SWinG Intellectual Outputs

A mapping of current resources, strategies and initiatives on the state and status of female decision makers in sport organisations and companies.

The goal of this report is therefore to contribute to the identification of internal and external barriers associated with the advancement of women as leaders. The final aim is to work towards potential solutions through the overarching SWinG project.

Data was obtained to produce this intellectual output between January and June 2019. It took the form of a desk-based study utilising both primary and secondary data sources. This included peer reviewed articles, sports organisational websites, statutes, minutes. As well as other documentation alongside a survey and interview data.
Data were then combined and analysed under a scoping review study design.

This research report has been produced Adam B Evans and Gertud Pfister from the University of Copenhagen, under the supervision of the applicant FFSE, the SWinG project leader Carole Ponchon and in collaboration with the whole partnership.

A mapping of existing theories, concepts and good practices concerning women’s empowerment and leadership.

In fine, it provides definitions and delineations of the central concepts around women leadership and empowerment.

This report focuses on two central questions:

• To which extent external and internal barriers are preventing women to be elected or appointed to decision-making positions in sport organisations?
• What are the existing initiatives to empower women to serve in a leadership position?

This State of Play is providing a mapping of existing theoretical concepts and practical good practices on how to bring in more women in the governing bodies.

The Desk research was conducted from April to May 2019 to identify key concepts, and theories in developing leadership skills for women. A series of interviews were conducted from May to June 2019. Around thirty stakeholders were interviewed from international companies (fourteen) to European sport associations (thirteen) and business associations (four).

This research report has been produced by Marion Duc Mouton and Cécile Bernheim from PWN Paris, under the supervision of the applicant FFSE, the SWinG project leader Carole Ponchon and in collaboration with the whole SWinG partnership.

This handbook has been developed to introduce the SWinG practical Framework of Actions. This Framework highlight the conceptualisation of the SWinG approach and offeri practical implementation tips and recommendations.

It will allow other organisations and stakeholders to replicate the SWinG model in the future. Our wish it to multiply its impact and ultimately change the status quo.

This handbook has first and foremost been developed to set a solid foundation for the testing of the SWinG approach.

However, it is the hope of the consortium that it could help the sport sector potentially begin a journey to replicate the project model (ie to “SWinG things out”) and addressing the long standing issue of the lack of diversity in the sector’s decision-making bodies.

This Toolkit has been produced by Ashleigh Huffman from Athletes for Hope together with the SWinG project leader Carole Ponchon, and in collaboration with the whole partnership.

A user friendly traning handbook/manual coaching the reader on how to use the SWinG product effectively and efficiently. Typically by providing application examples and usage scenario.

The SWinG training handbook is gathering the essence of the training sessions offered to mentees and mentors.

It is the first concrete tool of the project and forms a tangible application of a few elements of the SWinG Approach developed in IO 3.

Its purpose is to help set the tone of the SWinG mentoring programme and supporting system as it gathers the educational guidance developed to facilitate the process of supporting the mentees getting into the appropriate mindset and being equipped with appropriate tools.

Based on the development and testing of a set of educational tools to support the mentees in taking their next step towards leadership for life as well as improving their inter-personal skills and helping them easily transition to the campaigning period for election on sport organization board, the SWinG consortium has developed a Handbook to guide their implementation.

This Training handbook has been produced by Carole Ponchon as project leader for the applicant FFSE, and in collaboration with the whole partnership.

A toolkit to help the mentees in their journey towards accessing Game-changing positions of decision makers.  Supporting the mentees getting into the appropriate mindset and being equipped with appropriate tools to run a campaign to get elected.

This toolkit offers a 6 steps process to provide the reader some inspiration and a solid foundation for self-reflection. It also lead her to all the information they need to write a full action plan.

This toolkit has been developed as a guide for women who aim to hold decision-making positions within sport organisations and are interested in engaging in professional development.

This Toolkit has been produced by Lia Tomat and Saska Benedicic Tomat from the Sports Club Partizan Skofja Loka, Gabriella Bascelli and Luigi Vanti from Circolo Canottieri Lazio, under the supervision of the applicant FFSE, the SWinG project leader Carole Ponchon and in collaboration with the whole partnership.

Real life example to run an election campaign using various communication tools.

