elliekennedy8

sport science

OCTOBER 14, 2013 by ELLIEKENNEDY8

Factors aecting group dynamics.

There are many different factors, which contribute to the psychology of group dynamics, all
of them have positive, and negative affects upon the group. Furthermore in one way or
another they all link into each other. For example without team cohesion, they wont go
through the stages of group development; they will always just be in the forming stage. A
definition of group dynamics is, the study of, and general term for the interactive processes
that occur, between people in a group. (aqa a2 physical education Bevis and Murray 2009
page 189), this means how well does a group work together and is there anything obvious
which affects it.

The development of team cohesion is an important factor. The dictionary defines

(https://elliekennedy8.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/team-
cohesion.jpg) cohesion as sticking together. Festinger, Schacter
and Back (195) defined cohesion as the total field of forces
which act on members to remain in the group this means that
there are certain common goals which make the team stick and
work well together. These forces can be split into two different categories the attractiveness
of the group, this means that a player has a desire to work with this team; this may be due to
having common goals or being socially attracted to someone in the group. The second force
is means control, this means that they can see many benefits from being in that team, this
may be because they believe they can bring loads to that team to help them improve, or they
can see the benefits it will have to their play. A study was done back in 2001, about the
cohesiveness of a university football team, and the factors affecting their play, whether it is
positively or negatively. Holt and sparks discovered that there were four factors effecting
the groups cohesion, these were, a clear leader, personal sacrifices to benefit the team,
communication between there group goals, and the coaching style, this point leads onto
another factor we are going to talk about later. Therefore if these four factors can be
changed, then the cohesiveness will have a positive affect on the team.

There are two different types of cohesion. Task cohesion this is described by Weinberg and
Gould as. Its the degree to which members of a group work together to achieve common
goals. These common goals may be winning the championship or getting into the league in
football. I feel that cohesion within a football group is very important, as you are able to tell
straight away the players who are there for the extrinsic value, as there will be no
attractiveness between him and the other players, it is a central factor in determining
success. However it can have negative affects within a group, this is when bad things start
to happen, for example injury. This may be a problem, as when the injured player is off, the
team may achieve their previous goals, which were set, and figure out some new ones,
making the injured player feel worthless, and not part of the team anymore. I feel that team
cohesion has had a positive affect on Barcelona football club, as the coaches have not only
begun to assess the players skill and ability, before selecting them for the team, but also their
mindset, is the player there for the passion and love of the game so are they intrinsically
motivated or just for the money and other extrinsic rewards.

Also there have been many studies done that say that there is a positive relationship
between, team cohesion and success, I believe that this has had a positive effect on Team
sky. Our results indicate that cohesiveness is a shared perception, thereby providing statistical
support for the use of composite team scores. Further analyses indicated a strong relationship between
cohesion and success (r = 0.55-0.67). (Any value between 0.5-1.0 is deemed to be significant) this
helps explain why a weaker team may beat a strong individually talented team, as they
have a high level of social cohesion. So my example which is team sky, I believe they have
been able to meet stronger teams like France in cycling, as they have a high level of social
cohesion, and unlike France, they all have a common goal, which is to get the chosen cyclist
over the line first. As they knew each others strengths and weaknesses and used this
knowledge to allow them to win.

This video below shows us how important team cohesion is, in developing and improving
in our chosen sport.

Team Cohesion
The stages of group development play a vital role in the psychology of group

(https://elliekennedy8.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/index.png)dynamics. Each stage is

