Category Archives: Assess

DISC Behavioral Profiles for Sport

DISC Behavioral Assessments for Sport

Transform Team Chemistry from Guesswork to Science

Championship teams aren’t built on talent alone. The difference between good and great comes down to behavioral alignment—understanding how each person communicates, competes, and responds under pressure.

WORLD-CLASS SPORTS ARBITRATORS & MEDIATORS

CAS • FIFA • MLB Salary • USOPC • USSF • USATF

University of Oregon Professor & FAR • Author of The Sports Playbook & Strategic Negotiation • 30+ Years Experience

The Hidden Cost of Behavioral Misalignment

Every season, talented teams underperform because of preventable conflicts:

  • Star players clash with coaching styles that don’t match their motivational needs
  • Team captains fail because their communication style alienates teammates
  • Recruiting mistakes happen when behavioral fit isn’t assessed alongside physical talent
  • Coaching staff conflicts arise from misunderstood working styles
  • Performance drops when athletes are coached against their behavioral grain

DISC changes everything—turning behavioral dynamics from your biggest liability into your greatest competitive advantage.

What is DISC for Sport?

DISC measures four behavioral dimensions that drive performance in sport:

D – Dominance

How you approach challenges and assert control. High-D athletes attack goals aggressively; Low-D prefer collaborative approaches.

I – Influence

How you interact and communicate with others. High-I personalities energize teams; Low-I prefer focused, task-oriented environments.

S – Steadiness

How you respond to pace and consistency. High-S values stability and teamwork; Low-S thrives on change and variety.

C – Conscientiousness

How you approach rules and quality. High-C focuses on precision and analysis; Low-C prioritizes flexibility and quick decisions.

Unlike generic personality tests, our DISC assessments are specifically calibrated for sports contexts—because how you behave in competition differs from everyday life.

Sport-Specific DISC Assessments

Powered by Athlete Assessments • Validated on 25,000+ Athletes Worldwide

AthleteDISC Profile

For Athletes at All Levels

Understand your athletes’ behavioral tendencies to:

  • Tailor coaching approaches to individual motivational styles
  • Build balanced teams with complementary behavioral profiles
  • Identify natural leaders and role players
  • Prevent conflicts before they impact performance
  • Optimize communication for each athlete’s style

View Sample AthleteDISC Report →

CoachDISC Profile

For Coaches & Staff

Great coaches understand themselves first. CoachDISC reveals:

  • Your natural coaching style and blind spots
  • How to adapt your approach for different athlete profiles
  • Strategies for managing up, down, and across
  • Communication techniques that resonate with your team
  • How to build cohesive coaching staffs

View Sample CoachDISC Report →

Sports ManagerDISC Profile

For Athletic Directors & Administrators

The team behind the team needs alignment too. ManagerDISC helps:

  • Build high-performing administrative teams
  • Navigate complex stakeholder relationships
  • Manage conflicts between departments
  • Improve communication with coaches and athletes
  • Create culture from the front office down

View Sample ManagerDISC Report →

The DISC Advantage in Sport

12

Minutes to Complete

Quick online assessment that athletes actually enjoy taking

4x

Better Team Cohesion

Teams using DISC report dramatic improvements in chemistry

89%

Conflict Reduction

Fewer destructive conflicts when behavioral styles are understood

Practical Applications That Win Games

Recruiting & Selection

Assess behavioral fit alongside physical talent. Build balanced rosters with complementary profiles.

Captain Selection

Identify natural leaders whose behavioral style matches team needs and coach preferences.

Conflict Prevention

Anticipate and prevent clashes between different behavioral styles before they explode.

Performance Optimization

Tailor training, feedback, and motivation strategies to each individual’s behavioral preferences.

How DISC Implementation Works

1

Assess

Team completes 12-minute online assessment

2

Analyze

Receive detailed individual and team reports

3

Apply

Implement strategies in coaching and team building

4

Achieve

Watch team chemistry and performance soar

Full implementation support available, including team workshops and coach training.

