This study aims to examine the effect of top management vision on top management support, practice, and the employment of managers with disabilities within the sport industry.
A questionnaire was developed to collect data on perception of top management vision, top management support, supportive practices, and representation of managers with disabilities in sport organizations and sent to 500 collegiate and professional sport organizations in the USA. In total, 196 respondents (39 percent) returned their completed survey forms, of which 190 forms were useable. Data were analyzed using path analysis.
The results indicated a significant path between supportive practices and the representation of managers with disabilities (β = 0.15, p < 0.05). Top management vision was also shown as a significant positive moderator of the relationship between top management support and supportive practices.
Results suggest that top management vision is an important addition to top management support for facilitating the implementation of supportive practices, which, in turn, increase the representation of persons with disabilities in managerial positions.
This is the first known empirical investigation examining the role of top management vision and top management support in creating managerial opportunities for persons with disabilities.
