group and team dynamics Flashcards
what are the 5 negatives of being in a group as identified by Christian Buys?
social loafing self-deception conformity groupthink deinidividuation
what does ‘groupthink’ mean?
suspension of critical thinking and overreliance on group opinion
how do social psychologists define a group?
two or more people who interact with, and exert mutual influence on, each other
what characteristics does a group have?
members may like or be attracted to other members
may have common goals
interdependence (rely on each other)
what are the characteristics of a team?
mutual interaction task interdependence collective sense of identity distinctive roles structured modes of communication norms
what do norms mean in tems of a characteristics of a team?
social rules that guide members on what to do and not do
what are the 3 theories of group development?
linear persective
cyclical perspective
pendular perspective
relationhip between teams and groups?
all teams are groups
not all groups are teams
one definition of team?
a group of people who must interact with each other to accomplish shared objectives
what sort of process is becoming a team?
an evolutionary process
what does it mean when teams are described as an evolutionary process?
they are constantly devloping and changing in attempt to respond to both internal and external factors
what is the linear perspective?
assumption is that groups move progreesively through different stages
critical issues arise in each stage and when they are dealt with, the group moves on
what are the 4 stages in the linear perspective of group development?
- forming
- storming
- norming
- performing
is the duration and sequence that the stages follow in the linear perspective fixed?
no, different for each group
what is involved in ‘forming’?
team members familiarise themselves with other team members
individuals determine whether they belong in the group and in what role
engage in social comparisons with theur fellow teammates
what is involved in ‘stroming’?
resistance to the leader, resistance to control by the group , and interpersonal conflict
how should sport leaders communicate with their teams during the ‘storming’ stage?
objectively and openly
what is involved in ‘norming’?
hostility of ‘storming’ is replaced by solidarity and cooperation
conflicts are resolved and sense of unity is formed
athletes work together to reach common goals and strive for task effectiveness
what is involved in ‘performing’?
team members band together to channel their energies for team success
structural issues resolved, interpersonal relationships are stabilised and roles are well defined
what is the cyclical (life cycle) perspective?
that groups develop in a manner similar to the life cycle: birth, growth and death
how do life cycle models differ from linear models on group development?
life cycle models emphasise the terminal phase before group dissolution
what is the main element and assumption of the cyclical persepective to group development?
that as the group develops, it psychologically prepares for its own breakup
which type of teams is the cyclical model particularly relevant for?
teams that are ‘temporary’
e.g exercise groups that last between 10-15 weeks and sports team that typically play for a season before breaking up
what underlying assumption are the linear and life cycle models based on?
that groups possess an inherent static development that is unresponsive to the demands of the environment
what does the pendular model assume and emphasise?
it assumes that a group doesn’t move progressively through stages in a linear fashion from the instant it forms
emphasises the shifts that occur in interpersonal relationships during the growth and development of groups
what are the 5 stages in the pendular perspective of group development?
- orientation
- differentiation and conflict
- resolution and cohesion
- differentitation and conflict
- termination
what occurs in stage 1: orientation of the pendular perspective?
cohesion and feelings of unity are high
the athletes share many common feelings, anxieties and aspirations
what occurs in stage 2: differentiation and conflict of the pendular perspective?
the group physically or psychologically subdivides into smaller units
conflict often arises as athletes compete for positions on the team
what occurs in stage 3: resolution and cohesion of teh pendular perspective?
cohesion increases as groups members share common concerns and feelings in preparing to face a common threat
what occurs in stage 4: differentiation and conflict of the pendular perspective?
team unity is weakened as various indidividuals are rewarded or punished, setting them off from the group
what occurs in stage 5: termination of the pendular perspective?
if teh season was successful, feelings of cohesion are high
if the season was unsuccessful, feelings of cohesion are low
examples of each stage of the pendular perspective of group development in a basketball team?
stage 1: practices start
stage 2: preseason practices continue but become tiresome
stage 3: the first game
stage 4: during the season e.g after poor game
stage 5: end of season
what 2 factors does group structure depend on?
how they perceive one another
what they expect of themselves and each other
what 2 structural characetristics must a team develop to be effective?
group roles
group norms
what does ‘role’ mean?
the set of behaviours required or expected of the person occupying a certain position in a group
what are formal roles?
dictated by the nature and structure of organisation
e.g coach and captain and left back
each role carries specific associated expectations which individuals are either trained to learn or recruited to fill
what are informal roles?
they evolve from interactions among group members
e.g mentor and cancer
how many informal roles have been identified?
12
what are the 12 informal roles?
comedian spark plug cancer distracter enforcer mentor informal leader (verbal) informal leader (nonverbal) team player star player malingerer social convener
what are the 3 informal roles which have a negative effect on team functioning?
cancer
distracter
malingerer
what is meant by ‘role clarity’
improving teams effectiveness by making sure players nderstand their roles
result of increased perceived ambiguity of roles of players?
more critical of coach’s ability to lead the team during competition
what relationship does role clarity mediate?
relationship between role ambiguity and athlete satisfaction
ambiguity will lead to decreased satisfaction if high in need of role clarity
how can roles be clarified?
by developing an effective goal-setting programme which helps direct players attention towards roles by setting goals associated with them
e.g focus on tackling as opposed to running up field
what is meant by role acceptance?
improving a team’s effectivesness by making ure players accept their roles
which role related concept is perceived most important by collegiate athletes?
role acceptance
is role acceptance always related to role performance and why?
no as as player may accept a role beyond their capabilities, leading to a sub par performance
what 4 conditions does role acceptance depend on?
