice. This is important to organizations because it can help early-career professionals and organizations understand that career goals may be shaped more by psychosocial mentoring rather than career mentoring experiences and that mentoring helps strengthen the bond with one's profession.
Gottfredson’s (1981) developmental theory of occupational aspirations highlights the importance of recognizing and responding to occupational barriers. Individuals realize and identify specific barriers based on their perception of job accessibility; they
15 cope with this perceived reality by compromising their vocational goals. Through the process of compromising career goals because of perceived occupational barriers, individuals are likely to display attitudes toward the career decision-making process that reflect anxiety, concern, and a lack of confidence. Research has also shown that potential barriers include being excluded from formal networks, a lack of cultural fit, and a lack of mentoring (Lyness & Thompson, 2000). Another study found that successful employees rely on networking as it is associated with better pay, mobility, and better performance, which leads to career advancement (Cross & Thomas, 2008). It is believed that utilizing training and development programs such as CAP can help mitigate these occupational barriers.
Kings Specific Training
Much of the CAP training at the Sacramento Kings includes aspects of training specific to improving knowledge and behaviors directly related to the Kings. This includes general knowledge about the organization, Big Think modules and discussions, participating in critical conversations and interview training, and community outreach events.
The NBA acquired a license to use Big Think Edge that allowed every team in the league access. Big Think Edge is a multimedia web portal that contains interviews, presentations, and discussions with speakers from a wide variety of fields. It is a leading learning solution for people, offering actionable video insights from today’s brightest industry leaders and innovators. Their approach is designed to help individuals develop soft skills to achieve their personal and professional goals. The topics covered in CAP
16 had a business focus and are meant to inspire individuals to level-up their careers and improve decision-making and reasoning abilities. Big Think Edge topics that were included in CAP revolve around emotional intelligence, career development, leadership, and management. Big Think Edge has over 200 available videos for participants to watch as they please and each video includes a learner’s guide, summary and a note-taking tab.
Big Think Edge is utilized by future-thinking companies such as Disney and Citi. It is a powerful and accessible tool organizations can use to deliver high-quality content related to strategic business goals and personal goals.
HR training was also provided to CAP participants to develop their skill set to ensure proper execution of conducting interviews and handling difficult discussions at work. Critical conversations training and role-play were provided by the SVP of Human
Resources to prepare future leaders to handle conversations when stakes and emotions are high. The training included a PowerPoint presentation followed by group role-plays.
Role-plays are usually included in training programs involving interpersonal skills such as communications, coaching, leadership, and team building. Role-plays can be completed in small groups of two to three persons in which all trainees complete the role- play. In a role-play, outcomes depend on the emotional and subjective reactions of the other trainees. In CAP specific training, participants practiced their role play in small groups and presented to the entire group. Role-playing allows groups to run through scenarios and take on different roles such as a manager or upset employee to explore what is involved when taking on that role (Noe, 2017).
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Interview training provides CAP members with the knowledge and skills to conduct effective candidate interviews, ultimately adding to their leadership skills.
According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), candidate interviews are vital components of the hiring process. To hire the most qualified candidates, human resource professionals and hiring managers must be well informed on conducting interviews effectively (Interviewing, 2019). As CAP members progress in their careers, conducting interviews and acting as a hiring manager increases. Thus, a career advancement program needs to offer this training. Choosing an interview method depends on the nature of the position being filled, the industry, the corporate culture and the type of information the employer seeks to gain from the applicant. The focus of the
CAP training was on structured interviews as this is the most common format followed at the organization but touched on other methods that could be useful. The main purpose of structured interviewing is to identify job skills that are essential to the position. The interviewer asks a specific set of questions to all applicants being interviewed for a particular position. This direct approach makes it easier for the interviewer to evaluate and compare applicants fairly. Some interviewers ask the questions in a fixed order, while others may not adhere to a strict order but still make certain they address all the planned items. Structured interviewing often provides the interviewer with the information needed to make a hiring decision. It is also key in defending against discrimination allegations in hiring and selection because all applicants are asked the same questions.
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Community outreach was included as part of CAP due to its importance to the organization as a whole. The Sacramento Kings are dedicated to investing time, resources, talent, and passion into the Sacramento community to give the region the economic and emotional support it needs to flourish, per the mission statement. Many of the activities included team volunteer events at various locations around the Greater
Sacramento region. Not only does community outreach and volunteer work benefit the community, but it also benefits the volunteers. Research indicates that volunteering provides health benefits such as lower mortality rates, lower depression rates and greater functional ability. This can be caused by providing positive effects on social psychological factors, which are correlated with lower health risks ("Health Benefits”,
2007). Volunteering provides the opportunity to practice important skills used in the workplace, such as teamwork, communication, problem-solving, project planning, task management, and organization (Seagal, 2019). All of these contribute to the King's strategic plan and can help participants develop professionally and personally.
Mentorship
Interpersonal relationships, such as mentoring, can help develop employees.
Mentorship is the guidance provided by someone who is more experienced in a company or institution. It is essential for mentoring programs to select mentors carefully, make participation voluntary, match employees based on the mentor's skills to the mentee's needs, clarify roles, and encourage a continued relationship (Sanyal & Rigby, 2017).