The SWinG Election Communication Toolkit is specifically designed with sport in mind. It is designed for users who are leaders in sport, and who have decided to stand for election in a specific sport organisation. This may be an organisation they are already affiliated with, or not.
The Toolkit provides a range of communication tools that the user may be required to fulfill or choose to implement to further increase your chance of success.

It also embeds a report sharing findings and good practices on the communication methods facilitating the process of supporting the mentees in their journey.

This Campaign is being led by Polona Fonda, Rachel May, Ugne Chmeliauskaite from the ENGSO Youth, together with the SWinG project leader Carole Ponchon and in collaboration with the whole partnership.

A toolkit to help the mentees lift their last internal breaks and barriers to act in Game-changing positions of decision makers. It will provide practical tips and recommendations to find their good work/volunteering/life balance.

This toolkit has been developed as a guide for women who have just been elected into decision-making positions within sport organisations, and are interested in further professional development. It is here to help you define your own leadership story and guide you through potential challenges along the way.

This Toolkit will be produced by the SWinG project leader Carole Ponchon together with Lia Tomat and Saska Benedicic Tomat from the Sports Club Partizan and in collaboration with the whole partnership.

A report sharing findings and good practices on the project providing an accurate and deep understanding of the project impact.

Based on a close evaluation and monitoring of the indicators developed through the IO3.

The Insights report will translate large amounts of data into concise and compelling findings.

N/A

This research report will be produced by Adam B Evans from the University of Copenhagen and the SWinG project leader Carole Ponchon, with the support of Carole Bretteville from the European Federation for Company Sport and in collaboration with the whole partnership.

We will measure short and long-term outcomes using a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods. Pre and post-tests, focus groups, check-in calls, interviews, and election campaigns will all serve as indicators of project success.

Prior to the mentee orientation in November 2019, SWinG organizers deployed a 26-question pre-test, designed to measure baseline knowledge, as well as perceived capacity in leadership abilities and campaign strategy. Following the orientation, organizers deployed the same 26-question test and will also deploy the same test at the end of the three-year campaign. When the final post-test is deployed, results will be analyzed and shared as part of the cumulative project impact and lessons learned (IO8).

Outcomes will also be measured per 5 check-in calls between SWinG project organizers and mentees from February 2020 to July 2021. Through those scheduled conversations, organizers will offer new resources and feedback to mentees, as well as answer questions and improve delivery of information. This is a cyclical and iterative method of evaluation, designed to improve the program in real-time and ensure mentee progress toward campaign completion.

Additionally, mentors will be interviewed in November 2020 by a team of researchers from the University of Copenhangen. Independent research will allow participants to give anonymous feedback regarding project structure, communication, and mentorship. Researchers will employ a grounded theory approach, allowing for open-ended yet guided discussion of the program.

Lastly, SWinG organizers will also track essential quantitative elements to measure project success. This includes tallying the number of educational hours, as well as mentorship hours completed, as both are critical to developing an effective campaign with potential for election. Moreover, what makes the SWinG project unique is the diversity of organizations involved, the number of countries represented, the award-winning curriculum, and the quality and level of input from mentors as part of this project. We believe all of these factors are vital to project success and will be explained in greater detail in the lessons learned section of this document.

A report to drive the use of SWinG recommendations and nurturing approach in the future outside the partnership. This will give impact and sustainability for the organised sport sector in the future. It demonstrates how SWinG will have a vital role to play, in shaping, inspiring and showcasing sport’s contribution in the future as the world develops post COVID-19.

While the project demonstrates that the SWinG model was a highly promising approach to address the lack of diversity in sport governing bodies, it must also be made very clear that the pilot testing was conducted on a small scale basis and more actions will be needed to provide further insights into sustainability, transferability and the long-term impact of the programme. Also, the partnership would like to highlight that the SWinG mentoring programme and supporting scheme were developed in the context of the European model of sport, where members of the governing bodies are elected. Nevertheless, there are some outcomes and findings that could be transferred to over contexts. Therefore in this recommendation report, we are addressing how the SWinG outcomes & findings might be applied in different sport and/or regions of the world.

This sustainability has been produced by Marijke Fleuren and Tom Pederson Smith from the European Hockey Federation, and the SWinG project leader Carole Ponchon, in collaboration with the whole partnership.