Remember The Titans Team Cohesion

The present text explores the relationship between cohesion and team sports, specifically as demonstrated in the movie Remember the Titans (2000). Cohesion can be described as either task cohesion, in which the individual is interested in fulfilling the goals of the team, or social cohesion in which interpersonal relationships are made within a group. The process of team building is described as four stages; forming, storming, norming and performing. Several factors affecting cohesion are explored including group size, team communication, homogeneity, distinctiveness and leadership behaviours. Finally, the cohesion-performance relationship is analyzed in sport situations to conclude that there is a positive, circular relationship between the …show more content…
Task cohesion involves the ambitions of working toward the team’s objectives as a whole (Crocker, 2016). In the clip from Remember the Titans called “Creation of a Team” the Black and White football players come together to form one football team. While the two groups do not initially get along with each other, they all remain on the team as they all have a similar goal; to play football, and to hopefully win the championship. The second aspect of cohesion involves social cohesion, which describes the interpersonal relationships of the team members (Pescosolido & Saavedra, 2012) or, the social desirability of remaining in a group (Grieve, Whelan & Meyers, 2000). The definition of cohesion states that it is a dynamic process, meaning the reasons for cohesion may change over time. For example, a player may join a team for the sole purpose of it being task oriented, however over time, a player may decide to stay, or rejoin this team in the following year because they have made friends on the team (Crocker, 2016). This is an example of a shift from only task cohesion to a combination of both task and social cohesion. This trend can be seen in the Remember the Titans clip, “Creation of a Team” where at the beginning of the year the two groups are simply putting up with each other, but by the end they have all become a close-knit group of friends. While the two aspects are separate, they can coexist …show more content…
One important factor of cohesion is group size. Many studies have shown that small to moderate group sizes, 3 to 5 members, show the greatest level of cohesiveness (Crocker, 2016; Grieve et al., 2000; Yarmey, 2013). Furthermore, large groups are more prone to social loafing, which is a reduction in individual effort when people believe others will pull their weight (Crocker, 2016). Social loafing, and therefore large groups can have a negative effect on cohesiveness. A strategy used to combat this is to break up a large group into smaller groups (Yarmey, 2013). Not only does this promote cohesion on its own, but this technique also helps with communication, another factor that is indicative of cohesion. In Remember the Titans, Coach Boone uses this technique by pairing up the White and Black players and forcing them to room together. By placing them in close proximity, he is increasing the opportunity for communication between the players, and therefore creating cohesiveness among them (Crocker, 2016). Another factor of cohesiveness is homogeneity. The more homogenous a team is, the more cohesive they will be. However, this is not describing factors such as being homogenous in ethnicity, unlike the Titans, but more with being homogenous in aspects like personality, attitudes and aspirations, much like the Titans (van Vianen & De Dreu, 2001). As the only desegregated football team in the