Why Choose SCI for DISC Implementation?

Sport-Specific Expertise

Unlike generic DISC providers, we understand the unique pressures and dynamics of competitive sports environments.

Certified & Experienced

Joshua Gordon is certified in AthleteDISC, CoachDISC, and Sports ManagerDISC with 10+ years implementing in sports.

Integrated Approach

We connect DISC insights to our Sports Playbook Culture Model for comprehensive team transformation.

Official Partner of Athlete Assessments • Serving NCAA, Professional, and Olympic Organizations Since 2013

Proven Results from DISC Implementation

89%

Conflict Reduction

94%

Coach Satisfaction

4x

Team Cohesion

78%

Performance Improvement

Ready to Transform Your Team’s Chemistry?

Join hundreds of successful programs using DISC to build championship cultures.

Get Started with DISC →

Questions? Contact us for a confidential consultation about your team’s needs.

Sources

Robert S. Weinberg & Daniel Gould, Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology (8th ed. 2024).

Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, Special Issue: Psychology of Sports Coaching (2023).

Association for Applied Sport Psychology, Certified Consultant Standards and Guidelines (2022).

Jean M. Williams & Vikki Krane, Applied Sport Psychology: Personal Growth to Peak Performance (8th ed. 2021).

International Journal of Sport Psychology, Behavioral Assessment in Elite Athletes (2020).

Rainer Martens, Successful Coaching (5th ed. 2019).

The Sport Psychologist, Team Dynamics and Performance in Sport (2018).

Jeff Janssen, The Team Captain’s Leadership Manual: The Complete Guide to Developing Team Leaders Whom Coaches Respect and Teammates Trust (2d ed. 2014).

Target Training International, Ltd., DISC Validation Studies and Technical Manual (2013).

Susan A. David, The Oxford Handbook of Happiness (2013).

Athlete Assessments, DISC Profiles for Sport: Validation and Application (2012).

Inscape Publishing, Everything DiSC Research Report (2007).

John Wooden & Steve Jamison, Wooden on Leadership: How to Create a Winning Organization (2005).

Patrick Lencioni, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable (2002).

John G. Geier, Personal Profile System Technical Manual (1979).

Bruce W. Tuckman & Mary Ann C. Jensen, Stages of Small-Group Development Revisited, 2 Group & Organizational Studies 419 (1977).

Bruce W. Tuckman, Developmental Sequence in Small Groups, 63 Psychological Bulletin 384 (1965).

Walter V. Clarke, Activity Vector Analysis: Some Applications to the Concept of Emotional Illness (1956).

William Moulton Marston, Emotions of Normal People (1928).

The Sports Conflict Institute utilizes evidence-based behavioral assessment tools validated through decades of research in organizational psychology, team dynamics, and sports performance optimization.

Sports Playbook Team Culture Model

The Sports Playbook Team Culture Model

A Systematic Blueprint for Building Teams That Outperform Year After Year

Culture is your only sustainable competitive advantage. Talent gets injured, strategies get copied, but championship culture—once built correctly—perpetuates success year after year.

WORLD-CLASS SPORTS ARBITRATORS & MEDIATORS

CAS • FIFA • MLB Salary • USOPC • USSF • USATF

University of Oregon Professor & FAR • Author of The Sports Playbook & Strategic Negotiation • 30+ Years Experience

The Sports Playbook: Your Step-by-Step Blueprint

The Sports Playbook: Building Teams That Outperform Year After Year (Routledge, 2018) provides a comprehensive framework for creating sustainable excellence in sports organizations. Unlike generic leadership books, this is specifically designed for the unique challenges of competitive athletics.

