Situational Leadership: Commissioner Adam Silver Impact on the NBA

Northouse (2013) states, “…ethnocentrism is the tendency for individuals to place their own group (ethnic, racial, or cultural) at the center of their observation of others and the world” (p. 385). Obstacles to effective leadership occur when the beliefs, attitudes, and values of one group supersede another. Today diversity in our culture presents as differences of gender, ethnicity, background, sexual orientation, age, physical status, or other characteristics (Chemers & Murphy, 1995). The White man North American bias paradigms that have informed leadership theories are no longer effective for the health of today’s educational institutions and organizations (Chin, 2010, p.2). Changing societal norms have removed the glass ceilings for, “…not only women but for other historically low-power groups” (Klein & Wang, 2010, p. 2). Preconceived opinions cause harm to the leaners, human capital, and leadership of organizations. Development of leadership skills to meet the challenges of diversity is essential to the efficacy of an organization.

Business environments today display diversity, a numerical composition that reflects different kinds of people, such as men and women of different ethnic origins, educational experiences, and professional backgrounds (Beamish, Morrison, Inkpen, & Rosenzweig, 2003). A vast amount of organizations are emulating a diverse workforce. Fair treatment of employees is the responsibility of the human resource management team within a firm. Footsteps of past generations are the facilitating mechanism allowing today’s generation to participate in a safe and fair workplace. Specific rules and regulations assist in equal employment opportunities for every employee. The Equal Employment

Those mainly affected by the barriers preventing them from advancing are the young adults in the United States. Such barriers include a lack of minorities in high-ranking positions. Additionally, those who do get to reach a high-ranking position often face structural barriers when it comes to promotion and tenure (Jayakumar, et al., 2009). “One line of research in the minority vulnerability thesis posits that African Americans in upper-tier occupations are expendable […] because they are placed in jobs that generate relatively low levels of revenue” (Wilson, McBrier, 2005). Although some people point to minority politicians and business leaders to counterclaim the issue of privilege in the workplace issue, there are statistics that prove that minorities are currently still at a disadvantage. “Only 1.2% of all Fortune 500 CEOs are Black and […] 44% of white Americans make above $50,000 a year, yet only 30% of Black Americans pass the same threshold (Camhi,

Silver’s decision at to take into the account of precedent fines handed down by the league, other sport league and the ethical limitations he was faced with. After conducting an thorough analysis of the ramifications of the incident itself and a macro analysis of the widespread effects – I strongly believe that Adam Silver’s decision was completely ethical and justifiable for the actions of Donald

The NBA went from rising to declining and rose back up to what it is today. The NBA was always up there with all the other sports, but the NBA is the biggest it has been in years. The NBA is going to keep growing and become one of the most popular sports in the world. The way the players interact with fans, the playability of the game, and what they do off the court.

There are a number of career opportunities within the world of sports and it is my aspiration to change the world one person at a time. I will continue to assess not only the needs in the organization I am a part of but the current benefits, and recent issues that I have seen especially in the perspective as a league director. In this paper, I will continue to examine my strategic plan to not only become a successful Sports League Director but to also share some improvements I proposed to my director and staff and the outcome thereafter. I will also discuss a few ethical issues and dilemmas in having a sports league organization that I have already noticed and might face myself in the future.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is an ever-changing league, and teams change their style of play and strategy to win games frequently. Furthermore, the introduction of the three-point field goal after the NBA and ABA merger started a revolution in basketball strategy. A trend began where teams began to attempt more threes every year. However, most NBA team’s styles to win games did not center on shooting three pointers. During the 1980s and 1990s, team strategy revolved around centers (a position in basketball that is usually the tallest man on the team) and isolation play, and this style of play peaked by the mid 2000s. The pace of play became very slow and the game was inefficient. Over the last ten years, more teams began

On April 29, 2014, Donald Sterling was banned from the NBA and fined $2.5 million due to racist remarks. The NBA is now trying to decide whether or not Sterling will have to sell the team. In order for that to happen ⅔ of NBA owners will have to vote for him to sell the team.“The NBA Board of Governors may well decide to force Sterling to sell the team, which Forbes now values at $575 million.”(www.forbes.com) Many people believe that Sterling deserves this punishment for what he said, while others do not.

Today’s management in the workforce is composed of all types of people verses thirty years ago when white males held a majority of upper-management positions in companies. These positions are now held by a mixture of ethnic back grounds and women who hold just as many if not more management positions then men. Just by looking at the changes in management demographics shows how important it is for people to understand cultural competency in the workplace. Dr. Roosevelt Thomas Jr. (1999) stated, “Diversity is the collective mixture of whomever we have in our workforce characterized by their differences and similarities” (p.11). Managers and supervisors must understand the characteristics of a diversity mature individual; they also need to be

The general line of reasoning is that if we learn to incorporate each other’s diverse traits and characteristics in the workplace, we can then use these differences to foster an innovative environment, which will give the company a competitive advantage over the competitors that do not accept workforce diversity. According to the Allied Academies International Conference, “Diversity is rapidly becoming a common practice among companies due to the increasing number of minorities entering the job market today. As these groups become more prevalent throughout companies, upper-level employees are facing numerous challenges when determining what changes must take place to create a positive working environment for everyone. Management is responsible for the development and implementation of effective policies directly relating to diversity to ensure the acceptance of minorities into the workplace and to aid in minorities’ success through equal opportunities and treatment.” (Marcia L. James, 2001, Academy for Studies in International Business Proceedings)

Borland, J. F., Kane, G. M., & Burton, L. J. (n.d.). Sport leadership in the 21st century.

Gender and race are often synonymous with one’s place in organizational power structure. Those individuals who occupy the top positions have a tradition in maintaining traditional rules and procedures related to hiring, seniority, and other personnel practices that work to their advantage and exclude others. A good example is that corporate policies and practices can subtly maintain the status quo by keeping men in positions of corporate power. Boards of directors, which are mostly comprised of men, sometimes perpetuate the status quo by selecting CEO’s who look like them. Other gender based barriers include behavioral and communication styles that differ vastly from the company’s norms and women’s lack of opportunity to gain general management and or line

In this case study, Liz Ames has come up against an all too common problem in business today: gender bias. Effectively managing racial, ethnic and gender diversity is not just a human resources issue; it is a serious business issue.

The world's increasing globalization requires more interaction among people from diverse cultures, beliefs, and backgrounds than ever before. People no longer live and work in an insular marketplace; they are now part of a worldwide economy with competition coming from nearly every continent. For this reason, profit and non-profit organizations need diversity to become more creative and open to change. Maximizing and capitalizing on workplace diversity

Organizations have been becoming increasingly diverse in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, and nationality. This diversity brings substantial potential benefits such as better decision making, greater creativity and innovation, and more successful marketing to different types of customers. But, increasing cultural differences within a workforce also bring potential costs in higher turnovers, interpersonal conflicts, and communicational breakdowns. The utilities of diversity training and the essential managerial skills required for effectively managing diversity will also be discussed.