Group Cohesion

Question 1

What is cohesion?

Answer 1

The tendency for individuals to work together to achieve their goals.

Question 2

What is co-action?

Answer 2

Everyone completes the task at the same time but separately.

Question 3

What is interaction?

Answer 3

Everyone completing different roles but having to integrate them all together.

Question 4

What are the two types of cohesion?

Answer 4

Task cohesion and social cohesion.

Question 5

What are Carron’s antecedents?

Answer 5

The factors that may affect cohesion.

Question 6

List Carron’s antecedents

Answer 6

• Environmental factors (group size, age, geography, contractual obligations)

• Personal factors (group similarity, gender, aspirations/satisfaction)

• Team factors (ability, stability, desire for success, shared experiences)

• Leadership factors (leader style, leader-team relationship)

Question 7

What mnemonic can be used to remember Carron’s antecedents?

Answer 7

• Every

• Person

• Trains

• Legs

Question 8

What is task cohesion?

Answer 8

Individuals working together to achieve an end result/common goal.

Question 9

What is social cohesion?

Answer 9

Individuals relating to each other to interact in the group.

Question 10

What influences cohesion?

Answer 10

• Communication

• Past success

• Sharing common goals

• Unequal pay or rewards

• Personality

• Threats to the team

• Type of sport

• Size of the group

• Similarity of group members

• Likelihood of future success

Question 11

What is a lack of cohesion caused by?

Answer 11

• Poor tactics

• Lack of communication

• Misunderstanding of roles or the coach’s instructions

• Bad timing

• Poor strategies

• Social loafing

Question 12

What formula is known as Steiner’s model?

Answer 12

Actual productivity = Potential productivity - Losses due to faulty processes

AP = PP - FP

Question 13

What is actual productivity?

Answer 13

The performance of the team during the game/the result.

Question 14

What is potential productivity?

Answer 14

The group’s best performance/maximum capability when at optimal cohesiveness.

Question 15

What are faulty processes?

Answer 15

Factors that go wrong and reduce cohesiveness (e.g. poor coordination or cooperation).

Question 16

What is the Ringelmann effect?

Answer 16

When group performance decreases with group size.

Question 17

What is social loafing?

Answer 17

Individual loss of motivation in a team player due to a lack of performance identification when individual efforts are not recognised.

Question 18

What are some causes of social loafing?

Answer 18

• Low confidence

• Lack of fitness

• Low ability

• Injury

• Negative attitude

• Failure to understand a role

• A belief your effort won’t change the result

• Social inhibition

• Poor leadership

• No recognition of previous performances

• Lack of reinforcement

• High state/trait anxiety

Question 19

How can you avoid social loafing/improve cohesion?

Answer 19

• Highlighting individual performance

• Use of statistics

• Peer group pressure

• Give specific roles/responsibilities

• Developing social cohesion

• Praising/rewarding behaviour

• Encouraging group identity (kits)

• Ensuring leadership matches the group

• Selecting players who work well together rather than stars

• Setting achievable, process goals rather than outcome goals

• Continually emphasising the team goal

• Punish social loafing

• Training with an audience present