The Effect of Core Competencies on the Innovation of Sports Organizations by Examining the Mediating Role of Intellectual Capital

Mohebbinejad, Mehdi; Shabani Bahar, Gholamreza; Aliabadi, Samira; Yekta Yar, Mozaffar

doi:10.22124/jsmd.2023.23411.2748

Document Type : Research Paper I Open Access I Released under (CC BY-NC 4.0) license

Authors

¹ Department of Sports Management, Faculty of Humanities, Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj branch

² Professor of sports management at Allameh Tabatabai University

³ Assistant Professor of Sport Management, Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Sanandaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj, Iran.

⁴ Sports Management Department, Sanandaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj, Iran

10.22124/jsmd.2023.23411.2748

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of core competencies on the innovation of sports organizations by examining the mediating role of intellectual capital.
Methodology: In terms of subject, this research is in the field of correlation studies, in terms of nature, it is in the field of descriptive research. The statistical population of the research included managers and experts of the Ministry of Sports and Youth, sports federations and the National Olympic Committee (N=1200). According to the minimum sample required in the Morgan table, the sample size was determined to be 291 people, which was done by simple random sampling. Four demographic information questionnaires, Qasemi et al.'s core competencies questionnaire (2013), Bontis et al.'s (2000) intellectual capital questionnaire, and Jimenez et al.'s organizational innovation questionnaire (2008) were used. To confirm the formal and content validity of the questionnaire, the opinions of 7 sports management professors were used. The reliability of the questionnaire was also confirmed by conducting a test on 30 members of the research community and calculating Cronbach's alpha coefficient. For data analysis, descriptive and inferential statistics were used in SPSS version 26 and structural equation model in Amos software version 24.
Results: The results showed that there is a significant relationship between core competencies and innovation, core competencies and intellectual capital, and between intellectual capital and innovation in sports organizations in the country (Sig=0.001). Also, core competencies have a significant positive effect on innovation (Sig=0.001, t=10.561) with a path coefficient (β=0.782), intellectual capital on innovation (Sig=0.001, t=6.040) with a path coefficient (β=0.443), and core competencies have a significant positive effect on intellectual capital (Sig=0.001, t=8.573) with a path coefficient (β=0.572) in sports organizations.
Conclusion: In order to promote the innovation of their organization, the managers of the country's sports organizations have a special level in hiring employees based on their competence and facilities as well as their innovation capabilities. Also, by improving the competencies of organizational employees through specialized training, job rotation, etc., they also promote their innovation.

Keywords

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The Effect of Core Competencies on the Innovation of Sports Organizations by Examining the Mediating Role of Intellectual Capital

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Volume 14, Issue 4 - Serial Number 44Winter - 44December 2025Pages 113-135

Volume 14, Issue 4 - Serial Number 44
Winter - 44
December 2025
Pages 113-135