Write your search in the input below and press enter.
Esc to close.

The Sports Doc Chalk Talk with Dr. Chris Stankovich

Peak Performance:
Not Just for Sports, for Life

  • Products
    • Toolkits
    • Audio
    • Videos
    • Books
    • Apps
  • Services
  • Chalk Talk
    • Recent
    • Athletes
    • Coaching
    • Sports Parenting
    • Sports Administrators
    • Life
    • Administrators
  • About Dr. Stankovich
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Products
    • Toolkits
    • Audio
    • Books
    • Videos
    • Apps
  • Services
  • Chalk Talk
  • About Dr. Stankovich
  • Testimonials
  • Contact

Hello. Sign In

My Account
  • Login
  • Register
0
The Sports Doc Chalk Talk
Subscribe
The Sports Doc Chalk Talk with Dr. Chris Stankovich
  • Recent
  • Athletes
  • Coaching
  • Sports Parenting
  • Life
  • Administrators
Home / Blog / Learn the Secret of Championship Team Building from this Sport Psychology Finding

Learn the Secret of Championship Team Building from this Sport Psychology Finding

By: Dr. Chris Stankovich | @DrStankovich | Aug 18, 2015

No Comments

yankees2009

Whether its a sports team or a work team, getting all team members to pull in the same direction and work together to achieve team goals is no small task.  Even with a great team captain (or leader), there are still countless interpersonal psychological dynamics to manage to ensure that team members know their individual roles and embrace the duties asked of them.  One hurdle, “social loafing,” is especially challenging to control for and may be the missing link when it comes to maximizing team production.

Why some team members “loaf”

Social loafing occurs when people give less effort in a group than they would if working individually.  In theory, it is easier to reduce effort (essentially hiding) because other teammates will make up for the effort of the individual.  One classic study by Ringelmann found that members of a group tended to exert less effort in pulling a rope than did individuals working alone.  In the Ringelmann study subjects were able to easily disguise their non-effort within the collective efforts of other team members actually pulling (in essence, they were able to fake pulling without anyone even noticing!).

cover225x225

So what does all this mean as it applies to team building?  Perhaps the biggest takeaway is knowing that as a group increases so do the odds that some team members will give little or no effort.  Equipped with that knowledge, it is imperative that team leaders understand how to minimize social loafing and the Ringelmann effect — but how is this done?

The answer

In order to reduce the chances of team members not pulling their weight for the team two important issues need to be addressed by the team captain/leader (or coach):

1. Do individual players know their role and what is exactly expected of them?  In other words, instead of telling a player to “play hard,” it’s better to specifically outline his role (i.e. to play man-to-man defense against an opponent in this specific situation).

2. Do individual players “buy in” and understand the importance of their role (especially if it seems like his task is not very important).  For example, a coach may need to “sell” a player on the significance of being important for team spirit, compared to convincing the QB the value of his role.

Drilling deeper, captains/leaders must dedicate effort directed at helping every player clearly know her role on the team, the importance of that role, and the implications based on that role (i.e. by doing your individual job we will have a better chance of winning a championship).

A big takeaway from the psychology team building research is that great teams “on paper” can easily fail when team dynamics are overlooked or minimized in importance.  We know that when team members don’t know what is expected of them and are unclear of the importance of their role, it’s commonplace for them to lose focus and not give it their all.  Conversely, when players do know (and embrace) their role, great things happen — and in some cases the team overachieves all the way to an unexpected championship.

www.drstankovich.com

Start this school season off by increasing mental toughness!  Check out our entire line of peak performance products here!

 

building, captain, chemistry, cohesion, Leadership, psychology, sport, team

  • Author
  • Comments
  • Details
Get to Know the Author

Dr. Chris Stankovich

Dr. Stankovich has written/co-written five books, including Positive Transitions for Student Athletes, The ParentsPlaybook, Mind of Steel.

Latest Blog Posts

  • September 21, 2023 Athletes are Always One Play Away from a Career-Ending Injury
  • September 20, 2023 Rather than Focus on Youth Sport Results, Try Embracing the Power of Play
  • September 18, 2023 Labels Matter: Mental Illness, or Mental Health?
  • September 12, 2023 Youth Athletes are Experiencing Serious Injuries & Mental Health Concerns
  • September 6, 2023 Increasingly More Student Athletes Make it to College — Then Quit

Comments are closed.

PREVIOUS POST

Learn About the Most Overlooked Aspect of Maximizing Sport Performance

NEXT POST

What to Do (and Not Do) When it Comes to Student Athletes & Social Media

Category

Amateur , Athletes , Athletic Counseling , Athletic Director , Boys Sports , Coaching , College , Girls Sports , Leadership , Leadership and Role Modeling , Mental Toughness , Off Field Issues , Performance Enhancement , Prep , Pro , Pro and College Sports , Sport Philosophy , Sport Psychology , Sports Administrators , Sports Parenting , Sports Performance Science , Team Building , Team Chemistry , Team Cohesion , Uncategorized , Youth and Interscholastic Sports , Youth Sports

Tags

building, captain, chemistry, cohesion, Leadership, psychology, sport, team

  • Recent Posts
  • Most Read
  • Athletes are Always One Play Away from a Career-Ending Injury
  • Rather than Focus on Youth Sport Results, Try Embracing the Power of Play
  • Labels Matter: Mental Illness, or Mental Health?
  • Youth Athletes are Experiencing Serious Injuries & Mental Health Concerns
  • Increasingly More Student Athletes Make it to College -- Then Quit
  • Learn What it Takes for Kids to Make it Far in Sports
  • The Physical & Mental Price of Pushing Kids too Hard in Youth Sports
  • "Embrace Debate" Yelling & Screaming is Replacing Traditional American Sport Journalism
  • When You Should (and Shouldn't) Make Your Kids Do Things
  • Parents Can Help Kids Improve Mental Health by Minimizing Enabling
  • The Sports Doc on TV

    Catch Dr. Stankovich’s tv, radio, and print interviews and columns here!

    Dr. Chris Stankovich Watch Videos
  • Sport Performance Assessment

    Dr. Chris Stankovich Quickly and accurately test your level of mental toughness in just a few minutes using the Sport Performance Assessment.

    (SPA), an easy-to-use sport psychology system specially designed to help you REACH YOUR FULL ATHLETIC POTENTIAL.

    learn more
  • SportsSuccess360

    Life strategies for performance and character development for coaches, parents, and student athletes competing in youth and interscholastic sports.

    Life Strategies learn more
  • Contact Dr. Stankovich

    1207 Grandview Ave., Suite #218, Columbus, OH 43212

    (614) 561-4482

    Media & General Inquiries

    information@drstankovich.com

    Sales & Product Support

    sales@drstankovich.com

  • About Dr. Stankovich

    • Media
    • Blog
    • Testimonials
  • Products

    • Toolkits
    • Videos
    • Books
    • Audio
    • iPhone Apps
  • Services

    • Athlete Performance Training
    • Parent Community Forum
    • Coach Education & Development
    • Athletic Crisis Response and Intervention
    • Drug & Alcohol Assessment
    • Life Success Programs
    • Counseling & Consulting Services
  • Blog
  • YouTube
  • twitter
  • facebook

All rights reserved © 2023 Advanced Human Performance Systems™

↓ ↓