Leadership and Management Styles in Sports Development Using a Systematic Literature Review Approach

Today, in the field of sports, management requires the integration of 'management' and 'leadership' for principled decision-making to effectively respond to rapidly evolving challenges and successfully fulfill its duties. This research was conducted using a systematic literature review method, which enables a comprehensive examination of existing studies. The search process utilized main keywords and their logical combination with terms related to the research topic from reputable international databases (Scopus, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect) and Persian databases (Noormags, SID) within the timeframe of 2000 to 2024. Ultimately, 10 articles meeting the eligibility criteria were selected, and the content was analyzed through thematic analysis focusing on four key themes: "leadership in sports," "management in sports," "sports advancement," and "sports development." Data analysis led to the extraction of three main themes: 1) Transformational leadership-strategic management model at the macro level, 2) Servant leadership-human resource management model at the middle level, and 3) Contingent leadership-performance management model at the micro level. The findings revealed that the intelligent combination of these styles, based on the level and mission of the sports organization, leads to sustainable development in championship, public, and economic dimensions. Consequently, it appears that sports managers in sports organizations, if able to properly integrate these two pillars, will be capable of demonstrating optimal performance when facing various challenges and achieving the highest level of success.