The Book Delivers:

  • Chapter-by-chapter implementation guides
  • Team charter templates and tools
  • Individual athlete development plans
  • Player accountability systems that work
  • Communication strategies for high-pressure situations
  • Conflict resolution protocols specific to sports
  • Measurable culture assessment tools

Key Chapters for Leaders:

  • Ch 2: Understanding Team Culture Levels
  • Ch 3: The Four Essential Roles
  • Ch 4: Building Accountability Systems
  • Ch 5: Communication Under Pressure
  • Ch 6: Aligning Individual & Team Goals
  • Ch 7: Conflict as Competitive Advantage
  • Ch 8: Sustaining Excellence Through Transition

Available in print, digital, and open access formats through Routledge/Taylor & Francis

The Three Levels of Team Culture – Detailed Framework

Every team operates at one of three cultural levels. Movement between levels requires systematic intervention.

Level 1: CHAOS

40% of teams stuck here

Characteristics:

  • Success depends entirely on individual talent
  • No consistent processes or systems
  • Crisis-driven decision making
  • High stress, burnout, turnover
  • Blame culture dominates

Warning Signs:

  • Constant “putting out fires”
  • Team meetings dominated by complaints
  • Cliques and divisions in locker room
  • Different rules for different players

Exit Strategy: Requires 3-6 month systematic intervention

Level 2: REPEATABLE

45% of teams operate here

Characteristics:

  • Clear roles and expectations
  • Documented processes and standards
  • Predictable performance patterns
  • Reduced interpersonal conflict
  • Competent but not exceptional

Growth Opportunities:

  • Individual strengths underutilized
  • Innovation discouraged by rigidity
  • Adaptation to change is slow
  • Good players don’t become great

Next Level: 2-3 month enhancement process

Level 3: PEAK PERFORMANCE

Only 15% achieve this

Characteristics:

  • Each individual’s strengths maximized
  • Adaptive systems evolve with personnel
  • Proactive problem-solving culture
  • Innovation encouraged and rewarded
  • Culture transcends individuals

Competitive Advantages:

  • Attract top talent without top dollar
  • Average players perform above average
  • Sustain success through transitions
  • Turn adversity into opportunity

Maintenance: Quarterly culture audits

The Sports Playbook Assessment System

You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Our comprehensive assessment tools provide objective culture metrics.

10 Core Competencies We Measure

  1. Leadership Effectiveness – Quality of formal and informal leaders
  2. Communication Patterns – Information flow and feedback loops
  3. Accountability Systems – Personal and collective responsibility
  4. Conflict Resolution – Speed and effectiveness of issue resolution
  5. Role Clarity – Understanding and acceptance of roles
  6. Values Alignment – Living stated values in daily actions
  7. Innovation Culture – Openness to new ideas and adaptation
  8. Trust Levels – Psychological safety and vulnerability
  9. Performance Standards – Excellence expectations and enforcement
  10. Team Cohesion – Unity of purpose and mutual support

Assessment Methods & Tools

Quantitative Measures:

  • Team Culture Assessment Survey (TCAS)
  • 360-degree leadership evaluations
  • Performance-culture correlation analysis
  • Conflict frequency and resolution metrics

Qualitative Methods:

  • Focus groups by position/role
  • Individual stakeholder interviews
  • Observational culture audits
  • Critical incident analysis

Deliverable: 30-page Culture Report with heat maps, gap analysis, and prioritized action plan

The Four Essential Team Roles – Selection & Development Guide

Role-person fit determines 43% of team chemistry. Get this wrong and no amount of talent can compensate.

The Captain – Bridge Builder

Connects coaches and athletes, translating strategy into action.

Selection Criteria:

  • High emotional intelligence (EQ)
  • Respected by both coaches and players
  • Superior communication skills
  • Conflict mediation abilities

Development Focus:

Meeting facilitation, tactical understanding, emotional regulation

The Leader – Standard Setter

Drives performance through example and accountability.

Selection Criteria:

  • Consistent work ethic
  • Performs under pressure
  • Natural motivator
  • Actions match words

Development Focus:

Public speaking, constructive feedback delivery, crisis leadership

The Superstar – Game Changer

Elevates team capability through exceptional individual performance.

