Stimulated by growing interest in the organizational and performance leadership components of Olympic success, sport psychology researchers have identified Performance Director-led culture change as a process of particular theoretical and applied significance. To build on initial work in this area, and develop practically meaningful understanding, a pragmatic research philosophy and grounded theory methodology were engaged to uncover culture change best practice from the perspective of newly appointed Performance Directors.Delivered in complex and contested settings, results revealed that the optimal change process consisted of an initial evaluation, planning, and impact phase adjoined to the immediate and enduring management of a multi-directional, perception-and power-based social system. As the first inquiry of its kind, these findings provide a foundation for the continued theoretical development of culture change in Olympic sport performance teams and a first model on which applied practice can be based.Keywords: change management, elite sport, management, success cultures, succession Running Head: CULTURE CHANGE IN OLYMPIC SPORT PERFORMANCE TEAMS 3 Driving and Sustaining Culture Change in Olympic Sport Performance Teams: A First Exploration and Grounded TheoryAs one of the most significant global sporting events, preparation for and performance at the Olympic Games has long been an area of intrigue for sport psychologists. Reflecting this interest, scholars and consultants are continually seeking new ways in which success can be seized and sustained. Most recently, this pursuit has seen researchers move to examine the organizational and management factors which contribute to peak performance (Fletcher & Wagstaff, 2009;Wagstaff, Fletcher, & Hanton, 2012a;Wagstaff, Hanton, & Fletcher, 2013).While study in this budding area has primarily focused on holistic organizational functioning (incorporating strategic, policy, and administrative elements on top of traditional performance facets), it has concomitantly reinforced the significance of management-led processes within and for the principal gain of the performance department; including the Performance Director (hereafter PD) led creation and maintenance of a high performing culture (Fletcher & Arnold, 2011). With limited knowledge on this particular process unearthed to date, work is therefore required through which PD-led culture change can be theoretically understood and practically delivered (cf. Fletcher & Arnold, 2011).Corresponding to "the shared values, beliefs, expectations, and practices across the members and generations of a defined group" (Cruickshank & Collins, 2012a, p. 340), sport psychologists have long been aware of culture's role in shaping team and individual behavior and performance (Hardy & Crace, 1997;Krane & Baird, 2005;Lee, Shaw, & Chesterfield, 2009), and increasingly so in Olympic environments (Fletcher & Arnold, 2011;Wagstaff et al., 2012a). Indeed, the need for Olympic sports teams to operate in a setting which consistently...

Although high performing cultures are crucial for the enduring success of professional sport performance teams, theoretical and practical understanding of how they are established and sustained is lacking. To develop knowledge in this area, a case study was undertaken to examine the key mechanisms and processes of a successful culture change programme at English Rugby Union's Leeds Carnegie. Exploring the change process from a 360 degree perspective, semi-structured interviews were conducted with team management, one specialist coach, six players, and the CEO. Analysed and explained through decentred theory, results revealed that culture change was effectively facilitated by team management: a) subtly and covertly shaping the physical, structural, and psychosocial context in which support staff and players made performance-impacting choices, and b) regulating the 'to and fro' of power which characterises professional sport performance teams. Decentred theory is also supported as an effective framework for culture change study.

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