Differential Association and Role-Set Configuration: The Impact of Significant Others upon the Perception of Ethical Climate in a Sports Organization

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence that significant others have upon the perception of ethical climate in a Canadian provincial nonprofit sport federation. The study was theoretically based upon the concepts of differential association and role-set configuration as well as the ethical climate dimensions developed in a non-profit context by Agarwal and Malloy (1999). The results demonstrate some support for the earlier empirical and theoretical findings that suggest that members of non-profit organizations may not be influenced by internal strategies of control and conformity. While this study was based upon a single provincial sport federation, the authors cautiously draw attention to the implications that the results may have for other non-profit organizations.