WHY IS TEAM COHESION IMPORTANT?

Cohesion increases satisfying experience of being part of a team; Cohesion is positively correlated with successful performance; Cohesive teams have more stable group structure; Cohesive teams communicate more effectively; Cohesion is positively correlated with trust among group members; Cohesion is positively correlated with team resilience

COHESION

Tendency for a group to stick together & be united in pursuit of its goals

TASK COHESION

Degree to which team members work together to complete a specific task

SOCIAL COHESION

Degree to which team members like each other & perceive satisfaction from being part of team

FACTORS AFFECTING DEVELOPMENT OF COHESION (CARRON’S MODEL)

1. Environmental Factors; 2. Personal Factors; 3. Leadership Factors; 4. Team Factors

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

Normative forces holding group together (what brings team together in first place); Age, proximity, group size; Research shows as team size increases, cohesion decreases (Widmeyer, Brawley, & Carron, 1990); Proximity can help bring team together (University of Arizona fb team example)

PERSONAL FACTORS

Individual traits of group members (personality, motives, values, etc.); Social background; Commitment level; Degree of perceived satisfaction; Research on female NCAA DI golfers shows that personal satisfaction is strongest predictor of cohesion (Widmeyer & Williams, 1991)

LEADERSHIP FACTORS

Leadership style and behavior of coach; Coach’s relationship with players; Compatibility between coach & team members

TEAM FACTORS

Group task characteristics; Productivity norms; Desire for team success; Team stability; Research shows team stability (related to roles & norms) fosters cohesion (Donnelly, Carron, & Chelladurai, 1978)

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COHESION & PERFORMANCE

Consider task structure & demands of a setting when assessing connection between cohesion & performance

INTERACTIVE SPORTS (e.g. soccer, hockey, basketball)

Require team members to work together/coordinate actions; Positive correlation b/w cohesion & performance in these settings; Correlation stronger when task cohesion involved

COACTIVE SPORTS (e.g. golf, track & field)

Require little to no interaction & coordination; Less significant correlation b/w cohesion & performance

COHESION & PERFORMANCE ADDITIONAL POINTS

Team satisfaction levels influence cohesion, being in a cohesive group is satisfying, and satisfaction enhances performance; The more cohesive a team, the more influence it has on its members; Greater pressure to conform; High cohesion & strong norms for productivity greatly enhance performance; Dangerous to have high cohesion and low norms for productivity; Teams with high levels of cohesion show increased efficacy (Kim & Sugiyama, 1992); Social cohesion predicts intention to continue with team (Spink, 1995)