Cohesion Flashcards
Group Dynamics
Field of study that focuses on gaining knowledge about the nature of groups and their development
And the interrelationships of groups with individuals , other groups, and larger institutions
(Understanding the nature of groups, how they develop, and how all institutions are related)
Groups differ based on composition (who is in them).
Individuals will contribute differently to the group based on who else is in the group.
Example: A varsity athlete who is the team captain and top player might also be a member of a national team but serve as a bench player. Their roles differ in each group, demonstrating how individual contributions vary across contexts.
Assembly Effect
variations in group behavior that result from the specific combination of individuals within the group.
Group composition plays a crucial role—variations within the group can determine its effectiveness, engagement, and overall dynamic.
The behavior of the group changes based on who is in it.
Certain individuals can significantly impact the group’s behavior as a whole.
Example: Parents often emphasize the importance of their children being surrounded by the “right crowd” to encourage positive behavior and influence.
Group and Team
Group: Two or more people who interact with and exert mutual influence on each other
Team: A specific type of group where individuals interact to accomplish shared objectives.
(Need to be a formal interaction, a structures
And a common objective)
4 characteristics of a Team
A group is not nessarylig a team, it becomes a team , there must be a common objective and these main characteristics
- collective sense of identity (“we/us” vs. “me/I”)
- distinctive roles
-Formal (captain) or informal (team mom) - structured modes of communication
- norms
-Social rules that guide the members what to do and what not to do
Group and Team Effectiveness
There is a strong connection between team effectiveness and group behavior in a sport setting.
Research supports several group processes associated with group effectiveness:
Communication
- effectively communicating between coaches and athletes
Decision-making: Majority rule tends to be the most effective
Challenge = conformity and “groupthink.” (Thinking where people want a cohesive group, want unity and to be on the same page/Majority win is not always good if it’s group think)
Cohesion
-Related to proximity, more time spent together, better communication, allows for athlete input
Group Cohesion
Definition: A dynamic process reflecting the tendency for a group to stick together and remain united in pursuing instrumental objectives and/or satisfying members’ affective needs.
Significance: Cohesion is a key factor in the success of a group or team.
Application: Companies often invest in team-building activities to enhance group cohesion.
Four Key Characteristics of Cohesion
Multidimensional in Nature:
Factors vary between groups
Factors that hold groups together are varied and numerous
Dynamic:
A group’s reason for staying together can change over time (e.g., from aiming to be the best team to genuinely liking each other)
Cohesion is not static; a group cohesive at the start of a season may not remain cohesive mid-season. It’s always changing.
Instrumental:
Groups form and stay together for a purpose
Affective:
Strong emotional ties among group members can keep them united, even if they are losing or not achieving goals
Cohesion: Individual and Group Aspects
Individual Aspects:
Focus on “What’s in it for me” — the perceived personal value or benefit of being part of the group
Beliefs group members hold about their personal benefits
Group Aspects:
Focus on the group as a whole and its collective value
Beliefs members hold about the group’s benefits and purpose as a collective
Cohesion: Task and Social Dimensions
Task Cohesion:
Orientation towards achieving group’s objectives
Degree to which members of a group work together to achieve common goals
Social Cohesion:
Orientation towards developing and maintaining social relationships within the group
Degree to which team members like each other
Cohesion: Task and Social Dimensions
Task Cohesion:
Orientation towards achieving group’s objectives
Degree to which members of a group work together to achieve common goals
Social Cohesion:
Orientation towards developing and maintaining social relationships within the group
Degree to which team members like each other
Perceptions of Group Cohesion
Group Integration - Social
Higher cohesion perception: “I believe my team gets along well; everyone is supportive and friendly.”
Lower cohesion perception: “I don’t feel like our team members really connect or spend time together.”
Group Integration - Task
Higher cohesion perception: “Our team is focused and works well together to achieve our goals.”
Lower cohesion perception: “We have trouble working together to achieve our objectives.”
Individual Attraction - Social
Higher cohesion perception: “I enjoy being around my teammates; we have a lot of fun together.”
Lower cohesion perception: “I don’t feel a connection with my teammates on a personal level.”
