Park and recreation agencies are increasingly expanding their mission to include a broad range of societal issues. These issues include youth development, crime reduction, tourism, environmental resource protection, and community development. These contemporary issues still represent the historical purposes of the park and recreation profession of "improving the quality of life" and "promoting human growth and development" for all.
Managers determine which of these issues will be addressed, what resources will be expended, and what measurement (outcome) will determine if the stated objectives have been achieved by the agency.
Management is a process/function that is common to every agency, organization or institution.
TWO VIEWS OF MANAGEMENT
1) Professional Role: involves responsibility for planning, policy development, coordinating, and supervising.
2) Management as a dynamic process: involves the manger's leadership role in motivating and encouraging employees.
DEFINITIONS
Management: "...the process of coordinating and integrating resources in order to effectively and efficiently achieve organizational goals and objectives. These resources include human, financial, physical, and information and technology. (Hurd et al, 2008)
Recreation: "... an emotionally transforming activity designed to meet important personal needs and motivations. These might include the need for personal achievement, creative self-discovery, social involvement, relaxation and stress reduction, or mental and physical fitness." (Kraus & Curtis, 2000) Parks: "... outdoor areas provided chiefly by government to serve varied purposes, such as wilderness or heritage preservation or the provision of such nature-centered pursuits as backpacking, camping, hunting, fishing, boating, or skiing." (Kraus & Curtis, 2000) Leisure Services: "... as both the opportunity for free choice in a wide range of creative and social involvements and as a key element in the cultural life of a nation. While leisure services include recreation as a primary thrust, they also involve such diverse elements as entertainment, community-service activities, religious expression, continuing education, and a host of related social services." (Kraus & Curtis, 2000) Leisure-Service System: The leisure service-system represents individual and collective efforts from a variety of agencies and organizations that provide recreation and leisure opportunities which promote personal, social, economic and environmental benefits for individuals, groups and/or communities. (Hammersley, 2001) |
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Therapeutic Recreation: "... the purposeful use of recreational activity in the care, treatment, and rehabilitation of persons with disabilities, including dependent aging persons, through directed programs." (Kraus & Curtis, 2000)
Multisector Perspective - TYPES OF LEISURE SERVICE-SYSTEM ORGANIZATIONS
Public recreation departments. Formally structured government agencies mandated to provide socially constructive and ecologically sound programs and facilities to the public. These include: City and County park and recreation departments; state agencies such as Fish and Game, state parks, and state forests; Federal organizations such as National Park Service, Armed Forces (Morale, Welfare and Recreation), United States Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Nonprofit community organizations. This category includes community organizations that operate as a nonprofit. They rely primarily on a volunteer staff with professional (paid) managers. Organization in this category include: Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Young Women's Christian Association, Young Men's Christian Association, Camp Fire, and the Jewish Community Center Association. Programs emphasize youth-serving activities. Special interests Organizations are also included in this category. These organizations promote a specific type of recreation, leisure activity or may promote ecological interests or persons or groups with special needs. Examples would include American Youth Soccer Organization and Little League
Commercial recreation. These are for profit businesses and agencies including resorts, travel agencies, spas, private campgrounds, theme parks, cruise ships, water parks, bowling centers, ski areas, movie theaters, casinos, and other entertainment businesses.
Private membership organizations. These include closed-membership clubs (private country/tennis/yacht clubs) and planned/retirement communities.
Campus recreation. This represents the recreation and sport opportunities offered on college and university campuses. These activities include intramural/club sports, and general recreation programs including concerts, outdoor activities, and student unions.
Employee recreation. Many large corporations offer recreation and health/fitness programs for their employees.
Armed Forces recreation. The Morale, Welfare, and Recreation program represents a wide range of sport, travel, childcare, and recreation programs for military personnel and their families.
Therapeutic recreation service. Therapeutic recreation has two forms 1) clinical treatment, which includes therapy designed to overcome or reduce the effects of a disability to promote independent living capability. 2) special recreation, provides opportunities in a community setting to integrate individuals with disabilities into everyday activities.
Competency-Based Management
Successful managers must have competencies at the organizational and the individual level, they need competencies that affect the entire organization including structure and communication.
Competencies are skills, knowledge, characteristics and abilities needed to be successful in the profession.
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Skills: physical or psychomotor aptitudes required to perform particular tasks and actions of a job. |
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Knowledge: understanding of information required for the position. |
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Characteristics: distinguishing qualities, attributes, or traits. |
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Abilities: aptitudes for a position, or what and how well a person is able to perform certain tasks or behaviors. |
Entry-Level Competencies
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Business acumen |
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Communications |
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Community relations |
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Interpersonal skills |
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Management techniques |
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Planning and evaluation |
RESPONSIBILITIES OF LEISURE-SERVICE MANAGERS
Providing Philosophical leadership, is defining or re-formulating the organization's mission/vision statement and it's specific goals and objectives. The "enlightened" manager serves as a visionary, spiritual leader, and role model.
Organizational structure, is reviewing, updating, and improving the organizational structure. They also oversee the performance of each administrative unit or department.
Program service, is planning and implementing successful programs that offer the highest level of quality.
Facilities planning, construction, and maintenance, includes conducting planning or feasibility studies, property acquisition, facility design and construction processes, and facility maintenance.
Fiscal administration, includes developing budget policies and procedures, budget planning and presentation and monitoring, maintain accounting and auditing controls, and maximizing the agencies fund-raising/income generation.
Human resource management, includes recruiting, hiring, training, and supervision of staff. They also attempt to create a productive work environment through the use of a positive human resource approach.
Public and community relations, promotes the image of the agency to the community through a variety of promotional techniques.
Legal functions and risk management, include knowledge of fiscal operations, personnel, facility operation, occupational health and safety, leasing and concessions, and effective risk-management procedures which reduce the agencies liability exposure.
Evaluation, research, and information management, is the measurement of the effectiveness and quality of the leisure-service programs offered.
Copyright
2001 Northern Arizona University, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
