Group Success

What is a group?2 or more individuals who have a shared objective which will bring about interaction.

Characteristics of a groupA collective identityA sense of shared purposeA clear structure for communicationIf these are all in place the group will form a bond. (Carron)

GroupsGroups are those social aggregates that involve mutual awareness and the potential for interaction (McGrath)GROUPS(Carron)A collective identityA sense of shared purposeA clear structure for communication

Sports Groups Groups undergo:Forming team members get to know each other & work out their rolesStorming members jockey to establish roles; conflict may developNorming cooperation & cohesion develop & the group becomes more stablePreforming- group works effectively as a team allowing success.

Team Success Success of a team (Actual Productivity) is equal to the best it can do (Potential Productivity)

minus Faulty Processes (When things go pear shaped!)

So what may go wrong?Coordination ProblemsMisunderstanding instructionsWrong tacticsCommunicationCaptain/ coach make wrong decisionLack of cohesionTeam units for a common goalLack of MotivationThink they are not getting noticed, effort goes to wasteSocial loafing

Steiners ModelACTUAL= POTENTIAL - LOSSES DUE TOPRODUCTIVITY PRODUCTIVITY FAULTY PROCESSES(AP) (PP) (FP)The team performance at any given time (due to successful interaction)The maximum capability of the group when cohesiveness is strongestFactors that go wrong in team performance which impede/ prevent group cohesion e.g. co-ordination losses & motivational lossesGROUP COHESION IS THE FORCE THAT BINDS A GROUP TOGETHER, HELPING TO PREVENT FAULTY PROCESSES.

Faulty ProcessesCo-ordination Losses These occur when the operational effectiveness of the group cannot be sustained for the whole match. Planned strategies/tactics may go wrong due to positional error or bad timing, e.g. Line out in rugby.A co-ordination loss that leads to a breakdown in team work is called the RINGLEMANN EFFECT. Problems with team co-ordination are more likely to increase as the number of team members increase.Motivation Losses This may occur if the task is too difficult. Also an individual might suffer loss of motivation causing them to withdraw effort and coast through that part of the game. A motivation loss that leads to a reduction in effort is called SOCIAL LOAFING. This is called when an individuals efforts go unnoticed or when someone feels like the others on their team are not trying hard enough. People with low SC tend to be loafers.

The Ringlemann Effect & social LoafingGroup performance decreases with group size.Ringlemann studied rope pulling & found that a group of 8 did not pull their rope 8 times as hard as 1 person.There is less effort exerted when working with others. Some individuals performed only at 50% effort when in a group.

Social loafingSocial loafing is the tendency of individuals to drop their effort & hide within the group. It is an individual motivation loss due to lack of performance identification.

Social loafingSocial loafing is caused by:A belief that you effort wont change the resultA perception that others are not trying, so why should you?A belief that others will cover for your lack of effortIndividual effort not being recognised

Causes of social loafing contLack of reinforcement from othersLow confidencePerceived low abilityLow arousal/motivationPoor leadershipNegative attitudes

Preventing Social loafing (Reducing motivational losses)To stop the players feeling a lack of motivation towards the team, the coach should try:Highlighting individual performances Monitoring individuals with feedbackUsing positive reinforcement when possibleRewards Promoting task cohesion within the teamSetting individual goalsEffective captain

Cohesion in the teamCohesion is what keeps the group together & is one way to prevent the coordination & motivational problems discussed earlier.As a group, the team will have developed norms that the group members adhere to, such a we always train on a tuesday.

Cohesion contCohesion is defined as the degree to which the members of a group exhibit the desire to achieve a common goal.It has 2 aspects:Attraction the reasons why you would go to the group in the first placeIntegration how you get on socially & how you feel about the other members of the group when you are there

Cohesion contThere are 2 types of cohesion:Task cohesion the degree to which group members are united in achieving the common goal, such as winning the gameSocial cohesion the degree to which group members like each other & get on, with mutual trust

Group CohesionThe extent to which a group sticks together in pursuit of a common goal.TASK COHESIONThe way team members work together tosuccessfully completea task, e.g. a football team setsOut to win by adopting attackingTactics at home & away matches

Vital in INTERACTIVE Sports, e.g. hockeySOCIAL COHESIONThe personal relationships within a group which relieson individuals enjoyingsocial interaction, e.g. strong Bond developed whilst on tour.

Vital in CO-ACTIVE sports, e.g. track and field

This may have reduced social cohesionBut will it affect their task cohesion?

Cohesion contThe 2 types are independent.It is possible to be committed to achieving the team goals but not get on with other team members.A team with major disputes can still do well & a social team may not be successful.Best when both high

Factors affecting cohesionThe size of the groupThe amount of communication between team membersThe type of sport (interactive sports, such as team games, need more cohesion than ind sports)The amount of time the group has been together to establish relationships

Carrons Model 4 key antecedents to development of cohesiveness(something pre existing)Environmental factors Personal factorsLeadership factorsTeam factors

The creation of a successful team rarely happens by chance.

Identify and explain Carrons antecedents (factors) that contribute to the cohesiveness of a group. (3 marks)

Environment/situational factors size of group/time/facilities/age or equivalentMember/personal factors ability/motivation/satisfaction/similarity of group or equivalentLeadership factors style/behaviour/personality/relationship with group or equivalentTeam factors task/motivation/stability/ability/shared experiences or equivalent

Promoting cohesion contEncouraging group identity eg. Introducing a team tracksuitPractising clear tactics, drills & strategies to promote coordinationGetting to know your players as individuals clear roles Develop team goalsUse motivational strategies such as social opportunities

Promoting cohesion contAgreed norms of behaviourRole clarity Reward exceptional contributionsTeam meetings to resolve disputes