Dynamics Of A Group Or Team And How They Can Influence The Performance Of An Individual Or Team Flashcards
What is a group t
Group consists of 2 or more people working towards a set goal
How can a group be distinguished
A collection of indivudlas because a group has a collective identity where they share norms and values. A group also has a sense of collective purpose with common goals e.g. wanting to win a league. Groups are seen as continually changing and developing units of people.
What is group dynamics
How individuals in the group get along with each other and intereact
What is cohesion
A dynamic process reflected in the tendency for a group to stick together and remain united in the pursuit of its goals and objectives
What is team cohension
A dynamic process which is reflected in the tendency for a group to stick together and remain united in the pursuit of goals and objectives.
Practical example-
Good team cohesion- the GB woman’s hockey team winning gold at the 2016 Olympics
Bad team cohesion- the England football team in the 00’s was made up of some of the best players in the world and may have been considered a legends team but due to a lack of cohesion and not talking to players outside those in their clubs, they failed to win any trophies, despite the abilities of the players
What are the characteristics of a successful and cohesive group/team
Intereaction- group members will communicate over a period of time, this communication affects one another
Interdependence- group members a re mutually dependent on each other when completing a task
Interpersonal relationships- member of the group have a mutual attraction and are drawn to one another
Identical goals, norms, values- groups create an unwritten code of behaviour and actions in the attempt to work together to achieve their shared goals
Identity- each group member understands and is aware of the groups existence and who they belong to
Independence- memebrs of the group are still individuals who can work separately to achieve the groups goals.
- clear goals and objectives
- effective communication
- trust and respect
- strong leadership
- team spirit and cohesion
- positive group dynamics
- commitment and work ethic
What are the 4 components of carrots model of group cohesion
- environmental factors
- personal factors
- team factors
- leadership factors
Carbon 1982 conceptual model of cohesion
It says all the factors need to work together to lead to successful task cohesion/ social cohesion or both.
Says environmental factors such as
- contractual responsibility
- organisational orientation
Says personal factors such as
- individual orientation
- satisfaction
- individual differences
Says leadership factors such as
- leadership behaviour
- leadership style
- coach athlete personalities
Says team factors such as
-group task
- desire for group success
- group orientation
- group productivity norm
- team ability
- team stability
All of these need to work together to achieve a group outcome which involves team stability, absolute performance effectiveness and relative performance effectiveness or achieve a individual outcome which involves behavioural consequences, absolute performance effectiveness, relative performance effectiveness and satisfaction
What are some examples of environmental factors
-size of the group
- time available
- facilities
Certain activities rely on heavy interaction like netball and hockey whereas other sports like tennis and cricket require less interaction
What are some examples of personal factors
- aspirations
- opinions
- values
- fitness levels
- ability
- motivation
- satisfaction
- personality
What are some leadership factors
- leadership style
- relationships between coach and players
- behaviour
- personality
What are some examples of team factors
-team success
- team stability
- ability
- group productivity
- threats to the team
- shared experiences
- task
- motivation a team experiencing a run of wins is likley to be more cohesive
Collected efficacy leads to increased cohesion and when individuals and the team experience high levels of confidence they are capable of achieving success
What is task cohesion
The interaction of group members in order to work together effectively to achieve a common goal
What is social cohesion
Social interaction of group members and how well they trust, communicate with and support each other
What is the importance of cohesion to success
Reach suggests cohesion is vital in success but of the 2 types task cohesion is the most important.
For example if one of your team mates are injured or ill and doesn’t turn up for a game would you be willing to play in their position as this is best for the team, or would you be selfish and allow someone else to play there so you could play in your preferred role. Task and social cohesion are independent of each other. It is possible to have high levels of task cohesion with low levels of social cohesion where team mates have a shared goal of winning and have a team mentality rather than thinking about themselves but do not get on with each other and are successful. Having high social cohension and low task cohension does not usually equate to success because players may not do things for the best of the team, but try to keep each other happy.