very important and different for each team, and the players must go through all the stages
before they are a proper team. However time length varies for each team, the Arsenal
football team went through the stages at a rapid rate, as roles and relationships where
obvious. However there can be very negative effects of this again the arsenal football team,
when Fabregas, Clichy and Naari all left, this had a destabilising effect on the groups
dynamics. Group development is also a very positive thing, as it forces the group together
and makes them communicate and establish roles, for example in remember the titans, there
was segregation between the white and the black players, and by breaking this barrier, it
forced them to communicate and work as a team. Therefore allowing them to progress at a
more rapid rate through the individual stages. This is positive as it allows them to reach
more goals quicker. Furthermore these stages stop individuals players only thinking about
their common goals and instead the groups common goals. In more detail these four stages
are, the first stage is forming this is when team members and coaches compare each
other/player, they begin to assess areas of weakness and strength, furthermore they start to
establish roles, and work out where they belong in the team, in this stage it is very
important to have an established group leader. I feel that this stage has had a positive effect
on the womens heptathlon team. Jessica Ennis and Katharina Johnson Thompson, worked
well as a team, as Katharina knew that it was jess Ennis turn to win, therefore she found
her role within the team, and knew jesss areas of weakness, so performed to the standard
relevant to that. The next stage is storming this stage is clearly characterised by resistance to
the leaders, infighting begins to appear, in this stage it is important that leaders
communicate clearly and openly, as if they dont resistance will never be broken, and they
wont be able to move onto the next stage, for example in remember the titans, there is
resistance from one of the players to the captain, they talk it out, and go on to win and play
exceptionally as a team. The third stage is norming, this is characterised by resistance and
arguments being replaced to co-operation and working as a team, this part can be negative
in a team, for example if a new player joined team sky, there may be resistance and conflict
among certain players, therefore sending the team back to the norming stage, however there
are positive effects such as in remember the titans, after the resistance and working it out,
they began to block different race players, and work as a team, regardless of skin colour.
The final stage is known as performing, this is characterised by the team channelling their
energies towards one common goal, and they begin to solve problems as a team, potentially
without the coaches influence. However it was argued by Sutton in 1994, that not all
groups form like this. He chose a football team as his example, so lets say Chelsea, because
Chelsea is constantly changing players, it is very unusual for a team to develop in the way
suggested by Tuckman and Jensen, as there are new players joining and old players leaving
at many different intervals. (Sports psychology Jarvis 2007 page 94)
Another important factor is assessing the groups effectiveness, so the predicated
(https://elliekennedy8.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/social-loafing-
470x2601.jpg)achievement vs the actual achievement. The
positives to this are if one player is being a social loafer and not
putting their full effort it, it will show and the coach will be able
to put it right earlier rather than later. It will also show whether
they are working well as a team, or whether there need to be any
adjustments. For example a swim team, in a relay race, if one
swimmer is not putting in the effort because they dont like the
stroke, it shows the coach that they are a social loafer, and also that they are not working
well as a team and that it needs to be changed. However there can be negative effects to
this, for example if it is only assessed in one game, the player may be having a bad day,
therefore reflecting negatively on them, or it may have the opposite affect they perform well
and become too confident, and then dont put enough effort into it, and mess up. Tom Daley
at the 2012 Olympics got too confidence and did a dive he hadnt practiced and messed up.

Furthermore leadership plays a huge role, in the psychology of group dynamics.

(https://elliekennedy8.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/leadership.jpg)One of the more

obvious reasons being, if the group dont like the coach, they wont respond well to him,
unless he gains authority before they have time to decide. For example in remember the
titans coach boon says, this is a dictatorship I am the law this shows that he has gained
authority, and although the players dont like him, they are too worried to do anything
wrong. There have been many studies done, showing that there are different styles of
leadership. For me choosing the right style of leadership, depending on the situation and
person, can contribute hugely to the psychology of group dynamics. There is autocratic
leadership; this is when the coach solves the problem at the time using the resources
available, this sort of leadership should be used at half time, to give quick concise feedback.
It is also useful, for example in remember the titans they are all tired and bored of
training, however coach boon uses this style of leadership, to make decisions and
commands. Though there are some disadvantages to this style of leadership, for example if
coach boon were to leave for a few days, training may disintegrate as they may not be able
to motivate themselves, especially in the early, forming, storming stages of group
development, also if there are any intrinsically motivated players, there points of
improvement may be over looked.

There is also consultative (individual) this is when the coach consults the players all
individually and then comes to a decision, this is a very good method as there may be some
criticisms, that players dont want to talk out loud about in a group situation, however it
may have a negative effect, as the coach may favour one player more than the other, and
only take their opinion into account.

Or the coach may simply use this style but with the whole group at once, this is also a
positive way, as it may resolve arguments, which either would have been dealt with on the
pitch or in training. However it may have negative effects such as weakening the teams
cohesion, or group development. If they are past the storming stage in group development,
it may set them back there.

