Varsity Team Case Study

Nearing the end of the season, West Point’s crew team coach, Coach Preczewski (Coach P.) is dumfounded by the ability of his Junior Varsity team to consistently defeat his Varsity team. When creating the teams, Coach P. had tested individual ability by utilizing a rowing machine called the Ergometer, but these measures would fail him. It should be noted that there are psychological variables that differ between the crews. The Junior Varsity crew has a leader that fosters positive motivation within its crewmates, which elicits citizenship behavior. However, the Varsity crewmembers are focused on their personal achievements, and they disregard group cooperation of the team.
Coach P. should focus on the different elements that are affecting the overall performance and commitment of the Varsity team. The Varsity crew has a large pressure to be the best in the program, because that is …show more content…
Trying figure out the discrepancy between the Varsity team and the Junior Varsity team, Coach P. administered various races with two, four, or six Varsity crewmembers competing against those on the Junior Varsity crew. In every one of these instances, the Varsity crews were able to prevail, which proved the credibility of the individual ergometer tests and the seating racing competitions (Polzer and Snook 6). However, the Junior Varsity crew, with a full set of eight members, could consistently defeat its Varsity counterparts because of its collective nature. Further, the Varsity crewmembers were involved in counterproductive behaviors, especially incivility and gossiping, which could reduce job performance and commitment to the team. In contrast, the Junior Varsity team displayed citizenship behavior, in particular sportsmanship, by supporting one another. As a result, the Junior Varsity team members acted more as a team than a group, which cemented their trust