Mentoring can be on a short-term basis, or it can last many years, depending on the mentee's needs and how the relationship evolves (Bright, 2014). There has been a copious
19 amount of research done on mentoring and there is much promising literature in support of mentorship programs. For example, one study found that over 90% of participants said their mentors helped provide support, knowledge, and guidance, ultimately making them more successful in their endeavors (Jackevicius et al., 2014). Another study consisting of a sample of 244 manufacturing managers supported previous research on the dimensions of mentorship. It demonstrated that coaching and social supports were related to the managers' salary levels and promotions, indicating that managers' support may have significant implications for managerial careers (Scandura, 1992).
Several explanations suggest how mentorship relationships can promote career success. Social exchange theory suggests that individuals start and later break off relationships with others on the basis that the perceived benefits of the relationship relative to the costs involved (Olian, Carroll, & Giannantonio, 1993). This theory provides the theoretical framework for understanding mentorship costs such as burnout, grief, and decreased productivity (Eby et al., 2013; Lunsford et al., 2013). Social exchange theory can also and potential benefits, including improved productivity and professional reputation (Griffin, 2012). This theory shares similarities with economic approaches that suggest a process of job matching whereby mentorship relationships identify productive recruits and enhance investment in firm‐specific human capital through employee and firm bonding experiences (Laband & Lentz, 1995).
In contrast to this, social learning theory emphasizes mentoring as a developmental process of modeling and reinforcement. Mentees acquire skills by observing and modeling their behaviors after a successful mentor (Eby, Lockwood, &
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Butts, 2006). Another approach to mentorship and career advancement emphasizes social networks. By spending time with their mentors, new professionals gain access to inner circles where they are made aware of information and opportunities that enable the achievement of professional goals (Burt, 2005).
Leadership
Mentorship can provide leadership training, skills, and knowledge. Leadership has many different definitions because there are many styles and phases of leadership. CAP emphasizes situational leadership, which proposes that effective leadership requires a rational understanding of the situation and appropriate response, rather than a charismatic leader with a large group of dedicated followers (Graeff, 1997: Grint, 2011). This evolved from a task-oriented versus a people-oriented continuum. The continuum represents the extent to which the leader focuses on the required task or their relations with their followers. (Bass, 2008; Conger, 2011; Graeff, 1997; Lorsch, 2010). Research demonstrates that the situational leadership model does not lead to superior performance in a sales management role (Butler & Reese, 1991). While CAP is offered to team members from across the organization and includes departments other than sales, most of the workforce involves sales or client-facing roles. This information is valuable when it comes to making recommendations for improvements to CAP.
Another form of leadership is transformational leadership. Plenty of research has been done on this topic and the effectiveness of training transformational leadership. One study stated that transformational leadership is effective in enhancing employee attitudes and performance. As previously mentioned, promotions are one of the most common
21 ways career progression and advancement are tracked. If employees or team members perform better due to transformational leadership training provided by CAP and receive a promotion, this would be an indicator of career advancement. Transformational leadership is the superior leadership performance that occurs when leaders broaden and elevate the interests of their employees when they generate awareness and acceptance of the purposes and mission of the group, and when they stir their employees to look beyond their own self-interest for the good of the group (Bass, 1985, 1990, 1999). Previous research has found that training and feedback on transformational leadership have effectively enhanced transformational leadership (Barling et al., 1996).
In 2015, organizations spent over $1,000 per employee on training with the largest share of that budget on leadership training (Lacerenza et al., 2017). Meta-analyses have shown that leadership has influenced productivity and career development, according to a study done by Hafsteindottir, Zwagg, and Schuurmans (2017). Another study found that in their sample of 234 respondents, there was a perceived increase in leadership knowledge, skills, and attitudes after the leadership training workshop. On top of the perception of increased leadership ability after the training, there were improvements in leadership competency on the job as well. (Sogunro, 1997).
One study provides valuable insight into what it takes to develop leaders. This study states that most leadership training initiatives fail to produce leaders as they teach theories, concepts, and principles while promoting leadership literacy, but not leadership competence. Selecting the right candidates, creating learning challenges, and mentoring are three steps to developing and training potential leaders (Rausch & Allio, 2005).
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Another study demonstrated the importance of senior leaders in support of an organization's leadership development efforts. This article states that providing the appropriate financial, staffing, and technological resources to support these efforts is essential and creates a climate of continuous learning and role modeling of appropriate behaviors (Longenecker & Insch, 2018). These findings are crucial to the development of leadership programs and will be a valuable asset to CAP.
Personality and DiSC Assessment
Organizations use assessment tools to help instructors better understand learners' preferences and characteristics of who will be in their training program. For example, the
Learning and Development Group within PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is using the
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) as a tool for instructors to understand learner needs and styles (Daisley, 2011). Another example is Carmeuse North America and its use of personality tests in its leadership development program. It tests for employees identified as having high potential for top management positions and will be used to guide employees into development activities including coaching and formal courses (Krell,
2005).
Personality tests such as the NEO Personality Inventory (or the NEO-PI) measure openness to new experiences, conscientiousness, emotional stability, assertiveness, and the ability to get along with other people. The MBTI focuses on how information is gathered and how individuals make decisions. It is designed to help individuals understand their personality and use their personality preferences at work and in their lives. MBTI theory suggests that personalities differ on four dimensions. Information is
23 gathered either with an emphasis on facts and details (Sensing or S) or abstract patterns and possibilities (Intuition). Decisions are made based on logical analysis (Thinking or T) or personal values (Feeling). Also, individuals differ in dealing with the environment.
