The Relationship Between Management by Objectives and Participatory Leadership Among Members of Premier League Football Clubs in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the level of Management by Objectives (MBO) and Participative Leadership, as well as to examine the relationship between them among administrative board members and their assistants in Premier League football clubs in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

The researcher adopted the descriptive correlational approach due to its suitability for the nature and objectives of the study. The study population consisted of administrative board members and their assistants in Premier League football clubs during the 2024–2025 sports season. A random sample of 67 participants was selected. two research instruments were used to measure Management by Objectives and Participative Leadership after establishing their validity and reliability. The collected data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Statistical methods included means, standard deviations, percentages, and Pearson's correlation coefficient.

The findings revealed that the level of Management by Objectives was high, and the level of Participative Leadership was also high. The results further indicated a statistically significant positive correlation between Management by Objectives and Participative Leadership among the study participants.

Based on the findings, the researcher recommends strengthening the application of Management by Objectives in sports clubs, promoting participative leadership practices, organizing training programs to enhance administrative and leadership competencies, improving performance evaluation systems, and conducting further studies on related variables in the field of sports management. The study population consisted of administrative board members and their assistants from Premier League football clubs in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq for the 2024–2025 season. The total number of members was 72, distributed across twelve clubs: Peshmerga Erbil, Zakho, Handren, Sirwani Nwe, Rizgari, Akre, Darbandikhan, Rania, Peshasazi, Brayati, Chwarqurna, and Erbil.