Team Dynamics/ Cohesion

Question 1

Define group?

Answer 1

A group is a collection of people who share the same goals and interact with each other.

Question 2

What’s the most common form of a group in sports?

Define team dynamics?

Answer 2

A team

The processes within a group and between groups

Question 3

What are the four stages of team/ group formation?

Feet, Smell, No! , Pong

Answer 3

1. Forming
2. Storming
3. Norming
4. Performing

Question 4

Describe the first stage of team formation?

Answer 4

1. Forming- highly dependant on the leader for guidance
   Members start to get to know each other
   Very little agreement on aims (fun/ competition)
   Individual roles are unclear
   Team leader must be clear
   Team leader must give strong direction

Question 5

Describe the second stage of team formation?

Answer 5

2. Storming- group decisions are difficult, team members jostle for positions
   Members might challenge the leader- POWER STRUGGLES
   Clearer focus for team and stronger sense of purpose but still uncertainties
   Cliques may form
   A need for compromise
   Strong leader still needed to guide the team

CLIQUES and JOSTLE

Question 6

Describe the third stage of team formation?

Answer 6

3. Norming- much more agreement and consensus of opinion
   Roles and responsibilities are clearer
   Important decisions are increasingly made through group agreement
   Less important decisions are delegated to individuals/ smaller groups
   Stronger sense of community and unity
   Respect for leader

SOCIAL and FRIENDLY

Question 7

Describe the fourth stage of team formation?

Answer 7

4. Performance- Clear vision and aims
   Focus on achieving goals, decisions made against criteria agreed by leader, disagreements occur but are resolved positively
   Team doesn’t need to be instructed/ assisted
   Members may ask leader for advice

Question 8

Define team cohesion?

Answer 8

The motivation which attracts individuals to the group and the resistance to the group breaking up

Question 9

Task orientated cohesion?

Answer 9

The team exists and survives on order to be successful at the chosen sport and everyone has the same goal .

Question 10

Social orientated cohesion?

Answer 10

The team exists and survives due to the social relationships and interactions with the team, results are not the main focus.
Higher potential for success than task orientated

Question 11

Group/ Sports team Performance- theories for how sports teams react?

Answer 11

Steiner
Ringelman Effect
Social Loafing

Question 12

Steiner’s Model =

Answer 12

Actual Productivity= Potential productivity- Losses due to faulty processes.

Question 13

What are potential fault processes in Steiner’s model?

Answer 13

1. Co-ordination problems- If timing of team members don’t match, team strategies will suffer and performance
   eg: time of doubles diving out of sync
2. Motivational Problems- if individuals are not motivated to the same extent or have different motives “Pulling in different directions”
   eg: one performer shooter in the netball squad is less motivated than another and they don’t get the goal in.

Question 14

What does the The Ringleman Effect state?

Answer 14

The average individual performance decreases as the group size increases.

Question 15

What did his experiment consist of/ show?

Answer 15

He found in a group pulling task, groups pulled with more force than individual, but not as much individually
eg: 8 people only pulled as hard as 4
eg; a Rugby scrum

Performance decreased due to many motivational problems, this is because they believe others will COMPENSATE for them.

Question 16

Social Loafing?

Answer 16

When some individuals loose motivation due to the loss of their identity within a group.

• Lack of confidence/ anxiety
• Tiredness
• Injury/ Illness
• Lack of roles/ individual roles not recognised
• Lack of common goals

Question 17

How to combat social loafing?

Answer 17

Highlight+ Credit Individual Performances
"every tackle counts"
Individual feedback 
Team building activities 
Encourage socialising together

Question 18

Why and How to combat lack of co-ordination?

Answer 18

• Lack of communication, inadequate leadership,
  poor team strategies and tactics
• Select team based on interactive skills
• Use small teams in training
• Coaches emphasize good coordination
• Practice tactical situations in training

Question 19

Other factors affecting team cohesion?

Answer 19

• Level of success/ past experiences
• Hostility of crowd
• Event/ game importance
• Group members knowing their role in the team