Individuals with an Extroversion (E) gain energy from interpersonal interactions, while those with an Introversion (I) preference draw energy from within themselves.
Individuals with a preference for Judging (J) desire structure and closure, while those with a Perceiving (P) preference prefer to have many decision options. The MBTI assessment provides a four-letter personality type that is related to each of the four personality dimensions. The dimensions combine to form sixteen personality types (e.g., an individual can be an ISTJ, an ENFP, or an INFP).
Another popularly used assessment tool is the DiSC assessment. The DiSC measures personality and behavioral style on four dimensions including dominance, influence, steadiness and conscientiousness. It is commonly used in a business setting for purposes of employee development and team building. DiSC addresses behavioral responses based on the individual's emotional reaction to a particular environment. The
DiSC personality test is taken by over one million people each year and is published in books that appear in 35 languages (DiSC, 2020). Studies have revealed that more than
81% of a participant's colleagues see the DiSC assessment as a very accurate picture of their habitual behavior patterns. Among those who are primarily "D" in their style, accuracy is rated at 91%; for "I" types, it is 94%. Primarily, "S" type individuals perceive
85% accuracy, while for "C" types, it is 82%. This gives an 88.49% perceived accuracy, with a standard deviation of 6.43%. In other words, the DISC Profile generated by this
24 process is perceived as highly accurate, in most situations, by most participants (Home,
2020). One study compared DiSC results with performance data of leaders in a healthcare organization. This study found a positive relationship between accountability for others and internal promotions, suggesting that employees who were internally promoted had higher scores, indicating future internal promotability and internal success.
These tools can help employees better understand how to adapt and change their behavior to be a more effective leader or team member. These tools can be used to place employees in job experiences they will be most successful in, give them experiences that require them to adapt their behavior or personality, or assign a mentor or coach who can help them learn how to adapt to different situations. Personality tests can also determine if employees can get along with others, their tolerance for ambiguity, and other traits related to success as a manager. Tests are used to determine if employees have the personality characteristics necessary to succeed in specific managerial jobs or jobs involving international assignments. They are used to help employees gain self- awareness of how they respond to conflict, what motivates them, how they solve problems, and how they react to stress.
The research shows that personality testing provides helpful insight when creating an employee development program and provides tools to help employees be more effective leaders and team members. This indicates the Kings are taking steps in the right direction by providing the DiSC assessment to CAP members to ensure the training and workshops are interesting and will increase their motivation to learn.
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Researcher Context
This project is considered insider research as the organization employed the main researcher in the Human Resources department. Insider research is defined as research undertaken by an individual who is a member of the group, organization, or community they are conducting researching in (Brannick & Coghlan, 2007). Some of the benefits of this type of research include not altering the flow of social interaction unnaturally (Adler
& Adler, 1994) and establishing a closeness between the researcher and participants, promoting both the telling and the judging of truth (Leininger, 1985). A few other benefits of using insider research are that the researcher can fully involve themselves with the participants and be less inclined to construct stereotypes. One of the problems associated with insider research is that recognizing patterns may be more difficult to identify because the behavior is so familiar to the researcher (Lipson, 1984). Other disadvantages include unconscious biases the researcher may bring to the research effort and experiencing role conflicts (Bonner & Tolhurst, 2002).
There are potential barriers to change, both with those in charge of the program and the participants. While the organization is open to new ideas and recommendations, the program leads might be hesitant to accept the hypothetical changes to their program from the Human Resources department. Survey data will support the proposed changes, but they still might not accept these changes since they own and manage the program.
The program participants might also feel the same way. If the original Career
Advancement Program curriculum changes from the original outline that was distributed to the participants, it is possible they could be hesitant to the recommended changes
26 proposed as a result of this action research project. They also might not feel comfortable being honest on the survey in fear of any negative repercussions. While participant responses were recorded with confidentiality, social desirability bias might affect how they respond to the survey questions.
Measures were approved by HR and CAP program leaders to gain permission for data collection and analysis. The Institutional Review Board (IRB) determined that this research project was not considered human-subject research as it is an organizational assessment. While not considered human-subjects research, information gathered remained anonymous and individual responses were not disclosed with the program leads or other Human Resources members.
The Kings have not had an organization-wide employee development program in place before now, and the program must be adequately evaluated, and recommendations are made to enhance the program. Since the previous program did not produce the desired results such as satisfaction with the program and career progression, proper evaluation and recommendation will help the program remain robust and keep future cohorts' interest. The value of this project is immense. CAP members will directly benefit from the program and the content, and the organization will benefit from having team members with more developed leadership skills and mentorship abilities. This project has the potential to benefit team members of this organization and, ultimately, others working in professional sports and entertainment. In Human Resources, we must provide team members with training opportunities and to back up developmental programs. Many of the Sacramento Kings programs come directly from the NBA League Office, which is
27 beneficial but are often short-term pieces of training. This program has the opportunity to continuously develop team members and help them navigate their careers in professional sports and entertainment.