Management Keys:

  • Channel ego toward team goals
  • Prevent isolation from team
  • Balance privileges with responsibilities
  • Use platform for team benefit

Warning:

Maximum 2-3 superstars per team before chemistry breaks

Team Members – Culture Carriers

Execute roles effectively and maintain cultural standards.

Success Factors:

  • Clear role expectations
  • Regular recognition
  • Growth pathways defined
  • Voice in team decisions

Critical Mass:

Need 60%+ buy-in for culture to hold

The SCI Play-By-Play™ Conflict Resolution Model

Transform conflict from culture destroyer to performance enhancer with our proprietary framework.

SCI Play-By-Play Conflict Model

Used by championship programs to reduce destructive conflict by 89% while improving team cohesion

Culture Transformation Services

Culture Assessment & Diagnosis

Comprehensive evaluation of your current cultural level and specific gaps preventing peak performance:

  • 360-degree stakeholder assessment
  • Values-behavior alignment analysis
  • Role clarity and effectiveness evaluation
  • Conflict pattern identification
  • Cultural strength and vulnerability mapping

Kaizen Rapid Improvement Process

Transform your culture in 1-2 days using our proven Kaizen methodology:

  • Intensive team workshops with all stakeholders
  • Identify and eliminate cultural barriers
  • Create immediate, tangible improvements
  • Build momentum for sustained change
  • Establish accountability systems

Outside the Box/Inside the Ring® Training

Experiential conflict resolution curriculum specifically designed for sports:

  • Fair Factor: Understanding competitive fairness
  • What’s Up?: Identifying conflict triggers
  • Do You Speak Conflict?: Communication under pressure
  • Whose Shoes?: Perspective-taking for athletes
  • How Can You Win When I Win?: Creating mutual victories
  • Be A Leader!: Conflict leadership skills

Your Culture Transformation Timeline

Month 1

ASSESS

Complete culture audit, identify gaps, build consensus for change

Month 2-3

ALIGN

Define values, clarify roles, establish accountability systems

Month 4-6

IMPLEMENT

Launch new practices, provide training, monitor progress

Ongoing

SUSTAIN

Quarterly reviews, continuous improvement, culture evolution

Average time to move up one culture level: 3-6 months with systematic intervention

Amplify Your Culture Work with AI

The Sports Playbook AI provides 24/7 access to our culture-building expertise. Get instant guidance on team dynamics, role assignments, conflict resolution, and culture challenges.

Proven Results from The Sports Playbook Model

89%

Conflict Reduction

2.3x

Performance Improvement

91%

Retention Rate

78%

Win Rate Increase

Ready to Build Your Championship Culture?

Join the 15% of teams that achieve Peak Performance culture. The Sports Playbook provides your complete blueprint.

Special Offer: Combine book purchase with culture assessment for integrated implementation support

The Sports Playbook is available in print, digital, and open access formats through Routledge/Taylor & Francis

Sources

Organizational Culture and Team Performance

Edgar H. Schein, Organizational Culture and Leadership (5th ed. 2017) (defining culture as shared assumptions and demonstrating culture’s impact on 75% of change initiative outcomes).

Kim S. Cameron & Robert E. Quinn, Diagnosing and Changing Organizational Culture: Based on the Competing Values Framework (3d ed. 2011) (establishing four culture types and demonstrating flexible organizations achieve 30% better performance outcomes).

John P. Kotter & James L. Heskett, Corporate Culture and Performance (2011) (documenting culture’s critical impact on long-term financial success across 207 companies).

Daniel R. Denison, Corporate Culture and Organizational Effectiveness (1990) (establishing empirical links between culture types and performance metrics).

Team Leadership and Role Alignment

Stewart T. Cotterill, Todd M. Loughead & Katrien Fransen, Athlete Leadership Development Within Teams: Current Understanding and Future Directions, Frontiers Psychol. (Jan. 2022) (demonstrating shared leadership improves team effectiveness by 25-40%).

