Leadership and group cohesion: The impact of coach participation on the effectiveness of a team building intervention

Various studies have examined the effectiveness of team building interventions, the impact of perceptions of leader behavior, and the importance of various aspects of the coach-athlete relationship. However, absent from the literature is research examining the impact of leader participation in a team building intervention within an athletic environment. The objective of the current study was to examine the effectiveness of a team building intervention under varying conditions of coach participation. Forty-five Division I female athletes from Fairleigh Dickinson University participated in an eight week team building intervention created by this examiner. Two teams, which comprised the coach participation condition, engaged in all team building activities with their coach. Two other teams, which comprised the no coach participation condition, engaged in all team building activities without their coach. Pre-and post-intervention administrations of the Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ), the Coach Athlete Relationship Questionnaire (CART-Q), and the Leadership Scale for Sports (LSS) were used to assess differences in athlete's perceptions of group cohesion, coach-athlete relationship, and leadership style. Statistically significant relationships were found between both leader presence and perceptions of team cohesion as well as leader presence and perceptions of coach-athlete relationship. No significant results were found regarding perceptions of leader behavior. Interpretation and implication of findings were discussed.