Statement of Value
Previous research highlights the importance and effectiveness of career research on topics such as employee development, mentorship and program evaluation. The research provides the theoretical framework to make impactful hypothetical recommendations to the Career Advancement program at the Sacramento Kings. The program has failed to be successful due to lack of structure and guidance and implementing the recommended program changes has the potential to benefit the Kings organization. CAP will provide employees with developed leadership skills, mentorship abilities and opportunities for career growth. It is in the Kings organization's best interest to invest time and resources into this program because it will draw in talent and foster that talent into a new generation of management.
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Chapter 3
METHOD
Participants
Participants for this action research project included 20 full-time employees (male
= 13, female = 7) from across the Sacramento Kings organization. The participants were recruited via an organizational-wide email that was sent in late July of 2019, before the start of the current study. In the email, interested participants were instructed to apply to
CAP by submitting an email application, including a brief questionnaire, to the project leads. The questionnaire consisted of the following questions: "Why do you want to join the Career Advancement Program?" and "Describe a time when you took the initiative and made an impact beyond your current day to day role" (Appendix B). Participants had until August 6, 2019, to submit their applications. Participants were chosen if they demonstrated a genuine interest in joining the Career Advancement Program (CAP) and had a detailed response explaining a time when they took the initiative and made an impact beyond their current day to day role. In addition to the application submission, participants needed to have a recommendation from a current supervisor to be included in the program. Then participant's work behaviors were evaluated for demonstrating a high level of consistency in meeting current job requirements. Participants were also evaluated for going above and beyond the day to day requirements of the job to produce excellent results for the team, having a positive attitude and a team player presence, and finally, expressing leadership/mentorship and interest in growth opportunities within their current role.
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A committee of 5-7 team members at the Sacramento Kings screened the applications and chose 20 applicants to be in the first round of CAP. This committee included department leaders as well as the program leads and a member of Human
Resources. Names were removed from the applications to keep them as anonymous as possible to ensure applicants across the organization had an equal chance of selection that was not affected by their current work assignment. Participant responses were compiled into an excel spreadsheet and then distributed to the selection committee. The process of selecting the team members to participate in CAP was not part of this project's research design, but it is worth mentioning.
The participants were from diverse backgrounds. Diversity in this regard focuses on deep-level diversity by including participants from different departments across the organization and bringing in participants with differing values, needs and abilities.
Departments include analytics, sales, and partnership services, events and public relations. Since the program was only offered to a select department in the past, it is advantageous that it is now being offered to team members across the organization.
Ultimately this benefits the organization as a whole and will allow the program to be more generalizable. Having a diverse participant sample indicates that the results could apply to other NBA teams with a similar organizational structure. While it may be a stretch since sports and entertainment is a niche industry, there is the possibility that a program of this nature could be useful in other industries and organizations.
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Measures
The measurements for this project include survey data based on the CAP curriculum. The measures were developed specifically to assess the program goals identified on the existing CAP documentation that outlines the current curriculum
(Appendix C). Developing the measures based on the existing CAP documentation demonstrates content validity, covering all relevant parts of the program it intends to measure. The survey (Appendix D) was developed and approved by CAP leadership. The survey can be broken down into the following sections: knowledge, CAP Activities, mentoring, and satisfaction with the program.
CAP Knowledge Questions
The knowledge section (α = .06) includes questions such as "the acronym CAP stands for (that is, what word does each letter represent?", "What goals does the CAP program include?" and "The anticipated length of CAP is ____ years, consisting of ____ phases." This allows for an understanding of the participants' knowledge of the basics and foundation of the program.
CAP Activities
The survey also includes a checklist to understand what workshops and activities each participant has completed so far as part of CAP. This allows for an idea of what kinds of activities the members participate in and what areas need improvement. These activities include meeting with department leaders, DiSC assessment training, leadership training, community outreach activities, and book club readings. While these are not
31 traditional behavioral measures, they do bear upon job-related behaviors from a frequency perspective in that the experiences are either completed or not.
CAP Satisfaction Questions
The survey includes a Likert rating scale to measure participant satisfaction (α =
0.70). The scale ranges from Strongly Agree, represented by a five on the scale to
Strongly Disagree, represented by one on the scale. This scale captured how satisfied participants are with their opportunity to learn about the Sacramento Kings and Golden 1
Center, enhance their role development, increase leadership knowledge and skills, and finally apply those new skills in the Sacramento community.
Finally, the survey included an open answer question to allow any other comments or concerns about the program. The prompt states, "Please use the space below to list what you have enjoyed so far and what you would like to learn or training you would like access to." This allows for a more in-depth answer from participants to gather the most information on what is working well within the program and what is lacking.
Procedure
The 20 participants in CAP met once per month since late August 2019. During that time, the participants completed a DiSC assessment, a leadership workshop, and a situational leadership role-playing workshop as part of the pre-programmed curriculum designed by the program leads.
The action research project aimed at evaluating CAP used paper and pencil and online survey designs for data collection. The initial survey was developed in February and was approved by Human Resources and the program leads for administration on
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March 4, 2020. The survey was administered via paper and pencil to the CAP participants at the end of March's meeting following an exercise and round table discussion. Thirteen members who were in attendance at the meeting were distributed surveys. All participants were verbally informed that participation was voluntary, and they were given
15 minutes to complete the survey if they those to do so. A layout of the room where data was collected can be found in Appendix E. The remaining seven participants were given the survey via email after the COVID-19 pandemic transitioned the organization to working remotely. A fillable Word Document version was sent out via email to collect the remaining surveys. The email stated that participation was voluntary, and only one reminder email was sent to capture all participants. The survey gathered a snapshot of where the participants were at with their knowledge of CAP, their satisfaction with areas of the program, and their performance regarding the program. This also gives insight into whether they are attending meetings and staying involved with the training, mentoring opportunities, and workshops.