- opportunity to use specialised skills or competencies
- feedback and role recognition
- role significance
- autonomy
what is the importance of role significance?
players are more willing to accept and carry out their roles if they perceive that their responsibilities contribute to team success
what is meant by role conflict?
exists when role occupant doesn’t have sufficient ability, motivation, time or understanding to achieve that goal despite consensus of a desired goal or outcome
2 most common role conflicts?
“wearing too many hats” - undertaking too many roles
having different people expect different things
what is meant by a ‘norm’?
a level of performance, pattern of behaviour, or belief
examples of norms in a sports team?
practice behaviours
dress and hairstyle
interactions between rookies and veterans
who takes control in critical situations
what is meant by the ‘norm for productivity’?
the standard for performance and effort accepted by the team
who often sets the norm for productivity?
captain or top performer in team
or coach
which norm is most frequently cited for competitions, practice and the off-season?
norm for productivity
4 factors of multidimensional concept of role clarity an ambiguity?
1) scope of responsibilty
2) behavioural responsibilities
3) evaluation of performance
4) consequences of not fulfilling responsibilities
which factor of role ambiguity on offense is related to cognitive and somatic state anxiety?
cognitive state anxiety: scope of responsibility
somatic state anxiety: consequences of not fulfilling responsbilities
is role ambiguity on defence related to cognitive or somatic state anxiety?
no
effect of higher role ambiguity of players in a team?
stated less likely to return to team next year
however, didn’t affect intentions to continue playing the sport
what’s one method of creating positive norms?
ask the formal and informal leaders of the team to set posiitve examples
what are the 2 main things to consider when modifying team norms?
the source of the communication to change the norms
the nature of communication
how to most effectively communicate modification of team norms?
source of communication:
powerful, relatable and well liked players are the most persuasive and speaking in a rhetoric, rapid manner is most persuasive
nature of communication:
present people on both sides of argument, have multiple communications, have novel communications and state conclusions explicitly
how does team climate develop?
from how players perceive the interrelationships among the group members
who has the final say on team climate?
the coach
what are the 6 factors of improving team climate?
1) ) social support
2) ) proximity
3) ) distinctiveness
4) ) fairness
5) ) similarity
6) ) task interdependence
what are the 7 types of social support?
listening emotional emotional-challenge reality-confirmation task-appreciation task-challenge personal-assistance
what is the link between proximity and team climate?
people more likely to bond when they are near each other (due to interaction)
what is the link between distinctiveness and team climate?
the more distinctive a team feels, the more united and at one they feel
achieved through team kit, mottoes
what is the link between fairness and team climate?
athletes feel more satisfied if they feel they are being treated fairly by coaches
what is the link between similarity and team climate?
athletes with similar attitudes have a more positive team climate
what is the link between task interdependence and team climate?
improves team climate as they all benefit if team perform well and rely on each other
how to assess team climate?
have athletes complete the Tea Climate Questionnaire in preseason and continually throughout the season
tell players it isn’t a test and no correct or incorrect answers and anonymity
what is Steiner’s Model of Actual Productivity?
actual productivity = potential productivity - losses due to faulty group processes
what does potential productivity mean?
team’s possible best performance
what are the 2 kinds of losses due to faulty group processes?
motivation losses - when members don’t give 100% effort due to reliance on others
coordination losses - timing of teammates is off or ineffective strategies used
which sports are more susceptible to coordination losses?
those that require complex interaction or coordination e.g football
what is meant by ‘taskwork knowledge’?
knowledge required to perform a task
in which type of sports does the importance of individual differences decrease and the importance of group processes increase?
more cooperation and interaction necessary
how to maximise performance if there’s 2 players?
players have similar abilties
what is the Ringelmann effect?
phenomenon by which individual performance decreases as the number of people in the group increases
some examples of how a sport psychologist can enhance team fuctioning?
increase group cohesion
develop the coach-athlete relationship
facilitate an optimal coaching environment based on the athletes needs
what is social loafing?
phenomenon in which individuals in a group or team put forth less than 100% effort due to losses in motivation
which conditions enhance probability of social loafing occuring?
contributions of individuals not identified, dispensable or disproportionate to other members
task low on meaningfulness
individuals strangers
does believing social loafing is occuring in your team increase social oafing?
yes
what are the 7 factors to reduce social loafing?
- emphasise importace of unique contributions
- increase identifiability of individual performances
- determine specific situations in which loafing may occur
- conduct individual meetings to discuss loafing
- assign players to other positions
- divide the team into smaller units
- attribute failure to internal unstable factors
