Sports Psychology for
sports performance
4.2D – Jerome Zammit, Kyle Selwyn Cutajar, Ryan
1. Define group processes, team cohesion and leadership in sport. Provide tangible
examples to substantiate your answer. (K&U5 – 5 marks)
Group processes are the interactions and dynamics between team members
that influence performance such as Communication, roles, norms etc
Example: a football team coordinating defensive strategies during a game.
Reference - Campbell, J. P., & A. L. Ilgen (2007). The Handbook of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology, Vol. 1. "Team Processes". Sage Publications.
Team Cohesion – Is the team having a desire to reach a common goal
- Example: A rowing team synchronizing perfectly during a race due to strong trust and com
It is best when:
- Small size
- Similarity between members
- Supportive environment
- Satisfaction which will promote pride
- There is stability
Reference - Team Cohesion-Performance Relationship" by Mullen, B., & Copper, C. (1994). Jo
Applied Psychology, 79(2), 299–310.
Leadership in sports:
There is two types of leaders – A prescribed leader is someone that is given the position by a
higher authority such as a football coach.
• Emergent leaders are leaders that worked their way up to leadership by gaining respect and
support from the group, these are usually successful in their sportd
• Ex. A captain of a football team.
• It is the ability to guide, motivate and influence a team.
• The way the leader behaves will automatically impact the team.
• If the leader shows positiveness the rest will be influenced.
• Example – A basketball player encouraging teammates and making strategic decisions under
pressure.
Reference - Cotterill ST, Loughead TM, Fransen K. Athlete Leadership Development Within
Teams: Current Understanding and Future Directions. Front Psychol. 2022 Feb 17;13:820745.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.820745. PMID: 35250758; PMCID: PMC8892492.
- Zaccaro, S. J., & Klimoski, R. J. (2001). The Influence of Leadership on Team Performance and
Cohesion. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 32(1), 101-121.
2. Describe (K&U6 – 5 marks) and interpret (A&A3 – 7 marks) two (2) theories related to group
processes, one (1) theory related to team cohesion and one (1) theory related to leadership in
sport, and how each of these theories help within your sport club.
Group processes theories:
Tuckman’s stages of group development:
- The teams goes through 5 stages which are – Forming, Storming, Norming Performing.
Forming:
- Initial stage of a group.
- Members could be anxious as they don’t know what is expected from them.
- Leaders plays a dominant role.
- A short phase.
- Explains roles and responsibilities of the team and identify the objectives.
- It could be frustrating as they would rather be playing.
- Trust may be an issue, since people might not know each other well.
- It is the planning, collection, information and bonding stage.
Example – A meeting before the beginning of the season.
Storming:
• Focus shifts at the task at hand.
• Strong leadership is crucial.
• Team members express their own ideas by giving their
own opinion.
• Could be destructive for a team.
• It can either build or break relationships
Norming:
- Team members start to respect both the authority and each other.
- They know each other more, starts socialising, ask for help, and provides constructive
criticism.
- Stronger bond and commitment between team members.
- Members might relapse in the storming stage as new tasks might be created.
- Team members understands each other better and appreciate others.
- Trust is enhanced.
- Members feel part of the cohesive effective group.
Performing:
- Roles are more flexible and functional.
- Group energy is directed and focused towards the task.
- Structural issues are resolved, and structure can become supportive oftask performance.
- The team has a shared vision, and is able to perform effectively without the intervention from
the leader.
- This helps coaches to guide teams through conflicts and build unity.
- A good example is an early-season team conflicts, that are managed by understanding this.
Reference -
https://www.wcupa.edu/coral/tuckmanStagesGroupDelvelopment.aspx#:~:text=These
%20stages%20are%20commonly%20known,more%20collaborative%20or%20shared
Steiner’s model of group performance:
- Actual productivity = Potential productivity – losses due to faulty processes
- This highlights the importance of minimizing poor coordination and a loss in motavation.
This could be applied y encouraging better drills and communication to avoid breakdowns
in rugby team’s gameplay.
Reference - Gill, D & Williams, L (2008). Psychological Dynamics of Sport and Exercise.
United States: Human Kinetics P.241-248
Team cohesion theory: Carron’s model of cohesion
- Cohesion is influenced by environmental, personal, leadership, and team
factors.
- This theory emphasize that strong leadership and shared goals boosts
unity.
That being said - A good application of this theory would be such a
swimming coach that fosters shared goals builds stronger relay team
cohesion.
Reference - https://efulhamgroupdynamics.weebly.com/cohesion.html
• Leadership theory: Trait theory
- Leaders are born with certain traits such as confidence,
decisiveness, etc…
- Leaders are born as leaders
- Natural traits can influence the effectiveness of a leader in
sports.
- Leader will be efficient in any situation that is natural for the
leader.
• Example a confident and motivated captaiin naturally leads and
inspires a netball team.
Reference - Kotter, J.P. (1990) A Force for Change: How Leadership Differs from Management.
New York: Free Press, 3-8
3. Identify and analyse the effects of team cohesion and leadership in
relation to sports performance in your team and other teams in general.
Your focus should not be kept on players only. (A&A4 – 7 marks)
Team Cohesion:
In my team:
- Strong cohesion in our training group improves communication, motivation, and trust. -
Even among coaches and support staff. Everyone works towards the same goals.
In general:
- Teams with high cohesion performs better under pressure due to shared support and
lesser internal conflicts.
Leadership:
In my team:
- Leadership from coaches creates structure, builds discipline, and supports mental
resilience across the team.
In general:
- Clear vision and leadership unites players, analysts, and managers for consistent high-
level performance which makes successful teams benefit from these.
Analysis:
- Cohesion and leadership impacts all the team and
members (coaching, logistics, medical) and not just the
athletes, as teams thrive when all roles works evenly
through shared goals and guided leadership.
- Poor cohesion or weak leadership causes confusion, role
conflict, and underperformance at all levels.