Data Analysis
After data collection was complete, survey responses were entered into an SPSS spreadsheet (v.27, IBM Corporation; Armonk, NY). Data from survey questions on knowledge were first analyzed for internal consistency. The knowledge questions and the
CAP activities were recoded into dichotomous variables with 1 representing a correct answer or participation in a job experience. A zero represents a wrong answer or no participation in an event. Descriptive statistics including means and standard deviations were generated to determine the level of knowledge and number of activities that CAP
33 members had completed. Higher means would demonstrate greater knowledge and a high number of CAP activities completed. Descriptive statistics, including means and standard deviations, were also obtained for the Likert-type items inquiring about satisfaction with the program, as well as measures for internal consistency. Higher means would indicate that the participants are satisfied with the program's current state, while lower means could provide insight into areas that may need to be addressed. Open-ended questions were analyzed to look for themes and patterns. Responses were coded into one of six themes that were identified, then frequencies and proportions were obtained. Correlations comparing the number of activities completed with satisfaction and job knowledge provided insight into their relationship. Higher correlations indicate that more activities completed lead to increased satisfaction and job knowledge. Finally, subgroup analyses were conducted to compare sales and non-sales staff on participation rates and satisfaction and Cohen’s d was obtained to determine effect size.
This study aims to identify areas of improvement for the Career Advancement
Program (CAP) at the Sacramento Kings and make recommendations to improve the overall program. The following chapter presents the findings from the data collection on
CAP member experiences, which are organized into knowledge about the program, relevant activities, satisfaction with the program, and open-ended responses, exploratory correlation, and subgroup analyses.
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Chapter 4
RESULTS
Descriptive Statistics
Descriptive statistics show that the average tenure for CAP participants was 3.9 years (SD = 1.94) with a minimum of 1.67 years and a maximum tenure of 9.42 years with the organization. The knowledge questions were coded with a one for a correct answer and a zero for an incorrect answer. A correct answer indicates that the participant responded with the one correct answer and no partial answers were accepted as correct.
For the question "the acronym CAP stands for (that is, what word does each letter represent?)", all participants answered correctly. For the second question "The anticipated length of CAP is ____ years", 95% of participants answered correctly. Lastly, for the question "CAP consists of ____ phases", only 10% of participants responded with the correct answer. Despite lower internal consistency, these questions reveal a lack of knowledge of an important fundamental aspect of the program. It is possible that the lack of understanding of the program phases significantly affected the overall consistency of items in this section.
CAP activities were coded with a one if a participant had participated in or completed the activity as part of the program. Means indicate the proportion of participants that had completed the job experience activity. Frequencies and percentage of participants who completed or attended the activity can be found in Table 1. On average, 5.6 (SD = 1.64) activities out of nine were completed.
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Table 1: Percent Completed and Frequencies for CAP Activities
CAP Activity Percent Completed Frequency Leadership Development 95 19 DiSC Assessment 95 19 Book Club Readings 90 80 Situational Leadership Development 75 15 Community Outreach 65 13 Met with Department Leader 50 10 BIG Think Modules 40 8 HR Interview Training 30 6 Mentorship Activities 20 4
Mentorship included additional questions to look at meeting frequency for the
CAP members who indicated they had a mentor. Only seven participants indicated they had a mentor, and those seven participants specified they had met with their mentor an average of 3.4 times over the course of eight months.
Satisfaction with the program was analyzed using a five-point Likert-type rating scale with a one representing strongly disagree and a five representing strongly agree.
Participants rated increasing leadership knowledge and skills an average of 4.35 (SD =
0.67). For the item assessing whether CAP was enhancing role development within the organization, the average value was 4.00 (SD = 0.86). Participants rated satisfaction with the opportunity to gain knowledge about the Sacramento Kings a 3.95 on the scale (SD =
0.89). Finally, applying new skills within the organization had an average of 3.50 (SD =
0.95) on the five-point scale.
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The author identified six themes from the open-ended question. Themes were identified by counting frequencies of phrases that included keywords such as leadership, executives, training, new people, organization, and mentor. For the open-ended responses, four were omitted due to not answering this part of the question. The analysis shows that 31% of CAP mentioned members want more training on coaching, leadership, and critical conversations. Additionally, 25% indicated they would like more exposure to company executives, knowledge about the organization's strategic plan, and the organization as a whole. Furthermore, ten percent of responses mentioned an interest in a consistent mentor-mentee relationship. Lastly, 6% of responses mentioned more leadership workshops.
Participants also indicated which areas of the program they had enjoyed so far.
One response was omitted as the participant did not fill out the question. Of the participant responses, 42% indicated they enjoyed the program's diversity and the opportunity to meet other team members from across the organization. Furthermore, 32% of the responses indicated they enjoyed the leadership activities, and 21% enjoyed the training CAP has conducted thus far.
