Chapter 10 Teamwork: For the Good of the Whole By Tracy L. Veach and Jerry R. May

1. Chapter 10 Teamwork: For the Good of the Whole By Tracy L. Veach and Jerry R. May

2. A Team • A coordinated ensemble that cooperates to achieve a common goal that overrides individual achievement.

3. Types of Teams • Coacting teams: Individual performance is a primary focus and team performance may be secondary. Examples are swimming, track and field, and gymnastics. • Interdependent teams: No matter how well any individual plays, the team must work together for success. Examples are basketball, football, soccer, volleyball.

4. Team Development • Transforming a group of individual athletes into a sports team. Important principles: • Team goal setting: achieving consensus on the relationship of team and individual goals • Interpersonal relations: brainstorming sessions and group meetings (Estabrooks & Dennis, 2003)

5. Goal Setting and Performance Improvements in Groups and Teams See table 10.1, page 176, in The Sport Psych Handbook.

6. Team Cohesiveness • “A dynamic process that is reflected in the tendency for a group to stick together and remain united in the pursuit of its instrumental objectives or for the satisfaction of member affective needs.” (Carron et al., 1998)

7. Creating Team Cohesion • Focus on improving communication. • Respect and celebrate differences. • Use an inclusive process in developing team goals. • Create a vision of the team as greater than any individual. • Establish a positive-feedback environment to maximize learning. • Establish clear expectations regarding roles.

8. Clarify Definitions of Roles • Role expectations: Clarify what each individual is responsible for doing. • Role conception: What an individual thinks his or her particular job is on the team. • Role acceptance: What an individual is willing to do and accept. • Role behavior: What the athlete actually does. • Role efficacy: How effective team members see other athletes as being in their team roles.

9. Discussion Questions for Clarifying Team Roles • What does the team expect you to do in your job? • How do you see your playing assignment? • What do you need from others on your team in order to do your job? • What do you need to know about the other team members’ jobs that would help you perform your own role better?

10. Effective Coaching Behaviors • The following coaching behaviors lead to positive player outcomes in terms of satisfaction, motivation, cohesiveness, sense of competency, and a positive team climate: • High frequencies of training and instructional behaviors with high support. • Democratic leadership that fosters autonomy. • Establishing a team climate of learning. • High frequency of positive, supportive, and information-based feedback to athletes. (Horn, 2002)

11. Cooperation, Competition, and Teamwork in Teams • Cooperative competitiveness is a seemingly paradoxical concept that enhances skill development and team cohesion. • Cooperation and competitiveness are part of a dynamic process in which one or the other may take the primary focus during the training cycle. • High-level cooperation and competition invariably involve conflict and stress. Managing tension in relationships is an important task throughout the team-development process (see table 10.2).

12. Understanding Team Relationship Tension See table 10.2, page 181, in The Sport Psych Handbook.

13. Teamwork and the Business World • Findings from businesses on leadership, team organization, and performance dynamics increase our understanding of team development in sport. (continued)

14. Teamwork and the Business World (cont) • For example, research by Daniel Goleman (2000) on the emotional intelligence of business executives identified six leadership styles that are also applicable in sport. • Different situations call for different leadership styles.

15. The Coach As Team Leader • Leadership Styles • Coercive • Authoritative • Affiliative • Democratic • Pace-setting • Coaching (Goleman, 2000)

16. Leadership Styles and Characteristics See table 10.3, page 183, in The Sport Psych Handbook.

17. Building a Great Team • MAPS • Mission • Assessment • Plan (motivational action plan) • Systematic evaluation (constructive feedback)

18. Assessment of Teamwork • The following are useful instruments: • The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) • Leadership Scale for Sport (LSS) • Coaching Behavior Assessment System (CBAS) developed by Ron Smith and Frank Smoll • Perceived Motivational Climate in Sport Questionnaire-2 (PMCSQ-2) measures mastery- or performance-oriented climates • Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ) measures team cohesion

19. Teamwork for Athletes • Understand your role. • Understand your personal goals in the context of team goals. • Take responsibility to communicate.

20. Teamwork for Coaches • Understand your own leadership style. • Listen to the views of athletes, assistants, and parents. • Provide clear, flexible leadership.

21. Teamwork for Parents • Keep the child’s interests, not yours, as the primary motivation. • Recognize that competition itself is not a negative attribute but that overemphasis on winning can be a major barrier. • Encourage fun and learning as part of team sports.