Organizational Governance of Event Impacts
Abstract
This study explored the governance of event legacy and/or leveraging. More broadly, this project examined the specific organizational forms that are responsible for delivering event legacy and/or leveraging strategies. This was done using a combination of organizational theories and theories of public policy to understand the unique environment surrounding event legacies. Three distinct phases were utilized in this study. I used a research synthesis to investigate what previous scholars have found regarding event legacy delivery. Next, comparative cases from the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games and the 2015 Toronto Pan Am/Parapan American Games were used to examine what mechanisms previous host cities have used. Finally, theories of organizational learning were utilized to understand the organizational learning that occurs between Games and hosts, and how knowledge transfer is integral in the governance process. Findings indicate that localized organizational forms, distinct from the organizing committee were able to successfully leverage event outcomes. The collaborative nature of these organizational forms provided opportunities for organizations to increase their leveraging capacity. A conceptual framework is provided as a starting point for organizers looking to leverage specific outcomes from an event, as well as for scholars examining event legacy and/or leveraging strategies.