Researching servant leadership behaviors of sport managers

The aim of this study is researching servant leadership behaviors of sport managers. For this purpose, Servant Leadership behaviors of Sport Managers (N=69) working as Dean, School Principal and Head of Department in Sport Sciences Faculties, Physical Education and Sport Schools and Departments educating Physical Education and Sport investigated via questionnaires applied to academicians (N=1185) working in these institutions. Servant Leadership Questionnaire sent via e-mail to all Academicians working in Physical Education and Sport educating Faculties, Schools of Universities and Departments in 2014-2015 academic years in Turkey. 406 Academicians responded and accurately completed the survey were evaluated. In this study, "Servant Ledareship Questionnaire" developed and conducted validity and reliability analysis by Barbuto and Wheeler (2006) used to investigate sport managers' servant leadership behaviors. Scale translated into Turkish then validity and reliability analysis were conducted. After measurement model of servant leadership questionnaire verified, Shapiro Wilk normality test was applied to obtained data to determine whether has got a normal distribution or not, depending on gender, job title, profession time, department and evaluated manager. Results of practiced normality test showed that data hasn't got a normal distribution (nonparametric). After normality test, Mann Whitney-U test applied at α=0.05 value for determining whether there is a difference between servant leadership scores according to gender and Kruskal Wallis Test applied at α=0.05 value for determining whether there is a difference between servant leadership scores according to job title, profession time, department and evaluated manager. Test results showed that there weren't differences between Altruistic Calling (p>0.05), Emotional Healing (p>0.05), Wisdom (p>0.05), Persuasive Mapping (p>0.05) and (p>0.05), Organizational Stewardship sub dimensions according to gender. Test results showed that there weren't differences between Altruistic Calling (p>0.05), Emotional Healing (p>0.05), Wisdom (p>0.05), Persuasive Mapping (p>0.05) and (p>0.05), Organizational Stewardship sub dimensions according to job title, profession time, department and evaluated manager. In the light of study results we think that applied survey is objective and unfurls evaluated managers' servant leadership behaviors. Empirical and practical contribution of this study is to test sport managers servant leadership behaviors in Turkey for the very first time. Key Words: Sport Management, Leadership, Servant Leadership