Leadership Studies Ed.D. Dissertations

Perceived crisis readiness of ice arena managers

Date of Award

2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

Department

Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Rachel Vannatta (Committee Chair)

Second Advisor

Janet Hartley (Committee Member)

Third Advisor

Monica Moll (Committee Member)

Fourth Advisor

Kristina LaVenia (Committee Member)

Fifth Advisor

Paul Johnson (Committee Member)

Abstract

This correlational study examined the competency of crisis readiness and leadership of ice arena managers using a cross-sectional survey. The target audience was ice arena owners, managers, and operators of ice arenas in the United States and Canada. The researcher examined which factors (ice arena characteristics) best predict ice arena managers' Crisis Readiness as well as group differences in Crisis Readiness. The Crisis Readiness Survey, which consisted of 61 items, was emailed and/or posted to participants. Twelve questions gleaned demographical information, while the remaining items generated nine subscales: Emergency Evacuation Planning, Agency Calibration, Spectator Control, Policies and Procedures, Liability, Emergency/Crisis Management, Credential Control, Perimeter Control, and Crisis Leadership. The subscales were measured using a 5-point scale from 1 (very low capability) to 5 (very high capability). Subscales were calculated as the mean of respective items. The mean of 42 items generated the variable Overall Crisis Readiness. The data indicated statistically significant differences in Crisis Readiness by Participation in Training. The more training ice industry professionals obtain, the better prepared they will be to manage a crisis and lead their staff through it. Whereas Education Levels, Years of Experience, and Job Title did not generate statistically significant differences in Crisis Readiness subscales and overall. Participation in Training was found to be the best predictor of Overall Crisis Readiness, based on the predictive model Y = 2.43X + 2.59. However, Participation in Training only accounted for 5% variance in Overall Crisis Readiness. When comparing the United States and Canada, Canadian ice arena managers reported significantly higher competency in Evacuation Planning.

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