High-Performance Coaches Attitudes and Beliefs Regarding Technology Adoption

Abstract

Technological innovation has been shown to make meaningful impacts on many aspects of high-performance sport. Although the literature on technology adoption and implementation is vast, currently very little literature exists on the coach’s perspective in this regard. Further, when looking at Canadian high-performance coaches specifically, the results yield even less information. This investigation measured antecedents of technology adoption using validated forms. Further, this investigation explored the thematic categories of inter-organizational trust, subjective norms/social influence, and with regard to their relationship to technology adoption among Canadian high-performance coaches. Eleven coaches from both summer and winter National Sport Organizations (NSOs) were interviewed in a semi-structured format. Five thematic categories were identified (three from the literature and two from the thematic analysis). Results for inter-organization trust showed that these coaches valued being aware and informed of any planned changes, and educating coaches on technology adoption was essential in order to gain coaches’ participation. With respect to subjective norms and social influence, many of these high-performance coaches stated that they depended on mentor coaches or other coaches in the field to identify new technology. To this end, they also received support from other organizations and teams. Regarding technological proficiency, it was found that these coaches appreciated technology that specifically addressed their pain points and valued collaboration among various stakeholders in the Canadian sporting space concerning learning about technology and being educated on its use. The final two themes include how these coaches viewed the advantages of employing technology, and what challenges they faced when it comes to finding and using new technology.