Group and team dynamics in sport

Question 1

What is Tuckman’s group development model?

Answer 1

1. Forming
2. Storming
3. Norming
4. Performing.

Question 2

What is forming?

Answer 2

1. High dependence on leader for guidance
2. Group members are getting to know eachother
3. Very little agreement on aims of the team
4. Individual roles are unclear
5. Team leader needs to give strong direction

Question 3

What is storming?

Answer 3

1. Group decisions still are difficult
2. Team members are establishing themselves in the group
3. Focus is clearer
4. There may be power struggles
5. Leader has a more advisory role

Question 4

What is norming?

Answer 4

1. Much more agreement and consensus of opinion
2. Roles and responsibilities are accepted
3. Decisions are made through group agreement
4. Strong sense of commitment and unity
5. Respect for leader and leadership is shared

Question 5

What is performing?

Answer 5

1. More strategies, a clear vision and aim
2. Focus is achieving goals
3. Team is trusted to get on with the job in hand
4. Disagreements occur but are resolved within the team
5. No interference of participation the leader.

Question 6

What is team cohesion?

Answer 6

Team cohesion is the total field of forces which act on the members to remain in the group.

Question 7

What are the dimensions of team cohesion?

Answer 7

1. Group integration, how the individual members of the group feel about the group as a whole
2. Individual attraction to the group, how attracted the individuals are to the group.

Question 8

What is Steiner’s model regarding the relationship between individuals and group performance?

Answer 8

Actual productivity = potential productivity - losses due to faulty process.

Question 9

What does ‘potential productivity’ refer to?

Answer 9

Potential productivity is the best possible performance of the group, taking into account resources available and availability of players

E.g. a non-league team losing 4-0 to Chelsea might be reaching their full potential but not winning due to their limited resources.

Question 10

Which are the 2 reasons why losses due to faulty processes occur?

Answer 10

1. Co-ordination problems, if co-ordination and timing of team members do not match, team strategies that depend on them will suffer
   E.g. positional error
2. Motivational problems, if individual members of a team are not motivated to the same extend, they will be ‘pulling in different directions’ and players will withdraw effort.

Question 11

What is the Ringelmann effect?

Answer 11

The Ringelmann effect is when individual performance decreases as group sizes increase.

Question 12

What is social loafing?

Answer 12

1. Social loafing is when some individuals in a group lose motivation, caused by losing identity
2. Individual efforts may not be recognised by those who are spectating or taking part.

Question 13

What are strategies to reduce social loafing?

Answer 13

1. Highlight individual performances
2. Support from others in the team, social support
3. Feedback
4. Peer pressure to reinforce individual effort.

Question 14

Define a ‘group’?

Answer 14

A group is a collection of people who both share similar goals and interact with one another.