Group and Team Dynamics
Groups 4 stage developmental process (group of individuals to a team)
1. FORMING
Team members familiarize themselves with other team members.
Engage in social comparisons, assessing one another's strengths and weaknesses.
Try to determine if they belong in the group an, if so, in what role
Coaches should develop strategies to facilitate group member familiarity and to ease team interaction at the early stages of team formation.
Developmental Process
2. STORMING
Characterized by resistance to the leader, resistance to control by the group, and interpersonal conflict
Emotional resistance due to demands placed on individuals.
Usually happens at the start of an athletic season when routines are put into place, rules, etc... Later in the season if a team is losing.
Coaches need to communicate openly and objectively.
Evaluations of strengths and weaknesses as well as roles will help relieve uncertainty.
Probably inevitable, but should be watched in the event that it undermines positive team interactions.
Developmental Process
3. NORMING
Hostility is replaced with solidarity and cooperation. Conflicts are resolved.
Instead of watching out for their individual well-being, the athletes work together to reach common goals.
Team roles stabilize and a respect develops for each player's unique contribution to the team.
For most athletic teams, norming typically occurs as a season begins and a common opponent can be identified.
Developmental Process
4. PERFORMING
Team members band together to channel their energies for team success
Focusing on problem solving, using group process to work on tasks and test new ideas.
Structural issues are resolved
Roles are well defined and players help one another to succeed.
Important that a coach avoids activities that promote intrateam competition and interpersonal aggression.
Feedback should be given to players regarding their special contributions.
Pendular Model
Stage 1 - Orientation
Cohesion and feelings of unity are high; the athletes share many common feelings, anxieties and aspirations
Stage 2 - Differentiation and Conflict
The group physically or psychologically subdivides into smaller units: conflict often arise as athletes compete for positions on the team
Pendular Model
Stage 3 - Resolution and Cohesion
Cohesion increases as group members share common concerns and feelings in preparing to face a common threat
Stage 4 - Differentiation and Conflict
Team unity is weakened as various individuals are rewarded or punished, setting them off from the group
Stage 5 - Termination
If the season was successful, feelings of cohesion are high. If the season was unsuccessful, feeling of cohesion are low.
Role
set of behaviors required or expected of the person occupying a certain position in a group.
Formal role--dictated by the structure of the organizations (coach, team captain).
Informal Role--evolve from the group's dynamics.
Role Acceptance - important to enhance a group’s structure.
NORM (standard)
a level of performance, pattern of behavior or belief. Can be formally established or informally developed by a group.
Can have a powerful effect on behavior.
Improving norms
1. Show individual team members how the group's standards can contribute to more effective team performance and team unity.
2. Assess adherence to team standards, then rewarded those who adhere and sanction those who do not.
3. Point out to each team member how his or her contribution toward developing and maintaining the standards contributes to the team's success.
BUILDING AN EFFECTIVE TEAM CLIMATE THROUGH SOCIAL SUPPORT
1. Listening Support--perception that someone else is listening without giving advice or being judgmental.
Provide group social events for staff, athletes and coaches to allow them to step out of their typical roles.
2. Emotional Support--perception that someone else is providing comfort and caring and indicating that he or she is on the support recipient's side.
Stress the importance of emotional support to the emergent and prescribed leaders.
Encourage the team's giving emotional support to injured players.
3. Emotional-Challenge Support--the perception that someone else is challenging the support recipient to evaluate his or her attitudes, values and feelings.
Encourage emotionally challenging verbal exchanges between players during practice and competitions.
Challenge team members to do their best through individual and team meetings on achieving team and individual goals.
4. Reality-Confirmation Support--the perception that someone else, who is similar and sees things the same way as the support recipient, is helping to confirm the support recipient’s perspective
Arrange small group meetings where athletes discuss dealing with pressure, preparing for competition, …
5. Task-Appreciation Support--the perception that someone else is acknowledging the support recipient's efforts and expressing appreciation for the work he or she does.
Recognize preseason and daily goal attainment of specific skill improvements.
Provide award ceremonies for both sport and academic performances.
Provide specific feedback highlighting task achievements.
6. Task-Challenge Support--the perception than someone else is challenging the support recipients way of thinking about a task or an activity in order to stretch, motivate, and lead the support recipient to greater creativity, excitement, and involvement.
7. Personal-Assistance Support--the perception that someone else is providing services or help, such and running and errand or driving the support recipient somewhere.
Encourage teammates to help each other with non-sport related needs.
Fairness
influences the athlete’s level of commitment, motivation, and satisfaction.
Social Loafing
when individuals within a group put forth less that 100% effort due to losses in motivation.
Ringlemann Effect
More people involved, less individual contribution.
Rope-Pulling
Causes of Social Loafing
Sucker Effect
Athletes might believe that teammates are less motivated than they are, and not wanting to play the role of a sucker, choose to put forth less effort.
Minimizing Strategy
Individuals may feel they are "lost in the crowd" and are not able to secure their fair share of the positive consequences of working hard.
Causes of Social Loafing
Allocation Strategy
athletes may feel that they don't really have to try hard because their teammates are there to take up the slack.
Free Rider
athletes may feel that they can hide in the crowd and thereby avoid the negative consequences of not trying hard.
Critical Thinking
You are a coach of a team sport, and you see that not everyone is really hustling on every play. What would you say to your players to get them to realize they are loafing and the the team need them to stop loafing? What kinds of things could you do to minimize or prevent this loafing from occurring?