Group Dynamics and Sporting
Performance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X
2WBCTzOfjA
What is a group?
People behave differently individually
than when they are in a group.
What is a group?
What makes a successful team?
2000 Men's Coxless Four
2003 England Rugby World Cup
2008 England Football Team
2008 Men's Coxless Four
2012 Cycling Team
What is a Group?
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The key to a group is that the members must be interacting in
some way.
“Groups are those social aggregates that
involve mutual awareness and potential
interaction”
(J.E.MacGrath, 1984)
“A groups is… two or more people who are
interacting with one another in such a
manner that each person influences and is
influenced by each other person.”
(M.E. Shaw, 1976)
The sum is greater than the parts
FA cup finals
 Ryder cup
 Can you think of an example from your
sport?
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Bootcamp
It takes people from all backgrounds,
and from different parts of the country
who may have nothing in common.
 They are given the same appearance,
which identifies them as the same.
 The instructor gives them a shared
negative experience that will give them
something in common.
 In one quick experience they become a
group.
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Distinguish a group from a collection of
individuals
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Collective identity
Shared norms/values
Shared sense of purpose/common goals
Interaction between members/efforts of one
affect the other
Hierarchy of communication
Task cohesion- working together
Social cohesion
Independence from others
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2WBCTzOfjA
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Groups- Teams
Groups of individuals are not necessarily
a team.
 Teams need in depth interaction in order
to share common goals.
 A coach will take a long time to build a
good team and maximise performance.
 Very strong group
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The Research
Tuckman (1965) suggested that all groups
go through the same progressive stages
of development to create a team.
Stage1- Forming
Stage 2-Storming
Stage 3-Norming
Stage 4- Performing
Stage 1- Forming
Familiarisation
 Assess strengths and weaknesses
 Find roles within the group
 Do they belong?
 Can they accept and identify with
perceived and expected roles and
relationships?

Stage 1- Forming
Get to know each other
 Find out about the task of objective
 Show respect for each other (but not
working together)
 Coach tells them what to do
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Stage 2- Storming
Individuals or cliques within start to
question structure
 Leader challenged
 Open hostility – Compete for power
 Coach needs to reduce effects, usually
by open, objective communication
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Stage 2- Storming
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Team members compete with each other
May be power struggles
Different types of leader emerge
Less experienced members will not
compromise
Team may fail
Coach must help them through this stage
(Even elite teams can go back to this stage)
Stage 3- Norming
Instability disappears
 Displays of cohesion
 Needs for common goal recognised
 Respect for each others
contributions
 Satisfaction from achievement
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Stage 3- Norming
Team members agree how to work
together, rules develop
 Development of trust, ability to
accept criticism
 Leaders emerge
 Coach becomes more of a
consultant
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Stage 4 - Performing
Members identify with the team
 Aware of each others roles
 Feel they all contribute to success
 Psychological security
 Energies channelled to achieve
group success
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Stage 4 - Performing
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Team works as a unit, high levels of
motivation and interdependence
 Experienced members of the team make
decisions independently
 Consultation is expected and leadership
devolved, but authority and directed are
accepted in times of stress.
 Evaluation of performance
Mourning
Occurs after a team breaks up
because the task has been completed
 2003 World Cup team
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Activity
Imagine you are a coach of a newly
formed team.
What strategies might you employ to
try to reduce the effects
encountered in the storming stage?
Structures & Roles in a Group
In the forming stage the structure of the
group will begin to develop
 Begin to adopt roles both informally and
formally
 A role is ‘the specific behaviour
expected of a person occupying a
certain position in the groups
structure’
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Types of Roles
Formal Roles
Teacher, coach, captain
 Formal task/performance roles
Goalkeeper, Penalty taker, Goal kicker
 Informal roles
Team diplomat, joker, team hard man
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Roles within a team…
Only have meaning within the group
 Can be expected, perceived and acted
out
 Are assessed and evaluated against
expected behaviour
 Level of status attached
 Lead to role conflict (Too many hats)
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Roles within a team…
Players need to be aware of their role
and accept it
 Members adopt certain patterns of
behaviour/beliefs- group norms
E.g. Way of celebrating, dress, style of
play
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The Coaches Role
Coaches have different ways to enforce
the beliefs and ensure members conform
to the norm
 Formal- fines, suspensions
 Informal- made fun of
Clear expectations needed
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Activity
 How
would you distinguish a group
from a collection of individuals? (4)
 Name and explain the stages that
lead to group formation (4)
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!)
Steiner’s Model
ACTUAL
=
POTENTIAL
-
LOSSES DUE TO
PRODUCTIVITY
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
strongest
Factors that go wrong
in team performance
which impede/ prevent
group cohesion e.g. coordination losses &
motivational losses
GROUP COHESION IS THE FORCE THAT BINDS A GROUP
TOGETHER, HELPING TO PREVENT FAULTY PROCESSES.
Faulty Processes
Co-ordination Losses
Motivation Losses
o These occur when the
‘operational effectiveness’ of
the group cannot be sustained
for the whole match.
o This may occur if the task is
too difficult.
o 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.
o 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
Loafing
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Group 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 loafing
Social 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.
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Social loafing
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Social loafing is caused by:
A belief that you effort won’t change the
result
 A perception that others are not trying, so
why should you?
 A belief that others will cover for your lack of
effort
 Individual effort not being recognised
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Causes of social loafing cont…
Lack of reinforcement from others
 Low confidence
 Perceived low ability
 Low arousal/motivation
 Poor leadership
 Negative attitudes
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Preventing Social loafing
(Reducing motivational losses)
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To stop the players feeling a lack of
motivation towards the team, the coach
should try:
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Highlighting individual performances
Monitoring individuals with feedback
Using positive reinforcement when possible
Rewards
Promoting task cohesion within the team
Setting individual goals
Effective captain