Psychology of the Group and Leadership Flashcards
Group and Team Dynamics in Sport & Exercise
- Almost any position in the sport
and exercise field requires understanding of the processes and dynamics of groups - To understand behavior in sport and physical activity, we must consider the nature of sport and exercise groups
The difference between “Groups” and “Teams”
Group:
- Two or more people who interact with, and exert mutual influence on, each other
- A collection of interacting individuals who share:
1) A sense of shared purpose or objectives
2) Formal interactions
3) Interpersonal attraction
Team:
- We-ness” - Collective sense of identity
- Distinctive roles
- Structured modes of communication
- Norms – Social rules that guide members
- Task Interdependence
Theories of Group Development
Three Categories:
1. The cyclical perspective
2. The pendular perspective
3. The linear perspective
Group Structure
- Determined by member interactions, perceptions & expectations
- Certain structural characteristics must develop for success
TWO of the most important:
1) Group roles
2) Group norms
Group Roles:
Behaviors required or expected of a person
occupying a certain position
Formal Roles (e.g., coach, instructor, captain):
Formal roles are dictated by the nature and
structure of the organization
Informal Roles (e.g., enforcer, mediator):
Informal roles evolve from the group’s dynamics or interactions among group members
- Both role clarity and role acceptance
are critical for team success - All member’s need to understand their
role - Role conflict exists when role occupant
does not have sufficient ability, motivation,
time, or understanding to play certain role - Each team member has a specific role to
play, these often cross over but problems
occur when they are identical - Goal-setting can increase role clarity
Group Norms:
- A norm is a level of performance, pattern of behavior, or belief
- Leaders need to establish positive group norms or standards (especially standards or norms of productivity)
- Norms of productivity refers to the effort & performance standards accepted by the team
- Positive norms are important to establish as they hold heavy influence on behaviour
Defining Social Identity
Social identity refers to “that part of an
individual’s self-concept which derives
from his/her knowledge of his/her
membership of a social group(s)
together with the value and emotional
significance attached to that membership”
(Tajfel, 1981, p. 255).
Social Identity Approach to Working in Teams
- Social identity approach posits that in any given situation individuals think and behave in-line with their personal or social identity
PERSONAL IDENTITY:
- Sense of self associated with individuality “I” or “Me”
SOCIAL IDENTITY:
- Sense of self associated with group memberships “We” or “Us”
- Process of depersonalization where individuals disassociate their perception as an individual (i.e., “I” or “Me”) and move to define themselves as belonging to a collective entity (i.e., “We” or “Us”)
Social Identity in Action
- What is the all blacks’ competitive
advantage? Key is the ability to manage their culture and central narrative by attaching the players’ personal meaning to a higher
purpose. It is the identity of the team that matters - not so much what the all blacks do, but who they are, what they stand for, and why
they exist.” - James Kerr (2013)
Leadership Defined
- A process whereby an individual influences a
group of individuals to achieve a common goal” (Northouse, 2010, p. 3) - “The process of influencing others in a manner that enhances their contribution to the realisation of group goals” (Haslam, Reicher, & Platow, 2011, p. 247).
Multidimensional Model of Sport Leadership (Chelladurai, 1978, 1990, 2007)
- Leader effectiveness depends upon the athlete characteristics and the situational constraints
Athlete’s satisfaction and performance depend on three types of leader behaviors:
- Required
- Actual
- Preferred
Social Identity Leadership
- The leaders who work most effectively, it
seems to me, never say ‘I’. And that’s not
because they have trained themselves not to
say ‘I’. They don’t think ‘I’. They think ‘team’.
They understand their job to be to make the
team function… There is an identification
(very often quite unconsciously) with the
task and with the group.
Drucker (1992, p. 14)
Social Identity Leadership Principles
- Developing, managing, and advancing a shared social identity is the foundation of successful leadership
1) Represent the group
2) Champion the group
3) Be an entrepreneur of the group
4) Embed for the group
Social Identity Leadership Research
- Creation of shared social identity is the foundation of successful leadership (Haslam, 2004; Haslam et al., 2011)
Athlete Leadership in Sport
- Athlete leadership: “an athlete, occupying a
formal or informal role within a team, who
influences a group of team members to achieve a common goal” (Loughead et al., 2006, p. 114). - “Some players want to be captain and
they grow even more if you give it to
them. Others don’t want, or need, to be
captain — they are the natural leaders.”
(Ancelotti, 2016, p.154) - Shared leadership: “a dynamic, interactive influence process among individuals in groups for which the objective is to lead one another to the achievement of group or organizational goals or both” (Pearce & Conger, 2003)
- Increasing focus on the adoption of formal leadership groups by coaches to meet the perceived leadership needs of professional sports teams (Haddad et al., 2021)
Types of AL:
- Formal Leader: Individual occupying an assigned team role
- Informal Leader: Individual perceived by
teammates to be influential over others
- Motivational Leader: Facilitates positive emotions
Team Cohesion - Good or Bad?
(Hardy et al., 2005):
Key Findings:
- 56% reported -’s for social cohesion, 31% for task cohesion…
(Rovio et al., 2008):
Key Findings:
- High social cohesion deterioration in team
performance
Defining Collective Efficacy
Bandura (1997, p.477):
“A group’s shared belief in its conjoint
capabilities to organize and execute the
courses of action required to produce
given levels of attainment”.
Zaccaro et al., (1995):
“a sense of collective competence shared
among individuals when allocating, co-
ordinating, and integrating their resources
in a successful concerted response to
specific situational demands.”
Collective Efficacy in Sport
Shared belief:
All members share a belief about the
team
Co-ordinated capabilities:
Interpersonal functions need to be
structured
Collective resources:
Sufficient skills, knowledge, and abilities
required in the team for task success
Situational-specific:
Offence/defence, training/competition,
moment-to-moment
Antecedents of Collective Efficacy (Bandura, 1997)
Efficacy expectations:
- Performance accomplishments
- Vicarious experiences
- Verbal persuasion
- Imaginal experiences
- Physiological states
- Emotional states
- Group size
- Leadership
- Group cohesion
Sources of CE in Sport (Fransen et al., 2012)
- Coaches and players rated importance of each these sources based on predictive capabilities towards CE
CE:
- Negative Emotional Reactions of Players
- Errors of Own Team
- Own Team is Behind in the Game
- Positive Supportive Communication
- Positive Indications Before the Game
- Own Team is in Lead in the Game
Performance <> CE
Hodges & Carron (1992):
- Group-based endurance task
- High CE/Low CE vs Confederate groups
- Biased task
Failure + Performance:
- High = improved performance after
- High vs low = higher level of task
persistence and determination not to lose
Conceptual Framework of Group Effectiveness
(Steiner, 1972)
Actual Productivity = Potential Productivity - Group Process Losses
Group Process Losses
The Ringelmann effect:
- 93% of their individual potential
- 85% of their individual potential
- 49% of their individual potential
Social Loafing
- Individuals in a group or team put forth less
than 100% effort because of losses in
motivation
Conditions + Social Loafing
- Cannot ID individual contributions
- Individual lower in ability
- Perceived redundancy
- Task not meaningful
Conditions - Social Loafing
- Promote individual pride + contributions
- Understand reasons
- Sub-group development
- Increase identifiability