Maybe you’ve played fpr a team where your captain favours his/her friends to maintain social cohension to the detriment of the team. It’s generally accepted that highly cohesive teams are more successful, this in turn can then lead to an increase in cohesion particularly social
What are the characteristics maximised by successful groups
Carron 1980- successful groups maximise the following
- a collective identity
-a sense of purpose
-structured pattern of communication
A successful group has good cohesion/motivated to be in the same group/success/values the relationships within the group
What are the strategies to develop group cohesion
It’s seen as vital to create an environment that allows cohesion so coaches should select the players who are team players and create an ethos of respect for one another. Coaches must encourage the players to listen to each other and in this environment participants will start to share behavioural norms and have similar outlooks or beliefs on how they should behave.
Effective goal setting- this is vital for task cohesion and by providing a clear view of aims it allows the team to share the same goals and develop similar reasons for playing. One of the techniques used by Englands rugby World Cup winning manager Clive Woodward was to overplay team goals, decorating changing rooms with posters of these goals
Coaches must credit for personal success within the team and highlight individual performance can improve cohesiveness. Reinforcement and praise of cohesive behaviour will develop teamwork. But coaches can choose to punish or drop un cohesive or non team players
Encouragement of group identity and belonging to the team cash be developed through team building exercises. Developing situations that build social support, communication and friendship will enhance social cohesion
Steiners model of performance
It says
Actual productivity= potential productivity - losses due to faulty processes
Actual productivity- the team performance at any given time (due to successful interactions)
Potential productivity- the maximum capability of the group when cohesiveness is strongest
Losses due to faulty processes- factors that go wrong in team performance which impede/prevent group cohesion e.g. coordination losses and motivational losses
Group cohesion is the force that binds a group together, helping to prevent faulty processes
Summary of steiners model of team performance
Actual productivity= potential productivity-losses due to faulty group processes
The teams actual productivity is how the team actually perform on the day and this is equal to its potential productivity minus the faulty process losses
Faulty processes are the things that go wrong to reduce group outcomes and prevent group potential being reached
What are factors that can influence the potential productivity
- each individual performers abilities
- each individual performers skill level
- knowledge of tactics and strategies
- individual and group knowledge and experience
- individual and group psychological resources
losses
Teams will rarely perform to their full potential and if you ever watch an elite race this is sometimes obvious. Below the actual productivity is due to faulty processes and these can be categorised in to coordination losses and motivational losses
Coordination losses
This is when teamwork is ineffective and strategies may not be understood.
E.g. In a relay changeover if the receiving runner sets off too late the incoming runner will need to slow down so valuable time is lost or even worse they may clash and drop the baton.
The more interactive the sport the more difficult it is for the team to act in a co ordinated manner (ringelmann effect). For example in a hockey penalty corner move or a rugby lineout there can be more margin for error when more people are involved in the move
- players fail to listen to instructions
- lack of communication
- poor tactics
- poor teamwork
- misunderstood role within team
Motivational losses
This includes individuals or group members varying levels of effort nd players relying on other (social loafing), there may also be individuals lacking in confidence which result in them not trying as hard or in a game situation ‘hiding or shying’ away from the play being frightened of making mistakes. Overconfidence can also lead to lowering levels of motivation and this lack of effort may reduce actual productivity. This often explains the ‘giant killing’ effect in team and individual sports.
