Brighton Declaration: A Management Audit of Process Quality

Purpose: The purpose of this investigation was to audit the perceived quality of the management processes of signatories of The Brighton Declaration on Women and Sport (1994); to identify weaknesses/barriers in the management process of the signatories; to identify perceived best/good practices of process implementation followed by signatories; and to provide appropriate managerial guidelines to signatories for implementing the Brighton Declaration to facilitate the stated principles of the declaration. Methods: Dawson's (1994) processual model, social change and the management of change were used as conceptual frameworks to conceptualize process management and build a case for mapping business processes, managing quality of processes, managing the quality of processes and continuous process auditing. A questionnaire (Cronbach's Alpha = 0.978) based on International Standards Organization (ISO) 9001-2000 management process standards was devised and used with 246 signatories of the Brighton Declaration. ISO 9001-2000 standards were selected to audit quality management processes and were found to be reliable to frame and guide management, processes in design, mapping, documenting, implementing, supporting, monitoring and controlling. A 51% response rate was attained. Data were analyzed through cross-tabulation to determine whether respondents were aware of the Brighton Declaration or not. Chi Square was used to establish if significant relationships existed between respondents' knowledge of the declaration and statements on different aspects of the declaration. Analysis/Results: Forty two percent agreed that world conferences on women and sport perpetuate the academic debate of women in sport. Ninety three percent indicated that the words "Brighton Declaration" seldom appeared on policy documents and were not used in strategic management sessions. Eighty four percent indicated their organization did not develop specific management processes to achieve the principles of the declaration. Over 95% had no strategic plan management processes concerning the declaration. Nearly 87% of new staff members were never formally familiarized with the role and value of the declaration in their organizations. Conclusions: An ignorance of the declaration as a benchmark to improve the position of women in sport was found as was an absence of management processes and standards to guide the process within each signatory. Signatories appear to be locked into introductory stages of change management. Managerial guidelines to build critical mass and revisit the significance of the declaration need to be implemented, and signatories need to adopt a managerial approach to the implementation of the declaration in order to move forward.