Editors:
- Dr. Doyeon Won, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
- Dr. Gonzalo A. Bravo, WestVirginia University
- Dr. Weisheng Chiu, Hong Kong Metropolitan University
This research handbook aims to serve as an academic resource that enhances understanding of human resource management (HRM) and organizational behavior (OB) issues relevant to the sport industry. It will:
- Integrate foundational and cutting-edge HRM/OB frameworks with empirical research and rich sport-specific case studies.
- Address the unique workforce challenges and opportunities across professional leagues, non-profit organizations, collegiate programs, fitness/recreation businesses, event management, and sport technology firms.
- Provide actionable insights for academics, senior practitioners, policymakers, and advanced graduate students on evolving HRM practices—from talent acquisition and leadership development to digital transformation and sustainability.
All chapters will be peer-reviewed, and the completed handbook will be submitted to the Book Citation Index and SCOPUS; individual chapters will be indexed by Google Scholar.
Why contribute?
- High Visibility: Published by Edward Elgar, a leading academic press in business and management.
- Indexing & Impact: The handbook and its chapters are discoverable in major citation indices (Book Citation Index, SCOPUS, and Google Scholar).
- Global Audience: Reach scholars and practitioners worldwide across sport management, HRM, OB, and related fields.
- Networking & Recognition: Collaborate with renowned editors and earn credit for shaping the future of sport HRM.
Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Theoretical foundations of HRM and OB in sport
- Legal contexts of HRM in sport management
- The sport organizations (or the sport industry) as a unique HR context
- Trends in HRM: The future of work in sport management
- Strategic HRM in sport organizations
- Job analysis, role design, and workforce planning
- Recruitment (talent acquisition), selection, and employer branding
- Onboarding and organizational socialization
- Training, learning, and skill development in sport organizations
- Career development and internal mobility in sport
- Leadership development
- Performance management
- Compensation
- Employment relations and conflict management
- Employee discipline and grievances
- Working time and work-life balance
- Change management
- Team dynamics and group behavior
- Motivation and engagement in the sport workplace (Employee engagement)
- Organizational Justice and Ethical Workplaces
- Managing global human resources
- Health, safety, wellbeing, and HR practice
- Equality, diversity, and HR practice
- Collective bargaining and labor relations
- Technology and digital transformation in HRM / HRM innovation
- Volunteer and Part-Time Workforce Management
- Sustainability and corporate social responsibility in sport HR
- Human resource analytics and data-driven decision-making in HRM
- Crisis management and HRM in sport
- HRM on organizational effectiveness
- Internal marketing
- Future directions for sport HRM research and/or pedagogy
Chapter Proposal Guidelines:
If interested, please submit a file (MS WORD or PDF preferred) with (1) author name(s), institutional affiliation(s), and contact information, (2) short biography of each author (100-150 words), and (3) an overview of your proposed chapter with a tentative chapter title (approx. 300-500 words) to doyeon.won@tamucc.edu by September 30, 2025. Full chapter manuscripts (approx. 5,000-6,000 words per chapter, including references and Tables/Figures) are due July 31, 2026.
Anticipated Publication Timeline:
- July 1, 2025 — Call for chapter proposals
- September 30, 2025 — Deadline for chapter proposals
- October31, 2025 — Abstract decisions sent to contributors
- July 31, 2026 — Submission of full chapters to editors
- September 30, 2026 — Feedback on chapters from editors
- November 30, 2026 — Submission of revised, final chapters to editors
- December 31, 2026 — Submission of completed & edited collection to the publisher
Contact information
For questions or inquiries about how your idea fits with this handbook project, or for any other matters related to the project,please email any of the handbook editors: Doyeon Won (doyeon.won@tamucc.edu), Gonzalo Bravo (gonzalo.bravo@mail.wvu.edu), or Weisheng Chiu (chiuws@hkmu.edu.hk).