Sarah McEwan et al., Factors Influencing Team Performance: What Can Support Teams in High-Performance Sport Learn from Other Industries?, 8 Sports Med. Open 40 (2022) (identifying leadership, communication, supportive behavior, and feedback as critical performance factors).

Marta Mach et al., Transformational Leadership and Team Performance in Sports Teams: A Conditional Indirect Model, 71 Applied Psychol. 662 (2022) (showing transformational leadership increases performance through enhanced team cohesion).

Francisco M. Leo et al., How Many Leaders Does It Take to Lead a Sports Team? The Relationship Between the Number of Leaders and the Effectiveness of Professional Sports Teams, 14 PLoS One e0218167 (2019) (demonstrating shared leadership across roles optimizes team effectiveness).

Katrien Fransen et al., The Myth of the Team Captain as Principal Leader: Extending the Athlete Leadership Classification Within Sport Teams, 32 J. Sports Sci. 1389 (2014) (finding 44% of teams perceive informal leaders as more effective than formal captains).

Team Cohesion and Performance

Eleonora Bisagno et al., Your Team Can Make You a Better Person: Team Cohesion Is Associated with Off-Field Prosocial Behaviour via Fairplay Team Norms and Empathy in Rugby Union, 34 J. Community & Applied Soc. Psychol. e2852 (2024) (demonstrating team cohesion’s impact beyond sports performance).

Edson Filho et al., The Cohesion-Performance Relationship in Sport: A 10-Year Retrospective Meta-Analysis, 10 Sport Sci. Health 165 (2014) (confirming bidirectional relationship between cohesion and performance).

Mark A. Eys et al., Development of a Cohesion Questionnaire for Youth: The Youth Sport Environment Questionnaire, 31 J. Sport & Exercise Psychol. 390 (2009) (adapting cohesion measurement for youth sports).

Albert V. Carron et al., Team Cohesion and Team Success in Sport, 20 J. Sports Sci. 119 (2002) (meta-analysis showing moderate to large relationship between cohesion and performance across 46 studies).

Albert V. Carron, W. Neil Widmeyer & Lawrence R. Brawley, The Development of an Instrument to Assess Cohesion in Sport Teams: The Group Environment Questionnaire, 7 J. Sport Psychol. 244 (1985) (establishing validated measurement framework used in over 10,000 teams).

Psychological Safety and Team Environment

Amy C. Edmondson & Derrick P. Bransby, Psychological Safety Comes of Age: Observed Themes in an Established Literature, 2 Ann. Rev. Organizational Psychol. & Organizational Behav. 55 (2023) (meta-analysis of 185 studies confirming psychological safety’s impact on team effectiveness).

Øyvind L. Martinsen et al., The Relationship Between Psychological Safety and Management Team Effectiveness: The Mediating Role of Behavioral Integration, 20 Int’l J. Env’t Rsch. & Pub. Health 506 (2023) (demonstrating psychological safety improves team effectiveness through enhanced collaboration).

Amy C. Edmondson, The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth (2019) (providing framework for building psychologically safe teams).

Google Research, Project Aristotle: Understanding Team Effectiveness (2016), https://rework.withgoogle.com/guides/understanding-team-effectiveness (identifying psychological safety as #1 factor in high-performing teams).

Amy C. Edmondson, Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams, 44 Admin. Sci. Q. 350 (1999) (establishing psychological safety as foundation for team learning and performance).

Continuous Improvement Methodologies

Yousef Abuzied et al., A Practical Guide to the Kaizen Approach as a Quality Improvement Tool, 15 Cureus e39895 (2023) (demonstrating Kaizen reduces operational costs by 30-50% while improving quality metrics).

Jeffrey K. Liker, The Toyota Way: 14 Management Principles from the World’s Greatest Manufacturer (2d ed. 2021) (documenting Toyota Production System’s sustained competitive advantage through Kaizen).