Incorrect arousal levels-
- feeling under valued
- low self efficacy
- poor concentration
- avoidance behaviour
- fear of failure
What are the strategies to reduce negative impact of faulty processes on performance
- practise training to ensure all understood the tactics
- specific responsibilities/set goals
- explain the specific roles within a team
- feedback/video analysis of performance
-reinforcement
-develop peer support - vary practise to maintain motivation
- improve fitness levels
- team bonding activities
- create a group identity
- develop self confidence
-maintain team stability
Ringlemann on a rope pulling task
Mini sports performers will have competed in games where they are one player short. The effect of having fewer players and the opposition are not always debilitating, with the team with the extra players not always winning. This phenomenon was investigated over 100 years ago by Ringle man on a rope pulling task. This was created to observe the phenomenon by which individual performance decreases as the numbers of people in the group increases or the ringleman effect. This affect has been partly attributed to motivational losses but mostly to coordination losses. Ringlemans initial results showed that when two people pull together, they only exerted 93% of the total force they exerted when they completed on their own . When pulling in groups of 3 this was reduced to 85% and in groups of eight this dropped to 49%. Due to issues with the research,ingham et al 1974 Replicated the work and extended it .
In an attempt to work out whether the reduction in effort was due to motivation or coordination issues they blindfolded the participants and when working in group groups they pulled with actors who pretended to join in. Ingham also found reductions in power as group size increased, however the researchers saw a level off of power output when pulling in groups of four or more. Therefore motivation was the main reason for the drop in power throughout the task.
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The ringleman effect
Performance decreases with an increase in group e.g. tug of war
Often a lack of cohesion is related to players not understanding their positions and when a coach clarifies the players role and gives the individual responsibility, task cohesion is increased. Splitting the team up in to smaller groups can combat the ringleman effect especially if each group is assigned specific goals, for example in American football the offence may be set different goal than the defence.
Can be overcome by highlighting shared responsibilities/roles/position rotations. E.g. the best netball teams in the world have players that play in 2 or more positions. For example Eleanor cardwell england gs but can also pay ga and gk
Causes of social loafing
-lack of confidence
- negative attitude
- poor leadership displayed by coach/captain
- may not understand role within team
- lack of fitness
- may think efforts not recognised
- goals set may be too general
- lack meaning
- cliques may form within team
Individual influences
- lack of confidence and low self efficacy
- high level of trait and/state anxiety
- injury or illness
- off the pitch problems such as psychological, emotional or social issues
- perceived or actual low ability, leading to learned helpfulness after a negative past experience
- individuals personal involvement is low. The performer could disagree or not understand the role
-individual output not measured effectively with a lack of accountability enables them to hide from responsibility
Team influences
- the teams goal lacks meaning to the individual
-some of the group are not known to other individuals with sub groups resulting in limited cohesion
- group performance allows the individual to expect others to do well, and relying on them
- individual efforts cannot be compared to group standards possibly due to a lack of fitness
- perception that others are not trying
- easier to loaf with more people around them
- individual beleifs his efforts will go unnoticed and feels undervalued or unappreciated by the team
External influences
- situational factors such as weather or unfamiliar surroundings
- incorrect strategies and tactics by coach
- effects of the coach, a hostile crowd may boo the player who avoids the situations that bring attention to themselves
Strategies used by coaches to reduce the effects of social loafing
- emphasize the value of contributions:everyone has a role to play
- make individual contributions easy to identify- everyone can be seen contributing
- no hiding places all members of the group are being watched and evaluated
- keep group size manageable level- ringleman effect
- divide groups into units where numbers are too big- can see impact of individuals
- encourage group cohesion:social and/or task cohesion
-set overall group goals-single goal focus - improve communication- allows individuals to be involved in decision making
- encourage self/peer assessment increasing the level of individual responsibility
Summarise ways in which social loafing can be kept to a minimum by a coach
- giving positive feedback
- increase in accountability/ responsibility
- individual positive support and motivation
Creates individual goals - raise self-efficacy:statistics- highlight individual performance
- greater social interaction- team buddy system
- highlight importance of the individual to the teams
-eliminate negative comments to the individual
-reduce group size - use of punishment
- change coach/leader
Social loafing
Individual loss of motivation in a team player due to lack of performance,acne identification when efforts are not recognised. Reduction in motivation and individual effort individual hides in groups/coasts take easy options limited contribution
