Psychological Factors Analysis, Evaluation, and Impact on Sports Leadership

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 Psychological Factors Analysis, Evaluation, and Impact on Sports Leadership

As a leader in any field, sports included, the psychological health of the team coupled with the

psychological satisfaction and connection of the whole team plays a huge role in the team's

success. This is primarily the responsibility of the team leader or coach. The factors can be

external or internal, and they both play vital roles in the success of a team and the leader.

External psychological factors analysis and impact

External psychological factors originate from the other team members and impact the

productivity of the rest of the team. External psychological factors include team cohesion, social

loafing, the Ringlemann effect, and motivation, among others. Team cohesion is the dynamic

reflected in the tendency of a group to stick together and stay united in pursuit of set goals and

objectives (Kao, 2019). It can be in the form of task cohesion where the coach shares set goals

with the team; as a show of trust and encourage the members to feel included, thus improve their

effort and productivity, instead of making it an impromptu task each time, which may not sit well

with members. Social cohesion is the ''we-spirit'' among members forged by the leader, including

everyone equally in the team. Ringlemann effect is also a problem the coach has to alleviate for

tremendous success (Gavala-González et al., 2020). Certain players may lag in production

because they expect the other to do something, whereas some may have the 'if I do not do it, no

one will' spirit. Both are unhealthy for a team and maybe dealt with if the coach makes the team

members accountable, offering rewards and punishments. An added benefit of this would be to

boost the motivation of the team and increase team productivity.

Social loafing occurs when a player is less productive, letting others carry their weight around,

and the latter also decides to lag as they are tired of doing more than is theirs to work on
(Hüffmeier & Hertel, 2020). This immensely affects the team's cohesion, thus negatively impact

on the overall delivery. To curb this, a good coach ensures each member does their part for the

team and may allocate specific tasks to individuals, monitoring them where necessary and

delegating for the more reliable members (Karau & Wilhau, 2020). Taking time to understand

the personalities of each player helps the coach know how best to deal with each member and

what task to allocate each one for maximum productivity. Finally, motivation and boosting the

confidence of the members are bound to enhance their productivity. It could be extrinsic

motivation where the coach encourages songs or even the awards reaped from incredible

performances, or intrinsic motivation, which requires the coach to help players appreciate the

personal benefits of training, such as a great and healthy body. The coach can identify how well

to deal with external psychological factors to enhance his leadership skills from the discussion.

Internal psychological factors analysis and impact

The player’s performance relies on them as much as it does the members. This can be

summarized according to the attribution theory, self-confidence, and esteem, among others.

Attribution theory refers to the interpretive process by which people make a judgment about the

causes of their own behavior and that of others (Weiner, 2010). For example, if a football team

loses its games continuously, would the couch think the members are not doing their best or is

not good at what they do? In the first scenario, he would believe it is externally caused and may

demoralize members. In contrast, in the second, he would lower his self-confidence and esteem,

which is critical for any form of success. A good leader would identify the problem without

letting it bring the team down and work on it to better the team. As sighted above, a good coach

understands the criticality of self-esteem and does his best to promote it among his players by
motivating them and making each member feel valued. This, in turn, leads to the development of

a great team under their leadership and goes to prove their leadership skills.

As a good leader in any sport, self-serving bias character should be controlled. Blaming

any failure on the team while taking credit for any successes damages the social cohesion of the

group, and the players' connection with the leader, thus the beginning of the team’s downfall

(Berry & Fowler, 2021). Sport behavior refers to any action that may cause positive or negative

effects on the members. Accidental behavior originates externally, while intentional behavior is

internal (Kavussanu, 2019). A good leader avoids any behavior that may affect a player or the

whole team negatively despite how beneficial it may be for them in return. Past behavior should

impact a good leader positively. Being able to focus on positive past experiences while

considering the negative ones a lesson is characteristic of any good sports leader, failure and

losses included.

Importance of psychological factors

Psychological factors serve to create safety, a tolerable environment for comfortable working,

and participant interaction to achieve set goals and objectives if they are well catered for. A good

leader will ensure excellent team cohesion, self-confidence, and high self-esteem among his

players, among other factors discussed above, clear objectives and giving feedback to their

players while listening to her. This environment motivates all members to give their best,

building team cohesion which evolves into personal satisfaction of members, resulting in good

performance overall, and the cycle repeats.