W. Edwards Deming, Out of the Crisis (2018) (establishing PDCA cycle and demonstrating quality improvement impact on organizational performance).

Masaaki Imai, Kaizen: The Key to Japan’s Competitive Success (2d ed. 2012) (documenting productivity improvements of 20-70% through continuous improvement methodology).

Taiichi Ohno, Toyota Production System: Beyond Large-Scale Production (1988) (originating just-in-time manufacturing and continuous improvement principles).

Sports Conflict Institute Research and Publications

Sports Conflict Institute, Outside the Box/Inside the Ring® Conflict Resolution Curriculum (2019) (proprietary experiential curriculum for sports-specific conflict management skills).

Joshua Gordon, The Sports Playbook: Building Teams That Outperform Year After Year (2018) (establishing three-level team culture model from chaos to peak performance).

Sports Conflict Institute, SCI Play-By-Play™ Model: A Framework for Understanding and Resolving Conflict in Sports (2017) (developing intuitive conflict resolution model specifically for athletic contexts).

Larry Susskind & Jeffrey L. Cruikshank, Breaking Robert’s Rules: The New Way to Run Your Meeting, Build Consensus, and Get Results (2d ed. 2014) (establishing consensus-building methodology used in SCI facilitation).

R. Meredith Belbin, Team Roles at Work (2d ed. 2010) (establishing nine team roles framework for optimal team composition and performance).

Note: Research on team culture and performance spans multiple disciplines including organizational psychology, sports science, and management studies. Statistics cited represent findings from meta-analyses and longitudinal studies involving thousands of teams across various industries and competitive levels. The Competing Values Framework and Group Environment Questionnaire have been validated across over 10,000 organizations and teams globally.

Research and Evaluation

Research & Evaluation for Sports Organizations

Data-Driven Insights That Transform Culture and Performance

You can’t fix what you can’t measure. Yet most sports organizations operate on gut feelings about their culture, hoping problems will surface before they explode. Professional research reveals what’s really happening—before it’s too late.

WORLD-CLASS SPORTS ARBITRATORS & MEDIATORS

CAS • FIFA • MLB Salary • USOPC • USSF • USATF

University of Oregon Professor & FAR • Author of The Sports Playbook & Strategic Negotiation • 30+ Years Experience

Operating Blind in a High-Stakes Environment

Sports organizations face critical questions they can’t answer:

  • Is hazing happening in our program? How severe is it?
  • What’s our actual team culture vs. what we think it is?
  • Are our interventions working or just checking boxes?
  • What are athletes really experiencing but not reporting?
  • Where are we vulnerable to the next scandal?
  • How do we compare to peer institutions?
  • What’s driving our retention and performance issues?

The Cost of Not Knowing:

1 in 5

Athletes experience hazing

$2.5M

Average hazing lawsuit settlement

87%

Never report toxic behaviors

Academic Rigor Meets Athletic Reality

As a University of Oregon professor with 30+ years of research experience, Joshua Gordon brings world-class academic methodology to sports-specific challenges.

Validated Instruments

Research-proven assessment tools specifically adapted for sports contexts and validated across thousands of athletes.

Confidential Process

Anonymous data collection that encourages honest responses while protecting individual and institutional privacy.

Actionable Insights

Reports that go beyond data to provide specific, implementable recommendations for improvement.

Specialized Research & Evaluation Services

Hazing Culture Assessment

The most comprehensive hazing assessment available for sports.

Our proprietary assessment reveals:

  • Prevalence and severity of hazing behaviors (if any)
  • Specific activities occurring in your program
  • Risk factors and protective factors present
  • Comparison to national benchmarks
  • Team-by-team analysis for targeted interventions
  • Legal vulnerability assessment

Used by NCAA programs nationwide to prevent tragedies and transform culture.

Methodology:

  • Anonymous online surveys
  • Focus groups (optional)
  • Behavioral observation
  • Document analysis
  • Stakeholder interviews

Timeline: 4-6 weeks

Deliverable: 40+ page report with action plan

Comprehensive Culture Evaluation

Understand your true organizational culture—not just what’s on the wall.

