The types of authority and problems at Olympic events: insights into Grint's model of decision-making positions

Grint's model of leadership is used in this article to extend discussion of how problems are responded to prior to, during, and after sport mega-events. The purpose of this study is to understand the types of authority associated with the three types of problems: tame, wicked, and critical, prior to, during, and after Olympic Games. A quantitative methods approach was used to gather the data. Three hundred and eighty-seven surveys were completed prior to, during, and after the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games. Data were analyzed using SPSS. The results revealed that three types of authority: management, leadership, and command are needed prior to and during Olympic Games, while only management and leadership are needed after Olympic Games. More importantly, unlike prior to or after an Olympic Games, each authority type can be used to solve more than one type of problem during an Olympic Games. Practical implications of the findings are discussed, together with limitations and ideas for future research.