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Sport
Psychology(psy407)
VU
Lesson
37
TEAM
COHESION IN SPORT
Consequences
of Team Cohesion
Most
research on consequences of team
cohesion has focused upon
performance. The primary question
that
has been asked is to what
degree team cohesion leads
to improved team or individual
performance.
Research
has consistently shown that
a significant relationship exists between
team cohesion and
athletic
performance
(Carron & Dennis, 1998; Mullen &
Cooper, 1994; Widmeyer, Carron &
Brawley, 1993). This
observed
relationship is much stronger when
task cohesion as opposed to
social cohesion is involved,
and
when
interactive as opposed to coactive sports
are involved.
Interactive
sports are those team
sports, such as volleyball,
basketball, and soccer, that
require members of
the
team to interact with one
another. Coactive sports are
those activities, such as
bowling, archery, and
riflery,
that do not require members of the
team to interact with each
other for team
success.
We
will now be discussing other
consequences of team cohesion.
These include direction of causality
for
the
cohesion-performance relationship, improving
group self-efficacy, predicting
future participation,
homogeneity
of team cohesion, disruptive
effects of self-handicapping, and team
momentum.
Direction
of Causality for the Cohesion-Performance
Relationship
As
mentioned before, numerous investigations have
verified that a significant and
positive relationship
exists
between direct measures of team
cohesion and performance in
both individuals and team
sports.
Almost
all athletes, however, have
experienced the "halo effect' of
success. When your team is
winning, it is
a
lot easier to feel at one
with your team and
with your teammates. Team
cohesion leads to
team
performance,
and Team performance leads
to team cohesion.
Improving
Group Self-Efficacy
Research
by Kim and Sugiyama (1992)
likewise points to the importance of
group or team self-efficacy
in
helping
teams believe that they will
be successful. Teams that
have developed high levels of
team cohesion
tend
to exhibit high of group
efficacy as well.
Predicting
Future Participation
Sports
participants who exhibit high
levels of social cohesion
also exhibit high scores in
the expectation that
they
will participate in sport during the
following season. This
prediction is undoubtedly related to
the
further
observation that high levels of
team cohesion are related to
lowered state anxiety. Individuals low
in
state
anxiety are more likely to continue
sports participation.
Homogeneity
of Team Cohesion
Research
indicates that homogeneity of team
cohesion among both starter
and nonstarter is an important
predictor
of successful team performance.
Successful volleyball teams
are characterized by high
levels of
team
cohesion on the part of both
starters and nonstarters.
Conversely, less successful
teams are
characterized
by a lack of homogeneity (agreement) in
team cohesion between
starters and
nonstarters.
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Moderator
of the Disruptive Effects of
Self-Handicapping
Self-handicapping
represents the strategies athletes
use to proactively protect their
self-esteem by creating
excuses
for their performance in
forthcoming events through
adopting or advocating impediments
for
success.
Typical excuses might include
missing practices due to
injury or illness, partying
and loss of sleep,
school
commitments or distractions. If success
follows, the athlete or athletes
can always internalize
(take
credit
for) the victory, but if
failure follows, they will
have numerous external explanations as to
why they
have
failed. This behavior causes disruption
in the athlete's preparation for
competition, and is therefore
referred
to as self-handicapping.
Research
indicates that team cohesion
has a moderating effect on the trait of
self-handicapping.
Effects
of Team Cohesion on Psychological
Momentum
Research
demonstrated, using high
school volleyball players,
that a high level of task
cohesion is associated
with
perceived psychological momentum. Here we
learn that teams that enjoy
a high level of task
cohesion
are
more likely to enjoy the benefits of
psychological momentum. For teams
that are high in task
cohesion,
this
perception of psychological momentum is likely to be
more pronounced.
Developing
Team Cohesion
Given
that team cohesion is an
important characteristic of successful
teams, how can it best be
developed?
In
this section we will address
that important question in three
different ways. First, we will
discuss the
development
of team cohesion as a process.
Second, we will discuss team
building as a way to develop
team
cohesiveness
among team members. Finally,
we will identify specific
interventions calculated to
enhance
team
cohesion.
Team
Cohesion as a Process
Very
early, Tuckman (1965)
described four basic stages
that a team must pass
through in order to emerge
as
a
cohesive unit. The four
stages include forming, storming norming
and performing
In
the forming stage, the athletes
experience the excitement of a new
relationships and getting together
with
teammates
for a common goal or cause. In the
storming stage, the athletes struggle
with the frustrations.
During
the norming stage, members of the
team start agreeing upon
common goals. Finally, during
the
performing
stage, the team is ready to
perform as a cohesive
unit.
Team
Building
Team
building is to "promote an increased
sense of unity and
cohesiveness and enable the
team to function
together
more smoothly and effectively."
Thus, team building is a
process that should lead to
cohesiveness
among
members of a team.
In
the direct intervention approach, the sport
psychologist works directly with
athletes and employees
to
empower
them, through a series of
educational seminars and
experiences, to develop a shared vision,
unity
of
purpose, collaborative teamwork, individual
and mutual accountability, team identity,
team cohesiveness,
open
and honest communication, and trust at
all levels. In the indirect
intervention approach, the sport
psychologist
teaches coaches and managers
to conduct team building with
their athletes and
employees.
Specific
Interventions Designed to Enhance Team
Cohesion
1.
Acquaint each player with
the responsibilities of other
players.
2.
As a coach or teacher, take the time to
learn something personal
about each athlete on the
team.
3.
Develop pride within the
sub-units of large
teams.
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Sport
Psychology(psy407)
VU
4.
Develop
a feeling of "ownership" among the
players.
5.
Set
team goals and take
pride in their
accomplishments.
6.
Make
sure that each player on the
team learns his role
and comes to believe it is
important.
7.
Do
not demand or even expect
complete social tranquility.
The complete elimination of
any friction may
actually
suggest a complete lack of
interest in group
goals.
8.
Since cliques characteristically
work in opposition to the task
goals of a team, avoid their
formation.
9.
Develop team drills and
lead-up games that encourage
member cooperation.
10.
Highlight areas of team
success, even when the team
loses a game or
match.
References
Cox,
H. Richard. (2002). Sport Psychology:
Concepts and Applications.
(Fifth Edition). New York:
McGraw-
Hill
Companies
Lavallec.
D., Kremer, J., Moran,
A., & Williams. M. (2004)
Sports Psychology: Contemporary Themes.
New
York:
Palgrave Macmillan
Publishers
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