Group Dynamics And Athletic Success

I. Cohesion - The tendency of a group to stick together and remain united in the pursuit of it's goals and objectives
A. Related to the concept of team "chemistry"
B. Multi-dimensional in nature
1. The commitment to group goals and objectives
2. The nature of interpersonal relationships on the team

II. The ideal coach focuses on team building by:
A. Setting career goals
B. Paying attention to interpersonal relationships
C. Clear role assignments and expectations.

III. Roles in a team can be formal (center - basketball, stroke - crew) or
informal (leader, police officer, social director)

IV. Some researchers feel championship teams need a certain "chemical" mix.

A. Stud
B. Winner
C. Stabilizers

V. Leader behaviors which lead to cohesion

A. High levels of training and instruction
B. Being socially supportive (care, concern)
C. Providing positive feedback
D. Democratic style
E. Autocratic style

VI. Greater team cohesion leads to a sense of collective efficacy: team members can respond to the demands of a difficult situation.

VII. Degree of cohesion can be inferred by listening to patterns of attribution following a loss.

A. Self serving - low cohesiveness
B. Team enhancing - high cohesiveness

VIII. Most important aspect of cohesiveness seems to be commitment to the group task

A. This factor is most closely associated with good performance
B. Good performance in turn reinforces commitment to task, positive interpersonal relationships, and group pride

IX. High cohesiveness is associated with better team performance across all types of teams

X. Though early season cohesiveness is positively associated with midseason success, early season success is even more strongly associated with mid-season cohesion.