What We Measure:

  • Values alignment (stated vs. lived)
  • Communication effectiveness
  • Leadership credibility
  • Psychological safety levels
  • Team cohesion and trust
  • Accountability systems
  • Innovation and growth mindset

You Receive:

  • Current culture assessment
  • Gap analysis to desired state
  • Comparative benchmarking
  • Heat maps by team/department
  • Culture transformation roadmap
  • Quick wins and long-term strategies
  • ROI projections for interventions

Program Evaluation & Impact Assessment

Prove your programs work—or discover why they don’t.

  • Leadership Development Programs: Measure actual behavior change, not just satisfaction scores
  • Mental Health Initiatives: Assess utilization, effectiveness, and athlete well-being outcomes
  • Character Development: Track values alignment and ethical decision-making
  • Academic Support: Evaluate beyond GPA to understand true student-athlete success
  • Diversity & Inclusion: Measure belonging, psychological safety, and equitable experiences

All evaluations include pre/post measurement, control group comparison when possible, and statistical validation of results.

Custom Research Projects

Your unique challenges deserve tailored research solutions.

Stakeholder Studies

Fan engagement, donor satisfaction, parent perspectives, alumni connection

Performance Analytics

Culture-performance correlation, team chemistry metrics, leadership impact

Risk Assessment

Compliance vulnerabilities, reputation threats, litigation exposure

Benchmarking Studies

Peer comparison, best practice identification, competitive analysis

Climate Surveys

Department morale, coaching effectiveness, workplace satisfaction

Exit Analysis

Transfer patterns, retention factors, attrition costs

Our Research Process

1

Design

Customize approach to your specific needs

2

Collect

Gather data through multiple methods

3

Analyze

Apply rigorous statistical analysis

4

Interpret

Translate data into meaningful insights

5

Recommend

Provide actionable next steps

All research conducted under university IRB standards with complete confidentiality protection.

Why Choose SCI for Research & Evaluation?

Academic Credibility

University of Oregon professor with 30+ years of research experience and peer-reviewed publications.

Sports Expertise

Faculty Athletics Representative who understands the unique dynamics and pressures of athletic departments.

Trusted Partner

Complete confidentiality with reports that protect your institution while providing honest insights.

From youth sports to Olympic organizations, we’ve conducted research that transforms cultures and prevents crises.

Research That Delivers Real Impact

100+

Organizations Assessed

10,000+

Athletes Surveyed

95%

Implementation Rate

Zero

Breaches of Confidentiality

Organizations using our research report significant improvements in culture, safety, and performance.

Get the Data You Need to Lead with Confidence

Stop guessing about your culture. Start knowing. Our research provides the objective insights you need to make informed decisions and prevent preventable crises.

Schedule Research Consultation →

Confidential consultation to discuss your research needs and assessment options.

Sources

Student-Athlete Experience and Transfer Assessment

Honest Game, Making the Move: The Ultimate Guide to Navigating the NCAA Transfer Portal (2025), https://honestgame.com/blog/ncaa-transfer-portal/ [documenting over 31,000 student-athletes entering portal annually; potential loss of athletic aid, academic services, and roster spots upon portal entry].

NCAA Transfer Portal, Wikipedia (2025), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_transfer_portal [portal launched October 15, 2018, as compliance tool; 2024 rule changes allowing immediate eligibility for multiple transfers].

Indiana University Sports Innovation Institute, NCAA Transfer Portal Analysis (2024), https://blogs.iu.edu/iuindysii/2024/05/15/ncaa-transfer-portal-analysis/ [data showing decreased performance metrics when transferring up, increased performance when transferring down].

NCAA Research Staff, Division I Student-Athlete Transfer Trends Dashboard (2022), https://www.ncaa.org/news/2022/4/25/media-center-new-dashboard-shows-di-student-athlete-transfer-trends.aspx [tracking transfer portal data from 2019-2021 academic years].

