Theses on Ice Hockey
Olle Wallberg and Anton Kalte (2021)
Abstract: Financial distress is a common challenge for professional sports clubs, where high player salaries, intensified by competitive bidding, aggravate the situation. Salaries and performance bonuses are central components of clubs’ reward systems, aiming to attract and motivate players. However, research on motivation suggests that extrinsic rewards can reduce motivation through the “crowding-out effect.” If such effects occur among professional athletes, rewards may not only cause financial strain but also reduce motivation and performance.
This thesis explores how reward systems in Sweden’s top hockey league, the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), align with player motivation. A qualitative single-case study was conducted through semi-structured interviews with six players and three general managers. The empirical material was analysed using a theoretical framework based on motivation theories.
The findings show a strong monetary focus in reward systems, which aligns with players’ extrinsic motivation without reducing intrinsic motivation. However, the emphasis on extrinsic rewards may be unnecessarily high. Increasing the use of non-monetary rewards could reduce financial strain without negatively affecting motivation.
Olle Göransson and Carl Hedström (2019)
Abstract: This study examines the role of the finance function in Swedish football and ice hockey clubs. It makes three contributions to the literature. First, building on Janin’s (2016) study of management accountants in a French football club, it advances research in sports and accounting, particularly business partnering within the finance function.
The findings show that the role of the finance function varies across clubs and differs between sports due to environmental uncertainty. Second, the level of business partnering by the CFO depends on three contingent variables: industry culture, environmental uncertainty, and organizational structure (Otley, 2016). These factors shape role expectations and influence the CFO’s role. Third, building on Byrne and Pierce (2007) and Katz and Kahn (1978), the study extends an existing framework by incorporating independent contingent variables. This enables a more holistic analysis of roles in organizations influenced by industry-specific conditions.
Mind over body: a study on mental training in elite ice hockey clubs (BSc)
Joel Birging and Fredrik Börjeson (2018)
Abstract: This study examines how mental skills training is implemented in Swedish elite ice hockey clubs. It focuses on how clubs integrate mental training into their organizations and what attitudes toward such training exist. A qualitative method was used, based on interviews with 12 employees across three clubs, including players, coaches, mental coaches, and managers.
The findings show variation in how clubs implement mental training. Some use a top-down approach, where a mental coach develops a program for the entire organization, while others rely on a bottom-up approach, where coaches take responsibility within their teams. Attitudes toward mental training are becoming more positive, and mental skills are increasingly seen as developable. However, the masculine culture of hockey persists, including stigma around discussing mental health and expectations to display strength.
Nahom Ogbazion and Tilda Sander (2018)
Abstract: This thesis investigates which factors influence Swedish ice hockey fans’ intention to attend games in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). Ten independent variables - including sport-related, economic, entertainment, stadium, and social factors - were analysed in relation to purchaseintention. The study is based on a survey of individuals active in online ice hockey forums. The results show significant differences between individuals based on gender, geodemographics, and attendance frequency.
Carl Magnus Behm and Erik Hedensiö (2018)
Abstract: This paper examines how management control mechanisms govern and coordinate the implementation of innovation in the Swedish Hockey League, a collaborative network of competing clubs with a central governing body. By integrating the concepts of self-regulating and orchestration mechanisms (Mouritsen and Thrane, 2006), the study analyses how these mechanisms interact during implementation.
The findings show that self-regulating mechanisms manage financial flows and enable interaction between organizations, while orchestration mechanisms facilitate coordination and decision-making. The study contributes by showing that these mechanisms are interdependent. Self-regulating mechanisms create the conditions for orchestration mechanisms to function effectively. The study also examines collaboration with a temporary external actor and suggests that control mechanisms may be less important if poorly designed.
Top corner shot – at what cost? (BSc)
Andreas Lindström and Malin Helgman (2017)
Abstract: This study presents the budgeting processes of teams in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) through a multiple-case study. Based on the budgeting model by Bergstrand and Olve (1996), the study explores how the SHL context affects budgeting practices. The findings show a complex economic environment and a budgeting process that depends on volatile factors. Despite a high level of professionalism, the process lacks long-term sustainability. The combination of traditional budgeting and the specific characteristics of ice hockey organizations contributes to research on budgeting in sports contexts.
Elina Hämäläinen (2015)
Abstract: This study examines how talent is managed, recruited, and developed in Swedish professional ice hockey organizations. Although talent management has gained attention, empirical research in different organizational contexts remains limited. An exploratory multiple-case study was conducted involving four clubs in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). In total, 19 interviews were carried out. The findings show that clubs use similar approaches to identifying, selecting, and developing talent, and that a wide range of talent management activities are applied.
Johan Hanström and Caroline Lundström (2015)
Abstract: This study explores the roles and uses of budgeting in a professional ice hockey organization characterized by competing logics. It identifies a sport logic and a managerial logic to analyze how these influence budgeting practices. Drawing on Amans et al. (2015), the findings show that these logics shape budgeting differently across processes such as budget setting, monitoring, and revision. A key tension arises when determining the player budget. Using the concepts of “guardian” and “advocate” (Wildavsky, 1975), the study illustrates how organizational actors manage these competing logics. Budgeting functions as a forum for negotiation and compromise. The study contributes to research on budgeting in organizations facing institutional complexity.