There is also the democratic style, this is when the coach presents a number of solutions
before letting the team decide as a whole which path to follow, this is useful in the forming
and storming stages of group development, as it allows roles and relationships to be
established. It may also allow the coach to see which are the dedicated, intrinsically
motivated players and which arent. As the ones who are intrinsically motivated, will put a
lot of opinions across, as they are there because they are passionate and dedicated to there
sport. For example Barcelona football club may use this in a trial for the club, as this will
help them see which players have the right mindset for the game.

Finally there is group style, this is when the coach shares the input, and then allows the
players to decide the best method, without having any input at all. This is a positive
approach for a swimming relay team, as they are able to decide where there strengths and
weakness lye. It is also a useful one to use in any sort of group training, as the
players/coach are able to see if they can correctly identify, their strengths and weakness.

Many things affect the leadership style that is chosen. Chelladurai (1993) suggests that the
type of leadership style that will be chosen as an overarching style depends on how the
coach makes decisions. For example in athletics, he believes there are seven factors which
affect the decisions made, these are, Time pressure, if decisions need to be made quickly the
athlete will not be consulted in the decision, just told, this may be with Mo Farah before the
1500m the coach decides the tactics he should use just before the race, this may be due to a
change of circumstances, this can be good, as there is no time to weigh up the pros and cons,
however it may make him more nervous, if it is completely different to what was planned.

The importance of the decision is also another factor, this means if there are several
problems that need to be solved, for example which players to use all the players may be
consulted, this is important as it makes every player feel wanted, linking us back to the
early stages of group development, the forming and storming stages, peoples roles become
established within the team, this style of leadership is known as consultative (group)
however, if it is just a single decision like, which goalkeeper to use, then the coach will most
likely make the decision himself.

Furthermore information location is another factor, this is simply whoever knows the right
answer is the one who will be consulted, this is because they will provide the best chances of
a good result, for example Ryan Giggs has played for Manchester united for years, the coach
may consult him, if a new and more difficult to handle player joins the team, he may be
asked to take him under his wing.

Problem complexity is another factor, the more complex the factor, the more likely the coach
will make the decision, for example Wayne Rooney was out of control when he joined
Manchester united, and Alex Ferguson decided what to do with him, this is important as it
gives everybody and equal chance, however if his plan had gone wrong, it could have
ruined Manchester united, so every coach has to weigh up the pros and cons before he
makes a decision. This style of leadership could be seen as Autocratic, as Ferguson with the
resources available decided the most appropriate method for the problem.
Furthermore there is group acceptance, this is when a coach makes a decision, regardless of
whether the team accept it or not, for example choosing a younger fitter footballer, over an
older yet more experienced player, who the others look up to and respect. This may make
them less motivated and not work as well as a team, thus affecting their team cohesion and
stages of development.

Also there is coachs power, they may represent this in a variety of ways, but the bottom line
is the player will accept whatever. For example a swimmer may have retired, yet the coach
needs them for one last swim and to persuade them, they pay them double their old salary.

Lastly there is group interrogation, this means the more nervous of the coach the players
are, the more participation they will put into group decisions. This may be because the
coach wants to see, which players are more dedicated to their team, and their sport.

(Sports psychology a students handbook Jarvis 2006)

Another factor affecting the psychology of group dynamics is social facilitation;

(https://elliekennedy8.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/socialmar500x310.jpg)this is looking
into how the presence of an audience or other players can affect or performance. A classic
example may be, trials for the England swimming team, you have the coaches plus your
coaches and parents all looking at your performance, and to impress you may do one of two
things. Become very nervous and try new techniques that you have never done before, thus
trying to make yourself stand out, or you under perform and stick in a very safe comfortable
area, and dont make your self-stick out against others. There were many studies done on
this by a man called Triplett, he found out that when training alongside another cyclist for
example, it made your time faster, this effects a teams group dynamics and they may all
train to their maximum and do better overall, or become enemies with their team mates, and
instead of having a strong cohesion like team sky, they break apart, and start competing
against each other. (Sport psychology Jarvis 2006 page 97-98)

Overall the psychology of group dynamics has many factors effecting it, and each teams
group dynamics will be different and will carry on changing, as players will go and new
players will come. As the Ringlemann effect explains, the more players you add to the
group, the less likely maximum effort will be put in from older players.so although it would
be ideal to keep the same players through out, this would be impossible. Furthermore there
are certain players, who may to the outside world look like social loafers, for example Ryan
Gigs, however he is probably one of the most important players, as his role within the team
is to be a mentor to the younger players.

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