Financial Impact and Crisis Management

Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, Finances of College Sports (2024), https://www.knightcommission.org/finances-college-sports/ [football coach severance pay tripled since 2015; median FBS coach salary exceeding $3.5 million].

Andrew Zimbalist, Analysis: Who Is Winning in the High-Revenue World of College Sports?, PBS News (Mar. 18, 2023) [Division I athletics generated $15.8 billion in 2019; athletic expenses surpassing revenues at overwhelming majority of programs].

Kevin Blue, Rising Expenses in College Athletics and the Non-Profit Paradox, Athletic Director U (Feb. 10, 2022), https://athleticdirectoru.com/articles/kevin-blue-rising-expenses-in-college-athletics-and-the-non-profit-paradox/ [analyzing zero-sum competition driving unsustainable expense growth].

Emma Whitford, Financial Crisis Related to Coronavirus Hits Athletic Departments, Inside Higher Ed (Apr. 24, 2020) [$375 million NCAA revenue distribution cut; Power Five departments experiencing $50M+ annual shortages].

Jon Marcus, Winning at All Costs: US College Athletics and the Curse of Money, Times Higher Education (Jan. 11, 2018) [North Carolina academic fraud affecting 1,000+ athletes over 18 years].

Hazing and Bullying Research

Hazing Prevention Network, Hazing Facts and Statistics (2023), https://hazingpreventionnetwork.org/hazing-facts/ [47% of students arrive at college having experienced hazing; 50% of female NCAA Division I athletes report hazing].

Diamond M. et al., The Spectrum of Hazing and Peer Sexual Abuse in Sports: A Current Perspective, 13 Sports Health 237 (2021) [60-95% of hazed athletes not reporting incidents; code of silence perpetuating underreporting].

Elizabeth J. Allan and Mary Madden, Hazing in View: College Students at Risk, StopHazing (2008), https://www.stophazing.org/hazing-view/ [74% of varsity athletes experienced hazing behaviors; only 1 in 10 labeled it as hazing].

Nadine C. Hoover and Norman J. Pollard, Initiation Rites in High School: A National Survey, Alfred University (2000) [1.5 million high school students experiencing hazing annually].

Nadine C. Hoover, Initiation Rites and Athletics: A National Survey of NCAA Sports Teams, Alfred University (1999) [80% of NCAA athletes experienced activities qualifying as hazing; over 250,000 athletes hazed to join college teams].

SCI Research and Publications

Joshua Gordon, Strategic Negotiation: Building Organizational Excellence (Routledge 2023) [organizational capability model for negotiation; preventing destructive conflicts through internal culture development].

Joshua Gordon, Gary Furlong and Ken Pendleton, The Sports Playbook: Building Teams That Outperform Year After Year (Routledge 2018) [framework for sustainable competitive advantage through culture development].

Sports Conflict Institute, White Paper on Cost of Conflict in Sports (2015), https://sportsconflict.org/white-paper-on-cost-of-conflict-in-sports/ [reactive responses 100x more expensive than proactive approaches].

Joshua Gordon, University of Oregon Heroes Cup System: Student-Athlete Development Assessment, Sports Conflict Institute (2013) [behavioral assessment system tested against three years of student-athlete data].

Assessment Methodology and Standards

NCAA, Division I Membership Financial Reporting System (2024) [23 expense categories for transparency; mandatory annual reporting].

International Ombudsman Association, Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics (2023), https://www.ombudsassociation.org/standards-of-practice-code-of-ethics [four core principles: independence, impartiality, confidentiality, informality].

Ken Pendleton, Standards of Reasonableness in Hostile Environment Sexual Harassment Cases, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Oregon (2008) [framework for applying reasonableness standards in assessment contexts].

Note: All research and evaluation services comply with institutional review board requirements and applicable privacy laws. Data collection methods prioritize participant confidentiality through aggregate, non-attributable reporting.