Introduction
Team cohesion is a crucial component of sports psychology that has been studied for many years. Understand the influences that can cause or destroy the chemistry between teammates allows for coaches and other significant role models to prepare in a way that their team will benefit, and hopefully result in successful performance. Cohesion can be defined in many ways, but the most widely accepted explanations include its four main characteristics; team cohesion is dynamic, multidimensional, instrumental and affective (Crocker, 2016). Through the many models and theories that are available to further explain the several aspects of team cohesion, its correlates and influences are explored. Environmental factors have an influence …show more content…
The recommended size for optimal group cohesion is on average 5 to 6 members (Yarmey, 2013; Thompson et al., 2015). Even though a team may cumulatively have more knowledge and/or skill with greater numbers, having too many members hinders communication, reduces the chance of forming a team wide consensus and diminishes the opportunity for social interaction between members resulting in an overall decrease in performance (Yarmey, 2013). I know from personal experience on my ringette teams, having a smaller roster was almost always beneficial. The athletes became more comfortable playing with all members of the team rather than just their line mates, and communication was preserved when it travelled through less people. The level of communication and personal interaction between group members affects the cohesion of a team because with a large group of people, individuals can easily start to feel left out. I have been a part of teams that had high social group integration, many of the members being close friends outside of the team; however my personal sense of belonging was missing. If a teammate does not experience both the group and individual aspects of social belonging, their sense of team cohesion will quickly disappear. In situations where large group numbers are required, dividing the team into smaller sub-units (i.e. offense, defense and special teams) and having the leaders instill emphasis on the importance of individual participation to achieve the overall team goal will increase the probability of team cohesion (Yarmey,
Team cohesion is a crucial component of sports psychology that has been studied for many years. Understand the influences that can cause or destroy the chemistry between teammates allows for coaches and other significant role models to prepare in a way that their team will benefit, and hopefully result in successful performance. Cohesion can be defined in many ways, but the most widely accepted explanations include its four main characteristics; team cohesion is dynamic, multidimensional, instrumental and affective (Crocker, 2016). Through the many models and theories that are available to further explain the several aspects of team cohesion, its correlates and influences are explored. Environmental factors have an influence …show more content…
The recommended size for optimal group cohesion is on average 5 to 6 members (Yarmey, 2013; Thompson et al., 2015). Even though a team may cumulatively have more knowledge and/or skill with greater numbers, having too many members hinders communication, reduces the chance of forming a team wide consensus and diminishes the opportunity for social interaction between members resulting in an overall decrease in performance (Yarmey, 2013). I know from personal experience on my ringette teams, having a smaller roster was almost always beneficial. The athletes became more comfortable playing with all members of the team rather than just their line mates, and communication was preserved when it travelled through less people. The level of communication and personal interaction between group members affects the cohesion of a team because with a large group of people, individuals can easily start to feel left out. I have been a part of teams that had high social group integration, many of the members being close friends outside of the team; however my personal sense of belonging was missing. If a teammate does not experience both the group and individual aspects of social belonging, their sense of team cohesion will quickly disappear. In situations where large group numbers are required, dividing the team into smaller sub-units (i.e. offense, defense and special teams) and having the leaders instill emphasis on the importance of individual participation to achieve the overall team goal will increase the probability of team cohesion (Yarmey,