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Table 2: Open-Ended Responses
Number of times Themes mentioned Sample Enjoyed Improvements Leadership 6 1 “CAP as provided several opportunities to gain new leadership knowledge” Executive Exposure 1 4 “I look forward to speaking to more of our executives” Skills Training 4 5 “I would really enjoy more training on conducting interviews” Diversity of CAP Members 8 0 “I enjoy being in a program with peers across multiple departments” Organizational Knowledge 0 4 “I would like more knowledge of the strategic direction of the company” Mentoring 0 2 “I really want a consistent mentor”
Correlations
Pearson correlations were conducted to explore the relationship between CAP relevant activities, satisfaction with the program, and knowledge of the program. A correlation analysis shows that number of CAP activities completed was moderately positively correlated with average satisfaction with the program, r(18) = .52, p = .02.
There was not a significant relationship between knowledge of CAP and satisfaction, r(18) = -.13, p = .57 and there was no significant relationship between number of CAP activities completed and knowledge of the program, r(18) = -.14, p = .56.
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Subgroup Analyses
Exploratory subgroup analyses were conducted to determine the differences between sales and non-sales team members on participation rates and satisfaction.
Descriptive statistics show that 11 out of the 20 participants were in a sales position within the organization. Independent samples t-test indicate no significant difference between sales (M = 6.16, SD = 1.60) and non-sales participants (M= 4.89, SD = 1.45) and number of activities completed t(18) = 1.89, p = .78, d = 0.84. Independent samples t-test was also not significant for average satisfaction ratings between sales (M = 3.86, SD =
0.58) and non-sales (M = 4.05, SD = 0.67), t(18) = -0.68, p = .58, d = -0.31. Participants who met with department head and those who did not were also compared on participation rates and satisfaction. Out of the group, 10 participants had met with their department leader and 10 did not. Meeting with the department leader was removed from activities completed before running the independent sample t-tests comparing participants who met with their department leader and those who did not. Completion rates for participants who met with their department leader (M = 5.50, SD = 1.18) about the program and those who did not (M = 4.70, SD = 1.57) had no significant difference on number of activities completed, t(18) = 1.29, p = .21, d = 0.58. There was, however, a significant difference between the those who met with department leaders (M = 4.22, SD
= 0.61) and those who did not (M = 3.67, SD = 0.51) on average satisfaction t(18) = 2.18, p = .04, d = 0.98, which indicates participants who met with their department lead were more satisfied with the program.
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Chapter 5
RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS
Summary of Major Findings
The purpose of this action research study was to evaluate the Career
Advancement Program (CAP) at the Sacramento Kings organization as an effective training and development program. The literature review revealed the importance and benefits of employee development programs and career advancement programs. It also demonstrated the essential concepts and components that make up a successful program, such as mentorship, leadership, and training. Survey data was collected to capture a snapshot of the program and determine areas of improvement by adding new components to the program or enhancing current practices.
Data obtained from the knowledge section of the survey indicated the proportion of participants who answered the questions correctly. Half of the participants did not know the program's length, and most did not know how many phases were in the program. Both of these questions provide insight into areas that could use improvement.
Means obtained from the CAP activity section of the survey indicated the level of participation for each activity. BIG Think Modules, interview training, and mentorship activities all had participation rates of 50% or less. Areas with the highest participation rates were leadership development and situational development workshops, DiSC
Assessment, and Book Club Readings.
The open-ended survey responses provided more insight into what the Career
Advancement Program (CAP) participants would like gain from the program. Responses
40 were categorized into six different themes: Skills Training, Executive Exposure,
Organizational Knowledge, and Mentorship were the most mentioned areas participants would like see improvements within CAP. The knowledge, activities, and open-ended response sections provide clear insight into the program's areas that could benefit from intervention and recommendations for improvement.
Correlations and subgroup analyses were exploratory in nature and provided some additional insight into the program. Correlations confirm a relationship between increased participation in CAP activities and higher rates of satisfaction with the program. This shows that the more activities team members attend, the more satisfied they are with the program. Subgroup analyses show that sales and non-sales participants have no difference in participation rates and satisfaction. This indicates that there were not differential experiences with CAP based on departments. Subgroup analyses also showed that meeting with the department leader leads to greater satisfaction with the program.
Recommendations
The evaluation of CAP and this project provided a good first step in identifying areas of improvement and providing insight into what participants wanted in order to make the program as beneficial as possible. First, it is important to evaluate the recruitment method for obtaining CAP participants. While not part of the current study, it is a vital aspect of the program that should be carefully considered. Participants were recruited via email and were asked to submit an email application. With the state of the current workforce continuing to work from home, this is an acceptable form of
41 recruitment. The company-wide announcement of the program states that to qualify for the program, a team member must meet the following requirements: at least a one-year tenure with the Kings, a recommendation from a supervisor, demonstrate a high level of consistency meeting current job requirements, go beyond day to day requirements, have a positive and team player presence, and express interest in new growth opportunities.
These areas of the application process must be clearly defined and measured. To capture some of these areas, performance evaluation scores should be considered when selecting members for the program. Research shows that performance evaluations are associated with increased chances of promotability, which is a key indicator of career advancement
(Stumpf & London, 1981). Thus, it makes sense for the program to select high performers who are in line for promotions and greater opportunity within the organization. Selecting the participants should be carried out in a way that removes any potential bias. Removing names and job titles from applications can help prevent participants from being identified and having an individual unrelated to the program prepare the applications are two ways to reduce bias. This would allow participants to be selected based on their job performance and manager recommendation, rather than other areas that could introduce bias to the selection process.
