FGCU study offers roadmap for regional private residential community governance
- Bill Studenc
- Research
- Contributors: James Greco, Photos
6 – minute read
A recent study headed by a Florida Gulf Coast University faculty member explored how the successful transition of a private residential community in nearby Estero to a member-owned real estate association could serve as a governance model for more than 160 similar Southwest Florida housing associations.
The study, titled “When Intuition Marries Data-Driven Decisions: A Quality Management Case of How Pelican Sound Golf & River Club Averted Turmoil and Assured Its Future,” was led by George Alexakis, a professor who teaches in multiple departments at FGCU.
Published in the February 2025 edition of The Journal of Entrepreneurship, the study was co-authored by FGCU President Aysegul Timur, who has a Ph.D. in business administration and economics, and Bert Seither, manager of operations at the John P. Lowth Entrepreneurship Center in the Sykes College of Business at the University of Tampa.
Ensuring long-term viability
The case study examined the evolution of the Pelican Sound Golf & River Club from a developer-controlled community into a residential organization owned and governed by its residents. This transition followed a period of financial instability and inadequate management of the community’s amenities, according to the study.
The researchers’ analysis highlights the use of established management processes to navigate change and ensure the community’s long-term viability.
The case illustrates how the club, one of thousands of common interest realty associations (CIRA) across the U.S., blended intuition, transparent communication, data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement practices to secure its ongoing sustainability, said Alexakis.
“The central insight of the study is that private clubs — and, more broadly, member-led organizations — can overcome governance and financial adversity by adopting structured management frameworks,” he said. “At Pelican Sound, these included the balanced scorecard, Kaizen principles of continuous improvement and member-driven strategic planning.”
For the uninitiated, the “balanced scorecard” is a strategic planning and management system that helps organizations align activities with their vision and strategy. It goes beyond standard financial metrics to include factors such as customer satisfaction, internal processes and learning and growth.
The term “Kaizen principles” refers to the Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement through small, incremental changes. This approach aims to enhance efficiency, quality and stakeholder satisfaction by involving everyone in the process of identifying and solving problems.
“In a member-led community like Pelican Sound, the balanced scorecard helps leadership track performance across different areas — resident satisfaction, operational efficiency, long-term financial health and employee engagement. It provides structure and accountability, which are especially valuable when decision-making involves many stakeholders,” Alexakis said. ‘“For CIRAs, Kaizen principles encourage ongoing dialogue with residents, routine evaluation of operations and a proactive culture that continuously refines community services and governance practices.”
The value of collaboration
Pelican Sound’s success story illustrates the value of collaboration, with homeowners, committees and elected representatives fostering a culture of shared governance based on collective responsibility, accountability and flexibility. This approach has led to improvements in community cohesion and financial performance, according to Seither.
“We also highlight the importance of entrepreneurial thinking in governance,” he said.
“By treating governance as a strategic asset rather than an administrative function, Pelican Sound approached problem-solving with agility and innovation — traits often associated with startups rather than homeowner associations. This mindset enabled proactive investment in amenities, member engagement and long-term value creation.”
Communities similar to Pelican Sound — those that combine residential living with amenities such as golf, tennis and social clubs — could use the study as a roadmap for achieving governance and operational excellence.
That roadmap includes several key stops along the way, including the adoption of structured frameworks, such as the balanced scorecard approach, to guide decision-making and align organizational resources with strategic priorities.
It also emphasizes the importance of incorporating resident feedback — gathered through surveys, focus groups and town hall-style meetings — to ensure that services and amenities reflect the community’s needs. This helps foster a culture of continuous improvement in which leaders actively seek and act on opportunities to enhance operations and clarifies the roles and responsibilities of boards and management to improve accountability and responsiveness.
Broader applications
The authors believe their study also demonstrates that entities beyond residential communities can use data-informed governance to transform once-vulnerable organizations into thriving ones.
“This is more than a local success story; it is an example of how leadership, strategy and culture can intersect to turn around an organization facing complex governance and financial pressures,” Alexakis said. “Even more broadly, at a time when so many in various sectors of society are behaving acrimoniously at the national level right through the local level, the case is indicative of how adults acting like adults can get past their differences for a greater good.”
For Timur, who frequently contributes to research on entrepreneurship and economic issues, the Pelican Sound study is an example of the university using Southwest Florida case studies to connect to student and faculty research. With similar communities existing throughout Southwest Florida, the findings could have a significant ripple effect.
“This case study exemplifies how FGCU harnesses Southwest Florida’s best practices to create impactful, applied and hands-on teaching and learning opportunities,” Timur said. “It highlights how our faculty and students actively engage with the local business community, using it as a living laboratory. Many of our students from the Lutgert College of Business and the School of Resort & Hospitality Management complete internships and job shadowing experiences at Pelican Sound Golf & River Club. That’s the FGCU difference.”