Enhancing Leadership Skills in Sports Managers through Virtual Reality: Evidence from Iranian Clubs

Enhancing Leadership Skills in Sports Managers through Virtual Reality: Evidence from Iranian Clubs | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Enhancing Leadership Skills in Sports Managers through Virtual Reality: Evidence from Iranian Clubs Mojtaba Ghorbani Asiabar, Morteza Ghorbani Asiabar, Alireza Ghorbani Asiabar This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7617266/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study aims to investigate whether emerging virtual reality (VR) technologies can address the limitations of traditional leadership training by enhancing the development of leadership skills among sports managers in Iranian clubs. The primary objective is to evaluate the impact of VR-based training on key leadership competencies, including decision-making, communication, and situational awareness. Employing a mixed-methods, quasi-experimental design, the research targeted Iranian sports managers as its population. A purposive sampling approach was used, and thirty managers (15 in the experimental group and 15 in the control group) from various Iranian clubs were selected. The experimental group received VR-based leadership training, while the control group underwent conventional instruction. Pre- and post-intervention evaluations were conducted using validated leadership skill inventories and situational judgment tests. Data analysis involved paired t-tests and ANCOVA to identify significant changes, with effect sizes calculated to assess practical relevance. Results showed that the VR-trained group exhibited statistically significant improvements in decision-making speed, communication effectiveness, and adaptive leadership behaviors. Qualitative data highlighted high engagement and perceived realism as key factors in facilitating learning transfer. The immersive VR scenarios provided a risk-free environment for practicing complex leadership challenges, enhancing experiential learning and confidence. This study demonstrates that integrating VR into leadership training offers a transformative approach to developing sports managers’ competencies, particularly by addressing shortcomings of traditional methods. The novelty of this research lies in the use of advanced VR tools in the Iranian sports context and the empirical evidence supporting their effectiveness, encouraging broader application of VR-based educational strategies in sports organizations. Virtual Reality Leadership Training Sport Management Decision-Making Immersive Learning Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics Approval Statement This study was conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the Institute of Sports Science under approval number IRB-2024-0567. All participants provided written informed consent prior to participation. Confidentiality and privacy of participants were strictly maintained throughout the research process. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7617266","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":515095522,"identity":"9cd51ded-48dc-4828-a2cf-0d36e4a6bc43","order_by":0,"name":"Mojtaba Ghorbani Asiabar","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA90lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYHCCBAbGBgY5+2bmgw+APB4+IrQkNgC1GBuwsyUbgLSwEaGFEaQl0YCfx0wCxCWoRbe94fmDnzvsEsyZGcwqv+bYybAxMD98dAOPFrMzBxIbe88k51k2M6Tdlt2WDHQYm7FxDj4tNxISG3jbmIsZDjMcuy25jRmohYdNmpCWxr9t9YkNhxnbiiW31ROnpZm37XDihsPMbIwftx0mQgvQL7Nlzxw3lmxmY5Zm3Hach42ZkF+O9yR8fLujWo6f//zHjz+3Vdvzszc/fIxPCzDuEuBMZh4wiVc5CLAfgDMZfxBUPQpGwSgYBSMRAAC1f0tWrA31UgAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6689-4575","institution":"Postdoctoral in Management and Planning, Payam Noor University, Qazvin, Iran","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mojtaba","middleName":"Ghorbani","lastName":"Asiabar","suffix":""},{"id":515095523,"identity":"272404f5-8d62-497c-a70c-2cfee5acdf3c","order_by":1,"name":"Morteza Ghorbani Asiabar","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0005-5226-1522","institution":"Payam Noor University, Qazvin, Iran","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Morteza","middleName":"Ghorbani","lastName":"Asiabar","suffix":""},{"id":515095524,"identity":"9eb08dd9-9a8a-4100-8c0c-0529011d53e7","order_by":2,"name":"Alireza Ghorbani Asiabar","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0005-8532-2256","institution":"Payam Noor University, Qazvin, Iran","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Alireza","middleName":"Ghorbani","lastName":"Asiabar","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-09-15 07:12:06","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7617266/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7617266/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":91832572,"identity":"c89ace6f-871b-4328-bc54-f50200ef1640","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-22 09:22:00","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":482204,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"EnhancingLeadershipSkillsinSportsManagersthroughVirtualRealityr1.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7617266/v1_covered_709acd1e-dbcb-40b8-8f41-190a0ecf752f.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEthics Approval Statement This study was conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the Institute of Sports Science under approval number IRB-2024-0567. 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