After analyzing the open-ended survey responses, four main recommendations are suggested for the program content. First, increased training and workshops should be implemented to help participants gain knowledge and acquire skills in their desired areas.
Increased training and workshops can also help participants learn how to apply those skills on the job. Secondly, increased meetings with the participant's department leader to
42 keep up to date on what CAP members are partaking in. Thirdly, increased knowledge about the organization and industry through workshops and discussions with executives in the organization and league. Lastly, a formal mentorship program is recommended to provide the resources and benefits of a mentor-mentee relationship. Each of these recommendations will be explored in more detail in subsequent sections.
Training and workshops proved to be a highly desired experience due to the low participation rates indicated in the survey responses. The responses had an emphasis on interview training and critical conversation training. The survey results showed that interview training was one of the least participated activities, but it was mentioned multiple times in the open-ended response. This could be due to scheduling conflicts in which members could not attend due to prior commitments or meetings. To combat scheduling difficulties and to provide members with the training they want, multiple training sessions should be offered throughout the program if members cannot attend.
The results demonstrated that CAP members are interested in developing the necessary skills to advance throughout their careers, such as gaining managerial responsibility. Members want to learn how to conduct interviews as it is a task they will be expected to do in the near future or one they are expected to do now. As CAP members advance in their careers, there is a high probability that they will be managing other team members. It is crucial to know how to handle sensitive conversations with employees. Leadership training and workshops received praise from most program members in the open-ended response and had high participation rates. It is recommended that these activities and experiences continue and to make sure all participants can attend.
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It is also recommended that training events continue to provide hands-on experience and examples, such as the situational leadership role play. Many of the CAP participants indicated a strong liking toward these activities, and research shows they provide many benefits. Situational leadership is a flexible approach, it encourages collaboration and is adaptable to different situations (Walls, 2019). Specifically, role- plays facilitate deeper and more active engagement with the content (Alder, 1982) and they have been effective in developing successful leaders by learning to tailor behavior to specific situations (Tabek & Lebron, 2017). This training method allows participants to practice what they have learned so they can better use their skills on the job and within the organization.
Survey data showed that half of CAP members met with their department leader and the independent group t-test indicates greater average satisfaction with the program.
This indicates that meeting with the department leader and discussing the program is an indicator of a successful program. As such, meeting with the department leader should be required going forward. Department leaders should already be informed that a team member wants to join CAP by needing a manager recommendation to be considered for the program. It is essential that department leaders have a baseline understanding of the program and its purpose to best help their team members succeed. Once selected into the program, participants and department leaders should have a one-on-one conversation to discuss the program objectives and goals. It is also recommended that the participants meet with the department leader once a month to touch base on that month's CAP activity. This will help the manager stay involved and motivate the team member to
44 participate in the activities and provide them with opportunities to apply the skills they have learned. Results indicate that applying new skills within the organization had the lowest satisfaction rating out of the satisfaction questions. Having a clear communication line about what is being taught and discussed in the program would be a great way to keep the department leader informed and provide opportunities to continue developing the participant's skills. Thus, it is recommended that establishing department leader meetings as a required activity in CAP will lead to higher satisfaction rates in future program analyses.
Many of the participants indicated wanting more knowledge of the organization and exposure to executives. This can be easily accomplished by incorporating executive discussions into regular CAP programming. Executives can provide information about their own experience either before or during their time with the Kings to provide insight into their own career progression. Including executives from various departments allows for more insight into the Sacramento Kings organization, which can address the need for more knowledge about the organization. It is also recommended that the program provide discussion panels with guests from other teams in the National Basketball League (NBA), other sports organizations, and organizations within the Sacramento community. This would more knowledge to the industry as a whole and the Sacramento's Kings role and involvement in the community. Understandably, the scheduling could be difficult to work around, but with proper planning and time in advance, this should be a valuable addition to the program.
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Lastly, CAP participants indicated an interest in a formal mentorship program, and mentorship activities had one of the lowest participation rates. Some participants have mentors, and some do not, which is the likely cause of the mentorship activities' low participation rate. CAP mentions a desire for mentorship as a requirement in the application process, and it is also mentioned as part of the program's foundation. Given this emphasis, it should be a required aspect of the program and integrated immediately.
Mentorship can provide personal and career development opportunities, opportunities to grow and apply new skills, and networking. The Society for Human Resource
Management (SHRM) suggests designing a system to match mentees and mentors based on professional interests and educational background, developmental goals, and mentor competencies (“Creating a Mentor Program”, 2017). It is recommended that a survey be developed to capture CAP participant information and capture information from leaders who are interested in being a mentor. From the survey responses, CAP leads can match mentees and mentors and provide both parties with general guidelines and expectations about the mentorship program. In order to ensure the mentorship component is effective and worth the resources, it is suggested that a survey be developed and administered to the participants.
Strengths and Limitations
This main strength of this project is to provide an initial assessment and directions for improvement to CAP. There is considerable academic and applied literature about employee development programs and their benefits, which provided the foundation for the program recommendations. Utilizing survey data allows for quick and easy responses
46 that can be analyzed swiftly, which is beneficial when working on a strict timeline in the fast-paced sports industry. This allows for data collection to easily continue in future cohorts. The current study utilized an open-ended survey question to provide as much information as possible from the CAP participants, such as feelings, attitudes, and understanding of CAP.
