Developing team resilience: A season-long study of psychosocial enablers and strategies in a high-level sports team

Abstract

Objectives: Previous research exploring team resilience has advanced our definitional, conceptual and theoretical understanding of this construct in elite sport. Although more is known about the psychosocial processes that underpin the resilient characteristics of sports teams, less is known about the contextual enablers that stimulate these mechanisms and the associated pathways to team resilience. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to explore the psychosocial enablers and strategies that promote the development of team resilience within a high-level sport team. Design and method: Through prolonged fieldwork, a season-long ethnography (11 months) was conducted. The sample consisted of a leading English national league-winning semiprofessional rugby union team (n = 27 participants). Multiple data collection methods were employed (i.e., observation, interviewing, field notes, reflexive diary) as part of a holistic ethnographic approach. An iterative process of content data analysis was employed to identify key themes. Results: Findings revealed five categories comprising multiple practical strategies, actions, and enablers for team resilience development: Inspiring, motivating, and challenging team members to achieve performance excellence; developing a team regulatory system based on ownership and responsibility; cultivating a team identity and togetherness based on a selfless culture; exposing the team to challenging training and unexpected/difficult situations; and promoting enjoyment and keeping a positive outlook during stressors. Cultural expressions and folk terms were identified to illuminate the context of the ethnography. Conclusions: This study advanced team resilience research in sport by identifying key psychosocial strategies throughout a season as part of building team resilience. The findings provide practitioners with a platform for creating team resilience interventions in sport.

Sporting Resilience During COVID-19: What Is the Nature of This Adversity and How Are Competitive Elite Athletes Adapting?

“…It is non-normative for core reasons: First, there is no experience involved, which is a core component of generating a sense of mastery key to resilience ( Galli and Vealey, 2008 ; Fletcher and Sarkar, 2012 , 2016 ; Morgan et al, 2013 ; Zurita-Ortega et al, 2018 ). Second, many usual resources accessed to enable a resilient response such as perceived/tangible social support ( Holt and Dunn, 2004 ; Mummery et al, 2004 ; Yi et al, 2005; Galli and Vealey, 2008 ; Hall, 2011 ; Fletcher and Sarkar, 2012 ; Morgan et al, 2013 , 2015 , 2019 ; Brown et al, 2015 ; Lu et al, 2016 ; Yamada et al, 2017 ), motivational climate ( Machida et al, 2013 ; Codonhato et al, 2018 ; Chacón-Cuberos et al, 2019 ), facilitative environment ( Fletcher and Sarkar, 2016 ; Galli, 2016 ; Wagstaff et al, 2016 ), and identity ( Cowden and Meyer-Weitz, 2016 ) are lost. Loss of training and sport also constitutes a loss of an adaptive coping mechanism often used by athletes ( Park, 2000 ).…”

“…Participants who were over 18 years and in countries with lockdowns were recruited. Both team and individual/team sports were included to provide a holistic idea about the nature of the adversity and the process of resilience in a time of isolation since there could be potential differences as per existing theory ( Morgan et al, 2015 , 2019 ). Competitive elite athletes were approached since they were likely to have resilient characteristics that enabled them to withstand stressors for achieving success in their sport ( Hardy et al, 1996 ; Krane and Williams, 2006 ; Fletcher and Sarkar, 2012 ).…”

The impact of identity leadership on team functioning and well-being in team sport: Is psychological safety the missing link?

“…These qualities are likely to be particularly important during difficult times, including within sport teams. Indeed, in their season-long ethnographic study with a high-level rugby team, Morgan et al (2019) found that cultivating a team identity and a psychologically safe environment (in contrast to a 'blame culture') were vital for team resilience development. Although these observations have not yet been quantitavely evidenced in a sport context, some recent anecdotal evidence has hinted at its potential importance.…”

Achieving environmental sustainability through green transformational leadership policy: Can green team resilience help?

“…Researches on teams and group dynamics have been a fascinating issue for both practitioners and researchers (Morgan, Fletcher, & Sarkar, 2019). Unfortunately, only a few researches have considered team psychological capital in relation to the ability to handle environmental responsibilities.…”

“…Even though the scope of activity and decisions differ on these teams, the teams are conterminous in the obligation of formulating an environmental business strategy as a unit. Consequently, the capability to overcome difficult situations and evade possible negative outcome such as lowered team motivation, decrease in team prosaic attitude, and a decline in team performance is essential (Morgan, Fletcher, & Sarkar, 2019). The improvement of knowledge in the areas of team psychology gives a great insight into improving communal functioning and also bolsters optimization of team performance in a highly competitive environment for better decision making and effectual business strategy formulation.…”