Individual Attraction - Task
Higher cohesion perception: “My teammates push me to improve, and I feel we’re all aiming for success together.”
Lower cohesion perception: “I don’t feel challenged by my team; I don’t think we’re all putting in the same effort.”
All of these factors contribute to our perception of how cohesive the group is—it’s a subjective experience, as there’s no definitive test to measure it.
A more cohesive group might lead to athletes being more likely to return to the sport, showing up on time to practice, and volunteering to support the team in various ways.
Conceptual model of Group cohesion
Group Cohesion:
———->
- Group integration (Perception of the group as a whole)
- Individual Attractions to Group (Believes about their own person benefit)
—————>
Social: developing and maintaining social relationships
Task: complete a goal
This model was used to create the Group Environment Questionnaire— it assesses group cohesion
Factors Related to Team Cohesion (Correlates of Group Cohesion)
Environmental
Leadership
Personal
Team
Each of these factors influences the cohesiveness of a team
Factors <———>Cohesion is sport team
Environmental Correlates of Team Cohesion
Group Size:
Inverse relationship between group size and cohesion: smaller groups tend to have higher cohesion.
Specific Sport Setting:
Factors like the type of sport setting can impact cohesion levels.
Level of Competition:
As competition level rises, cohesion may decrease.
Normative Forces:
Responsibilities and organization
Leadership Correlates of Team Cohesion
Leader’s Behaviour
Leaders showcasing behaviours related to the following had associations with greater team cohesion:
Training and Instruction: Skill instruction, techniques and tactics; clarifying relationships among team members; and structuring and coordinating team member activities
Social Support: Concern for welfare of individual athletes, fostering a positive group atmosphere, and warm relationships
Positive Feedback: Reinforcing an athlete by recognizing and rewarding strong performance and effort
Leadership Correlates of Team Cohesion
Leader’s Decision Style
Degree to which subordinates participate in decision-making
Autocratic Style: Independent decision-making and stresses personal authority
Democratic Style: Allows athlete participation in decisions
↑ democracy = ↑ cohesion
More invitation for individual to make decisions = greater group cohesion
Leadership Correlates of Team Cohesion
Athlete Leadership
Emerging research examines athlete leadership behaviors.
Team Captain
Can be formal roles or informal roles.
Players who emerge as leaders within the team.
Exposure to higher-quality peer leadership leads to elevated cohesion
Athlete Transformational Leadership: Motivates or inspires athletes, fosters goal orientation, and relates to both task and social cohesion.
Leadership Correlates of Team Cohesion
Team Building
Team Building: Programs that promote a greater sense of unity and cohesiveness within a team.
Indirect Team Building: Interventions are filtered through a coach or exercise leader and conducted by a third party. Team captains or coaches may bring in various strategies.
Direct Team Building: An intervention specialist works directly with the team through structured exercises targeting specific areas shown by research to increase perceptions of group cohesion. Teams often invest significantly in these initiatives.
Principles that Enhance Group Cohesion
Team Structure
Role Clarity and Acceptance: When group members clearly understand their role in the group, cohesiveness increases. Cohesiveness is further enhanced when members are satisfied and accept their roles.
Leadership: The behavior of team leaders influences both task and social cohesiveness within the group. A participative style of coaching and leadership fosters enhanced cohesiveness.
Conformity to Standards: Adhering to group social and task norms strengthens cohesiveness. Group norms are highly resistant to change and solidify group unity.
Principles that Enhance Group Cohesion
Team Environment
Togetherness: Physical proximity among group members heightens feelings of cohesiveness.
Distinctiveness: Group distinctiveness (such as uniforms, logos, or exclusive group traits) fosters a stronger sense of group unity and identity.
Principles that Enhance Group Cohesion
Team Processes
Sacrifices: Cohesiveness increases when high-status members make sacrifices for the group. The greater the sacrifice, the stronger the impact on group unity.
Goals and Objectives: Team goals strongly predict team success and are more closely linked to team success than individual goals. Involving members in setting these goals enhances cohesiveness.
Cooperation: Cooperative behavior is more beneficial than individualistic or competitive behavior for individual and group performance. This cooperation significantly contributes to group cohesiveness.
