Dynamics of a group/team and how they can influence the performance of an individual and/or team Flashcards
1
Q
Group
A
- consists of two or more people working together towards a set goal
2
Q
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
3
Q
Characteristics of a successful and cohesive group/team
A
- clear goals and objectives
. Common purpose: the team must have a shared vision and clear objectives. This ensures that every member knows their role and what they’re working towards.
. Focus on team success: success is measured collectively, not just individually, and each member understands that their actions contribute to the overall success of the team - effective communication
. Open and honest communication: members share ideas, feedback, and concerns regularly. Effective communication fosters understanding and minimises conflicts.
. Active listening: team members listen attentively to each other, respecting different viewpoints and using feedback to improve performance. - trust and respect
. Mutual trust: trust is fundamental for a cohesive group. Each member believes in the ability and intentions of others, which leads to stronger collaboration.
. Respect for roles and differences: every team member values the unique strengths and contributions of others, whether it’s a particular skill, knowledge, or perspective. - strong leadership
. Guidance and motivation: a successful team often has a leader who provides direction, motivates, and manages conflicts effectively.
. Empathy: a leader who understands individual needs and fosters an inclusive environment can strengthen team cohesion. - role clarity
. Defined roles: clear understanding of each members roles ensures that the team functions efficiently. This reduces overlap and confusion.
. Adaptability: while roles are important, team members must be willing to adapt and help in other areas when needed. - cohesion and team spirit
. Shared identity: a cohesive team has a strong sense of unity and pride. This can be nurtured through team-building activities, rituals, and shared experiences.
. Positive attitude: the overall atmosphere is positive and supportive, with members celebrating achievements and helping eachother through challenges. - commitment and work ethic
. Dedication to team: a successful team consists of individuals who are committed to the teams goals and work hard to improve themselves and the team.
. Effort and accountability: each member takes responsibility for their own performance and contributes fully to the teams success - conflict management
. Resolution strategies: in any group, conflicts may rise. A cohesive team addresses issues calmly and professionally, without letting them undermine the group dynamic.
. Constructive conflict: healthy teams can engage in productive debates, challenging each others ideas and ultimately reaching better solutions. - positive group dynamics
. Support and encouragement: team members help and support one another both in and out of the task at hand.
. Celebrating successes: recognising and celebrating both individual and group achievements strengthens the bond within the team. - team cohesion over time
. Development of relationships: the longer a team works together, the better the teams chemistry. Cohesion strengthens as team members learn to understand and complement each others strengths and weaknesses.
. Shared experiences: overcoming challenges together builds trust and strengthens the sense of unity - high levels of motivation
4
Q
What are the two types of cohesion?
A
- Task cohesion
- Social cohesion
5
Q
Task cohesion
A
- focused on achieving a shared goal (e.g. winning a match)
- the interaction of group members in order to work together effectively to achieve a common goal
6
Q
Social cohesion
A
- focused on relationships and bonding between group members
- social interaction of group members and how well they trust, communicate with and support each other
7
Q
Can a team be successful with high task cohesion even if social cohesion is low?
A
Yes
E.g. a pro team with players who aren’t close friends but work well together
8
Q
How can a group be distinguished?
A
- a collection of individuals 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
9
Q
Group dynamics
A
- how individuals in the group get along with each other and interact
10
Q
Team cohesion
A
- 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
11
Q
Practical example of team cohesion
A
Good team cohesion: The GB women’s hockey team winning gold at the 2016 olympics
Bad team cohesion: the England football team in the 00s 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.
12
Q
Characteristics of a successful and cohesive group/ team
A
Interaction
Interdependence
Interpersonal relationships
Identical goals, norms, values
Identity
Independence
13
Q
What were the 4 components of carrons model of group cohesion that influence team cohesion?
