Leadership in Sport Flashcards
Leadership (definition)
the behavioural process influencing individuals and groups towards set goals
Qualities of a leader (13 qualities)
- Good communication skills
- Vision
- Approachable
- Determined
- Confident
- Highly knowledgeable
- Organised
- Inspirational
- Good decision maker
- Interpersonal skills
- Empathetic
- Charismatic
- Motivational
3 Leadership styles (what are they)
Autocratic
- Dictates to the group, no input allowed
- Task-orientated, focus on completing goal/task
- Not concerned with relationships with team mates
Democratic
- Encourages group to discuss ideas
- Team mates involved in decision-making process
- More informal and relaxed
Laissez-faire
- Leaves groups to own devices
- Little help given with the decision-making process
- Decisions will come from players themselves
- Questionable!!!
Autocratic is good when… (5)
- There are large number of players
- Decisions need making quickly
- Limited time to complete task
- Task is complex or dangerous
- Novice or weaker players
Democratic is good when… (5)
- Individual sports/coaching sessions
- Performers are more experienced
- Friendly relationships
- Decisions don’t need to be made quickly
- Experienced or highly skilled players
Laissez-faire is good when… (4)
- When developing creativity
- Elite performers
- Completing assessments
- Leader has full trust in group
Leaders attain their roles in 2 ways..
Prescribed Leader
- Usually appointed by a higher authority or an external group
E.g. NGB such as FA decides who is England Manager
Emergent Leader
- Comes from within the group and assumes responsibility for the group
- Can be elected by the members of the club/ group approval
E.G. captain is selected at the AGM
Chelladurai’s Multi-dimensional Approach
Factors affecting leadership
Situational characteristics
- task difficulty
- nature of the opposition
- size of group
- the activity type
- time available
Leader characteristics
- personality
- experience
- skill level
- preferred leadership style
Group member characteristics
- ability
- motivation
- age
- gender
- personality
Leader behaviour
Required Behaviour
- Depending on the situation and the task
E.G. need to give information during interval
Actual behaviour
- The leader’s actions in the situation towards the performers
E.g. information directed in a clear precise manner
Preferred behaviour
- What the group wants in depending on their skill level, and goals.
E.G. goal orientated teams will want clear instruction
Consequences
Good performance + Group satisfaction
The closer the leader’s behaviour is to that expected by the performer the greater the chance of:
- optimal arousal
- high quality performance
Matching all 3 behaviours is ideal
Theories of Leadership
Trait Perspective:
- Leaders have a genetic disposition/innate characteristics
- Supports the belief that ‘great leaders are born and not made
- Suggests leadership traits are stable and enduring
- Can be generalised across different situations - assists in the concept that some people are leaders no matter what the situation
Social learning theory:
- Remember social learning can be a strong influence of behaviour i.e. leadership characteristics are learned from others
- vicarious learning - behaviour of others is watches copied
Interactionist theory
- states that the individual may well have certain traits such as assertiveness, but they are not evident unless a situation (state) demands the leadership behaviour
- Accounts for the fact that some people are generally not leaders in everyday life but can show leadership qualities in sport situations
Chelladurai’s Multi-dimensional Approach
There are 5 types of leadership behaviour:
Training and instruction
- behaviour that is aimed at improving performance
Democratic
- allows decisions to be made collectively
Autocratic
- gives the leader personal authority
Social support
- concern for the well being of others
Rewarding
- provides team members with positive reinforcement
