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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 ii 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 iv 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 v 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 vi 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. vii 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 ix 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

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