QSP 3012 (SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY) GROUP COHESION

NAME : AGUS KURNIAWAN BIN KASROM MATRIC CARD NO. : D20121057907 FACULTY : FAKULTI SAINS SUKAN DAN KEJURULATIHAN PROGRAME : ISMP SAINS SUKAN GROUP : A LECTURER : NORSILAWATI BINTI ABDUL RAZAK

Definitions of cohesion.

There are different ways to define group cohesion, depending on how researchers conceptualize this concept. However, most researchers define cohesion to be task commitment and interpersonal attraction to the group. Cohesion can be more specifically defined as the tendency for a group to be in unity while working towards a goal or to satisfy the emotional needs of its members. This definition includes important aspects of cohesiveness, including its multidimensionality, dynamic nature, instrumental basis, and emotional dimension.Its multidimensionality refers to how cohesion is based on many factors. Its dynamic nature refers to how it gradually changes over time in its strength and form from the time a group is formed to when a group is disbanded. Its instrumental basis refers to how people cohere for some purpose, whether it be for a task or for social reasons. Its emotional dimension refers to how cohesion is pleasing to its group members. This definition can be generalized to most groups characterized by the group definition discussed above. These groups include sports teams, work groups, military units, fraternity groups, and social groups. However, it is important to note that other researchers claim that cohesion cannot be generalized across many groups. In addition to task commitment and interpersonal attraction, group pride may be included in the definition of cohesion. Group pride is when group members like the ideologies that the group supports and share the feeling that being a member of the group is important.

Tool for measure cohesion.

Cohesion can be measured directly or indirectly (Cox, 2006). Indirect measurement involves team members telling their feelings about other members, using some basic question. Summed scores represent the teams cohesion. Direct measurement involves team members indicating how much they like playing for the team and indicating how well they feel the team performs as a unit. The indirect approach has generally failed to find a relationship between team cohesion and team or individual behavior. As such, the indirect approach is rarely used. A number of inventories or assessments have been used to measure team cohesion in athletics. Some of those are:

Sports Cohesiveness Questionnaire. A popular sport-related test of team cohesion composed of seven questions. Two questions ask team members to assess other members of the team relative to feelings of friendship and team influence; three questions ask the athlete to assess his or her relationship to the team in terms of a sense of belonging, value of membership. and enjoyment; and the remaining two questions ask the athlete to evaluate the team as a whole in terms of teamwork and closeness. The findings of some studies indicate a strong association between cohesion and sport performance, and between cohesion and satisfaction.

Team Cohesion Questionnaire. A questionnaire incorporating a 9-point Likert-type scale which measures six dimensions of team cohesion including satisfaction, value of membership, leadership, task cohesion, desire for recognition, and affiliation cohesion.

Sport Cohesion Instrument. Multidimensional questionnaire, which measures four dimensions of team cohesion: attraction to the group, sense of purpose, quality of teamwork, and valued roles. It was originally designed for basketball, but its versatility has allowed it to be used for other team sports.

Group Environment Questionnaire. A multidimensional questionnaire which directly measures team cohesion in terms of individual attraction and group integration.The Group Environment Questionnaire has been the tool of choice for many years. It lists eighteen items on an eight-point Likert Scale. Despite the popularity of this assessment, there are reservations as to its ability to measure the four factors of the conceptual model.

Relationship between cohesion and performance.

Studies have shown that cohesion can cause performance and that performance can cause cohesion. Most meta-analyses (studies that have summarized the results of many studies) have shown that there is a relationship between cohesion and performance. This is the case even when cohesion is defined in different ways. When cohesion is defined as attraction, it is better correlated with performance. When it is defined as task commitment, it is also correlated with performance, though to a lesser degree than cohesion as attraction.Not enough studies were

performed with cohesion defined as group pride. When considering cohesion as attraction to the group, cohesion was also positively related to performance. In general, cohesion defined in all these ways was positively related with performance. However, some groups may have a stronger cohesion-performance relationship than others. Smaller groups have a better cohesion-performance relationship than larger groups. Carron (2002) found cohesion-performance relationships to be strongest in sports teams and ranked the strength of the relationship in this order (from strongest to weakest): sports teams, military squads, groups that form for a purpose, groups in experimental settings. There is some evidence that cohesion may be more strongly related to performance for groups that have highly interdependent roles than for groups in which members are independent. In regards to group productivity, having attraction and group pride may not be enough. It is necessary to have task commitment in order to be productive. Furthermore, groups with high performance goals were extremely productive.

Strategies for enhancing performance and guidelines for building team cohesion.

Communicate effectively.Team building requires a climate of openness,where airing problems and matters of concern is encouraged. As communication about task and social issues increases, cohesiveness develops. As a result, group members are more open with each other, volunteer more, talk more,and listen better. Explain individual roles in team success. Coaches should clearly outline individual roles to team members, stressing the importance of each player's role to the teams success.When players understand what is required of their team mates, they can begin to develop support and empathy. Develop pride within subunits. Players need the support of their team mates, especially those playing the same position.Coaches should foster pride within subunits within sports. Set challenging group goals. Setting specific, challenging goals has a positive impact on individual and group performance.Group goals set a high norm for productivity and keep the team focused on what it needs to accomplish.The goals should be performance-based (relating to players abilities) rather than outcome-based (winning).

Encourage group identity. Groups should be made to feel special and insome sense different from other groups. A coach or leader can encourage team identity (Eg. Ordering team jackets and scheduling social functions etc.). Avoid formation of social cliques. Players often form cliques when the team is losing, their needs are not being met, or when coaches treat athletes defiantly.Cliques tend to be disruptive to a team.Coaches should quickly determine why they are forming and take the steps to break them up. Avoid excessive turn over. Excessive turnover decreases cohesion and makes it difficult for members to establish close rapport.They feel unfamiliar with each other and uncertain about the groups longevity.Senior players should be asked help integrate the new players into the team. Conduct periodic team meetings. Throughout the season coaches should conduct team meetings to allow positive and negative feelings to be honestly,openly, and constructively expressed.Teams can talk about learning from mistakes,redefining goals, and maintaining good sports manship. Know the team climate. A coach or leader should identify the group members who have high interpersonal prestige and status in the group.They can be the links for communication.These links give coaches and athlete svehicles for expressing ideas, opinions, and feelings regarding what is happening on the team. Know something personal about eachgroup member. Players appreciate it when the coach or leader makes a special effort to know about their lives outside the context of the team.