The major limitation of this project includes the design and scope of data collection. Collecting survey responses with no post-test data collection only allows for a snapshot of the program, and we are unable to measure a change in the participant's experience. The survey also captures self-report data, which can lead to social desirability bias. There is also the possibility that CAP participants may drop out of the program or stop attending the monthly meetings as the program continues, leading to skewed data in future data collection. The program's length could also increase the possibility of participants leaving the program or the organizations within the two years. The number of changes in professional sports and entertainment is relatively high compared to other fields, and the addition of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) only increases these limitations.
COVID-19 Implications
The global pandemic caused by COVID-19 has dramatically impacted the workforce and the world as a whole for the foreseeable future. Organizations have had to let go of employees, transition to telecommuting, or a combination of both during this difficult time. More than 30 million Americans filed for unemployment within six weeks, and it is expected that the U.S will be in a recession through 2021 (Connley, Liu & Hess,
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2020). The global pandemic forced changes to the Sacramento Kings organization and
CAP. Low attendance in the March meeting when data was initially collected forced the other participants to receive the survey in a different format and at a later time. The change in time and method of the survey could have impacted the responses in the survey. The recommendations made for the program were made to accommodate a changing workforce and the online functioning of the organization. The shift to working from home can have many implications on how the participant's view CAP and what they are getting out of it, which is incredibly important to consider for future research.
At the Sacramento Kings, all of the part-time staff were laid off in mid-March
2020. Full-time employees immediately transitioned to working from home. CAP transitioned to an online format to keep up with regular meetings and foster a sense of community despite being physically distanced. CAP introduced article presentations and executive chats over Microsoft Teams. On June 1, one-third of the full-time staff was placed on furlough and on July 31, over 70 employees were permanently laid off. This layoff significantly affects some members of CAP. After the economic effects of
COVID-19, the program's evaluation ended, and the project came to a halt. Most of the
Sacramento King's revenue stems from the basketball season and concerts, both of which have been significantly affected by the virus. This caused a drastic decrease in revenue, meaning resources for a complex and well-structured program is even more limited than before. Career progression and development is more challenging during low economic times, and organizations will likely be less eager to offer promotions as expected before the pandemic.
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Directions for Future Research
Future evaluations of this program should include a pre-test post-test design to determine if changes resulted in significant improvements in the survey responses. This will allow for a clearer picture of what is working within the program and what is not.
The pre-test post-test design also well as will also provide greater internal validity, as it is not possible to draw strong conclusions about the effect of the recommendations with pre-test data only. Any conclusions about CAP will need a more thoughtful approach to the measurement of data, multiple assessments and control over alternative explanations of results.
Other variables that should be considered in future analyses of this program include turnover and job performance. Previous research indicates that participation in human resource development activities such as leadership development and mentorship programs reduce turnover intention (Shuck et al., 2014). Several organizations have revealed that one of the characteristics that help retain employees is to offer them opportunities to improve their learning (Logan, 2000). Data has confirmed there is a strong relationship between employee training and development and employee retention
(Rosenwald, 2000). Literature also indicates that employee training and development programs play an important role in increasing employee competencies (Wright & Geroy,
2001). Effective training programs are important to increase employee competencies and enhance knowledge, skills and necessary information for future jobs, thus achieving desirable organizational performance. By looking into these variables, it will be possible
49 to gain more insight into the extent to which CAP is achieving these positive outcomes of employee development programs.
With the changes brought on due to COVID-19, future research should look into the long-term effects that telecommuting has on the workforce and how organizations are developing employees virtually. Due to the pandemic, nearly half of American employees transitioned into telecommuting, which was double the rates reported in previous years (United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019). Research has found that telecommuting can provide positive benefits such as increased productivity, retention, enhanced employee attitudes and behaviors, and fostering better work-life balance
(Gebhart, 2020). Telecommuting can also have negative effects on work-life balance by blurring the lines between work and personal life as well as negative effects on building a social network in the workplace (Beauchamp, 2014). One study found that telecommuters experienced lower salary growth, which can be an indicator of slower career development for individuals who telecommute (Golden & Eddleston, 2020). This could be due to less face-to-face contact and in organizations where telecommuting is less normative (Kossek et al., 2015; Bos et al., 2013). While advancements in technology have helped mitigate the negative effects on collaboration and sense of community by providing videoconferencing and online communication tools (Kazilbash, 2020), it is important to remember that COVID-19 is still an ongoing pandemic, and research is limited on the effects it may have on the workforce.
The current action research project provides valuable insight into improvements that should be implemented in the Sacramento Kings organization, such as implementing
50 mentoring and enforcing regular meetings with department leads. In future data collection and analysis of this program, it is also suggested that a stronger research design is used to ensure that CAP effective and meeting its goals of employee development. More research in areas related to long-term telecommuting and employee development will be able to provide insight into how organizations are effectively developing employees in a constantly changing workforce.
51
APPENDIX A
Current CAP Program Overview
52
APPENDIX B
Program Application Question
53
APPENDIX C
Current CAP Curriculum
54
APPENDIX D
Survey
55
56
APPENDIX E
Room Layout
57
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