Personal Correlates of Team Cohesion
Individual Adherence:
Intention to Return (and Actual Return):
(Individual characteristics of group members)
Individual Adherence:
Individuals who perceive the group as being cohesive are more likely to maintain sport participation.
(+ Team building impacts adherence; Related to range of adherence measures, including lateness, attendance, and dropout)
Intention to Return (and Actual Return):
The relationship between cohesion and in-group adherence extends to the longer-term measure of intention to participate further with the team.
Youth and adult soccer players with high levels of cohesion were more likely to return to teams.
Personal Correlates of Team Cohesion
Individual Effort
Social Loafing
Individual Effort:
For athletes to give 100%, we should try to increase task cohesion.
Example: Trying to get the person to see the value of the goal, focusing on a bigger long-term goal and working as a team towards it.
Perceptions of a team’s task cohesiveness are associated with their actual and/or perceived level of effort in a team-sport setting.
Social Loafing:
Creating a sense of accountability will minimize social loafing.
Social loafing refers to the reduction in individual effort when individuals work collectively compared to when they work alone
Individuals tend to loaf when in groups, and the effect occurs consistently across many populations and with many different tasks.
Personal Correlates factors
(Individual characteristics of group members)
Individual Adherence
Intention to Return (and Actual Return)
Individual Effort
Social Loafing
Perceived Similarity
Individual Sacrifice
Self-handicapping
Diversity
Personal Correlates of Team Cohesion
Perceived Similarity
Individual Sacrifice
Self-handicapping
Perceived Similarity: Positively correlated with cohesiveness.
Individual Sacrifice:
Individual and teammate sacrifices contribute to task and social cohesion.
Self-Handicapping: Inverse relationship with group cohesion.
Refers to behaviors used in advance in sport or exercise performance settings to excuse any failures that may occur or to accept credit for successes.
Involves using strategies that protect one’s self-esteem by providing excuses for forthcoming events.
Has a negative relationship with task cohesion
Personal Correlates of Team Cohesion
Diversity
Results are mixed.
In one study with youth sport teams, diversity resulted in reports of decreased cohesion
In another study with intercollegiate teams, task cohesion was higher in diverse teams
Future research is required to unpack these differences.
Team correlate factors
Collective Efficacy
Psychological Momentum
Athlete’s starting status
Communication
Environmental correlate factors
Group size
Sports specific Setting
Leadership correlates factors
Leader’s Behaviour
Leader’s Decision Style
Athlete Leadership
Team-building
Team Correlates (Spink & McLaren, 2025)
Team Success
Team success leads to perceptions of increased cohesion.
Time together + shared desire for success = cohesion.
Shared experiences contribute to cohesion.
Can still have success without social cohesion.
Mixed findings: Some studies show greater levels of cohesion lead to success.
Other studies show no relationship between cohesion and team success.
Meta-analyses suggest that cohesion and performance are related… but does cohesion lead to (good) performance, or does (good) performance lead to cohesion?
Team Correlates of Team Cohesion
Collective Efficacy
Psychological Momentum
Collective Efficacy: A group’s shared perception of the group’s capabilities to succeed at a given task.
Groups often have collective expectations for success.
Teams high in collective efficacy rated task and social cohesion higher than teams lower in collective efficacy.
Psychological Momentum:
Perception of team members that the team is progressing toward their goals.
Members of highly cohesive teams rated their team as possessing more psychological momentum than members of teams perceived as less cohesive.
Team Correlates of Team Cohesion
Athlete’s starting status
Communication
Athlete’s Starting Status:
Starters scored higher on measures of task cohesion than did non-starters only if teams were less successful.
More successful teams showed no difference.
Communication:
Consistent relationship between cohesion and communication:
Amount of communication
Type of communication
Positive conflict: Open and constructive types of intrateam conflict (e.g., speaking directly to those with whom one has a disagreement).
Psychological safety: The sense that individuals are free to express themselves in the team without fear of negative consequences.
How the factors of cohesion interact
Environmental Factors influences Personal and Leadership Factors
All three factors influence Team factors
Team factors influence Cohesion
Cohesion influences Group outcomes and Individual Outcomes