 Effective leadership in sports

There is no clear set leadership that counts as effective in sports, and it is up to the coach to

understand his team and come up with a working system. This can be any of the following or a

modification from them:

a. Situational leadership

This is where a coach adjusts his leadership to adapt to the current existing situation as there is

no one size fits all leadership style (Kovach, 2018). It relies majorly on directing where constant

supervision is needed, for example, when a coach is dealing with rookie players, supporting

where the maturity level is high, delegation where there is already a clear understanding of the

end goal, and coaching. For this kind of leadership, a coach should be flexible to include all

levels of maturity among their players, participate in decision making for low maturity while

allowing 'experts' to make their decisions under purview. Integrity will allow them not to take

advantage of the existing situation for selfish benefits, whereas having a clear vision and

humility will enable them to work with different people in different situations.

b. Transformational leadership

Transformational leadership aims to change individuals and social systems, creating positive and

valuable change in followers and turning them into leaders. It focuses on individual

consideration, inspirational motivation where each player is treated valuably, idealized influence,

and intellectual stimulation (Megheirkouni, Amaugo, & Jallo, 2018). Valuable characteristics of

this type of leader include but are not limited to being able to keep their ego in check, taking a

proactive role in taking informed risks, and sharing collective organizational consciousness. The

coach should be able to make difficult decisions based on having clear visions, objectives, and

goals in place. This may include what position to allocate which player, and the players may not
be satisfied with the coach’s decision. However, having in mind where you want to get and how

you plan on getting there should encourage one to go ahead with their decision and help the team

understand why it was necessary to take that course of action. Importantly, they should be able to

adapt to the changing market conditions and the dynamic business environment. Self-

management and internal motivation go a long way to help a coach create a great team under this

kind of leadership.

c. Transactional leadership

This type of leadership focuses on supervision, organization, and group performance. Each

individual has a specific task, and rewards and punishments are issued out (Megheirkouni,

Amaugo, & Jallo, 2018). For a coach dealing with a group of rookies, or players at the same

level of qualification, this may be a viable leadership system.

This leadership focuses on short-term goals, favors structured policies and procedures, and

thrives on following rules and a specific way of doing things. It may serve to induct a group of

rookie players into one particular system of doing things; maybe when a coach wants to avoid a

mistake, they made in the past with a different group. Transactional leadership motivates

productivity, reduces the cost of productivity, eliminates the confusion of the chain of command

as the coach is the sole leader, and is easy to implement.

For any sport, a good coach will put in place a leadership system after observing and

understanding their players and deciding on the best way forward.

Good leadership practice guide

For effective sports leadership, the below-mentioned strategies may help a coach

maintain good team psychology for maximum productivity. Having clear set goals to prepare the
players psychologically for what is expected of them in the long run, enhancing team cohesion

for solid relationship building setting clear objectives for the whole team to work towards. A

positive attitude to failure will encourage one's players to give their best, and perseverance drives

a team positively towards success. Lastly, planning, organizing, and finding solutions for any

hindrances met sets a clear path for a team, ensuring success under the coach's leadership. This

and many others will go a long way to ensure a coach can positively impact their team

psychology for the benefit of the team.

 References

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effects in politics, business, and sports. Science advances, 7(4), eabe3404.

Gavala-González, J., Martins, B., Ponseti, F. J., & Garcia-Mas, A. (2020). Studying Well and

Performing Well: A Bayesian Analysis on Team and Individual Rowing Performance in

Dual Career Athletes. Frontiers in Psychology, 11.

Hüffmeier, J., & Hertel, G. (2020). Effort losses and effort gains in sports teams. In Individual

Motivation within Groups (pp. 109-148). Academic Press.

Kao, C. C. (2019). Development of team cohesion and sustained collaboration skills with the

sport education model. Sustainability, 11(8), 2348.

Karau, S. J., & Wilhau, A. J. (2020). Social loafing and motivation gains in groups: An

integrative review. Individual Motivation within Groups, 3-51.

Kavussanu, M. (2019). Toward an understanding of transgressive behavior in sport: Progress and

prospects. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 42, 33-39.

Kovach, M. (2018). An examination of leadership theories in business and sport achievement

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Megheirkouni, M., Amaugo, A., & Jallo, S. (2018). Transformational and transactional

leadership and skills approach. International Journal of Public Leadership.

Weiner, B. (2010). Attribution theory. The Corsini encyclopedia of psychology, 1-2.