A
- environmental factors
- personal factors
- leadership factors
- team factors
14
Q
Carbon (1982) conceptual model of cohesion
A
Environmental factors
. Contractual responsibility
. Organisational orientation
Personal Leadership
Factors. Factors
. Individual . Leadership
Orientation Behaviour
. Satisfaction. . Leadership style
. Individual . Coach-athlete
Differences. Personalities
Team factors
. Group task
. Desire for group success
. Group orientation
. Group productivity norm
. Team ability
. Team stability
Cohesion
. Task cohesion
- social cohesion
Group Individual outcoming
Cohesion . Behavioural
. Team stability Consequences
. Absolute . Absolute
Performance Performance
Effectiveness Effectiveness
. Relative . Relative
Performance Performance
Effectiveness. Effectiveness
. Satisfaction
15
Q
Environmental factors
A
- size of group
- time available
- facilities
Certain activities rely on interaction such as netball, hockey, lacrosse, korfball and other team games.
Other sports such as cricket and tennis require less interaction - external influences like contracts, location, group size (smaller=better)
16
Q
Personal factors
A
- aspirations
- opinions
- values
- fitness levels
- ability
- motivation
- satisfaction
- personality
- individual characteristics (e.g. motivation, personality, goals)
17
Q
Leadership factors
A
- leadership style
- relationship between coach and players
- behaviour
- personality
And team compatibility with coach
18
Q
Team factors
A
- team success
- team stability
- ability
- group productivity
- threats to the team
- shared experiences
- task
- motivation
A team experiencing a run of wins is likely to be more cohesive. Collective efficacy leads to increased cohesion and when individuals and the team experience high levels of confidence they are capable of achieving success
19
Q
Importance of cohesion to success
A
- research suggests that cohesion is important in success but of the two types; task cohesion is the most important.
- for example, if one of your team-mates is 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 eachother, and are successful.
- having high social cohesion and low task cohesion does not usually equate to success because players may not do things for the best of the team, but try to keep eachother happy
- maybe you have played for a team where your captain favours his/her friends to maintain social cohesion to the detriment of the team.
- it is generally accepted that highly cohesive teams are more successful, this in turn, can lead to an increase in cohesion particularly social
20
Q
Characteristics maximised by successful groups
A
Carbon 1980: successful groups maximise the following characteristics:
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
21
Q
Strategies to develop group cohesion
A
- important to create an environment that allows cohesion so coaches should select players who are ‘team players’ and create an ethos of respect for one another. Coaches must encourage players to listen to eachother. In this environment participants will start to share behavioural norms and have similar outlooks or beliefs of how they should behave
- effective goal setting is important for task cohesion and providing a clear view of aims allows the team to share the same goals and develop similar reasons for playing. One of the techniques used by England’s 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 highlighting individual performance can improve cohesiveness. Reinforcement and praise of cohesive behaviour will develop teamwork. Conversely coaches may choose to punish or drop in-cohesive or ‘non-team’ players
- encouragement of group identity and belonging to the team can be developed through team building exercises. Developing situations that build social support, communication and friendship will enhance social cohesion
22
Q
Steiner model of team performance
A
Actual productivity (AP)= potential productivity (PP) - losses due to faulty processes (FP)
Actual productivity= the team performance at any given time (due to successful interaction)
Potential productivity= the maximum capability of the group when cohesiveness is strongest
(What the team could achieve if everything worked perfectly)
Losses due to faulty processes= factors that go wrong in team performance which impede/ prevent group cohesion e.g. co-ordination losses and motivational losses
(Problems that prevent the team from reaching full potential such as
. Poor communication
. Lack of effort
. Bad strategy
- social loafing
Group cohesion is the force that binds a group together, helping to prevent faulty processes
23
Q
Summary of Steiners model of team performance
A
- 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 faulty process losses.
Faulty processes are the things that go wrong to reduce group outcomes and prevent group potential being. Reached
24
Q
Factors that can influence potential productivity include:
A
- 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
25
Coordination loses
- teams will very rarely perform to their potential, and if you ever watch an elite relay race this is sometimes blatantly obvious
- below actual productivity is due to faulty processes and these can be categorised into coordination losses and motivational losses
- coordination losses are when teamwork is ineffective and strategies may not be understood
- 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 line out 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
26
Motivational losses
- motivational losses include individual or group members varying levels of effort and 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 or making mistakes
- overconfidence can also lead to lower in 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
27
Strategies to reduce negative impact of faulty processes on performance
- practice training to ensure all understand tactics
- specific responsibilities/ set goals
- explain specific roles within team
- feedback/ video analysis of performance
- reinforcement
- develop peer support
- vary practice to maintain motivation
- improve fitness levels
- team bonding activities
- avoid social cliques
- create a group identity
- develop self confidence
- maintain team stability
28
Ringelmann on a rope pulling task
- many sports performers will have completed in games where they are one player short
- this may be through a ‘sin bin’ offence or in youth sports because a player just did not show up
- the effects of having fewer players than the opposition are not always debilitating, with the team with the extra player(s) not always winning
- this phenomenon was investigated over 100 years ago by ringelmann on a rope pulling task
- this study has been recreated to observe the phenomenon by which individual performance decreases as the number of people in the group increases- or the ‘ringelmann effect’.
- this effect has been partly attributed to motivational losses but mostly to co-ordination losses.
- ringelmann’s initial results showed that when two people pulled together they only exerted 93% of the total force they exerted when they completed on their own
- when pulling in groups of three, this was reduced to 85% and in groups of 8 this dropped to 49%
- due to issues with the research, Ingram et al (1974) replicated the work and extended it
- in an attempt to work out whether the reduction in effort was due to oxidation or co-ordination issues they blindfolded the participants and when working in groups they pulled with actors who pretended to join in
- Ingram also found reductions in power as group size increased
- however the researchers saw a levelling 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
29
The ringelmann effect
- performance decrease 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 the coach clarifies the players role and gives the individual responsibility, task cohesion is increased
- splitting the team up into smaller groups can combat the ‘ringelmann 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 respsonbilites/ roles/ position rotations
- e.g. the best netball teams in the world have players that play in two or more positions
- for example, Eleanor Caldwell England GS but can also play GA and GK
30
Social loafing
- individual loss of motivation in a team player due to lack of performance identification when efforts are not recognised
- reduction in motivation and individual efforts individual hides in group/coasts
- task easy options/ limited contribution
31
Causes of social loafing
- lack of confidence
- poor leadership displayed by coach/captain
- may not understand role within team
- lack of fitness
- may think effort 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/ or state anxiety/ injury or illness/ ‘off the pitch’ problems such as psychological, emotional or social issues/ perceived or actual low ability, leading to learned helplessness 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 goals 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, this relying on them,/ individuals effort cannot be compared to groups standards possibly due to a lack of fitness/ perception that others are not trying/ easier to loaf with more people around them/ individual believes 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 crowd, a hostile crowd may boo the player who avoids the situations that being attention to themselves
32
Strategies used by coaches to reduce the effects of social loafing
- emphasise value of individual contributions: everyone has a role to play
- male 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- ringelmann 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 level of individual responsibility
33
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
- create individual goals
- raise self efficacy: statistics- highlight individual performance/ greater social interaction- team buddy system
- highlight importance of the indivual to the team
- eliminate negative comments to the individual
- reduce group size
- use of punishment
- change coach/leader
34
Group dynamics: effect on performance
Positive group dynamics (e.g. high cohesion, defined roles) can boost individual and team performance
Negative group dynamics (e.g. conflict, unclear roles) can cause:
- confusion
- low motivation
- reduced effort
- errors
35
Social loafing
When individuals put in less effort when working in a group compared to working alone
36
Causes of social loafing
- lack of individual recognition
- feeling efforts wont be noticed
- low motivation or confidence
- poor leadership
- too large group size
37
Social loafing example
- a defender in football may put in less effort if they believe others will cover for them
38
Ringelmann effect
- states that individual performance decreases as group size increases
- caused by coordination loss and motivational loss
- linked closely to social loafing
39
Strategies to improve cohesion and reduce social loafing
- set clear individual roles within the team
- smaller sub-groups in large teams to increase accountability
-use team building activities to strengthen social cohesion
- track individual contributions (stats, performance feedback)
- positive reinforcement and recognition
- shared goals and team identify development
- effective leadership that motivates and unites players
