Cohesion

Originally printed in The Aquinian on 02/03/09

Most athletes will agree on one thing.

A team in which every player gets along well with each other and communication levels are high, results in great performance.

It’s called Cohesion.

Meaning, a common vision. Clear and concrete goals that accompany that vision and members that believe in the strategy.

Teams with cohesion can achieve dramatic results. The way players on teams interact directly relates to success.

As a famous sports psychologist once put it, “The fittest to survive and succeed are those able to find their strength in cooperation, able to build teams based upon mutual helpfulness, and responsibility for one’s fellow teammates."

Many things affect whether a team bonds together or not. Stability increases the chances. When a team has been together for a longer period of time, naturally, they will become more cohesive. Similarities in age, sex, skill, and attitudes bring groups together. A team smaller in size with fewer players would bond quicker than a large one.

Cohesive teams have coaches and managers who support the players and encourage them to form relationships.

Problems arise within a team when members start loafing.
This is the tendency to lessen your contribution when a part of a large group. One might perceive another working less hard then he/she, so they feel that gives them an excuse to exert less effort.

However, some may feel that their efforts are having little effect on the outcome or that their contribution is going unnoticed. The main problem arises when players assume that others will cover up for their lack of effort.

Team dynamics are unpredictable. Shouldn’t management shy away from the tactical side of sport and spend time forming cohesion? I think that teams are unaware of cohesion until it actually happens.

The more cohesive a team is, the more it encourages everyone to raise the level of their game to match others.

More often than not, players resort to the notion, “If it happens, that’s great, but if not, well, we don’t have a close group this year and there’s not much that can be done."

Be sure to spend time developing quality relationships with teammates. The more you understand and trust a person, the better your chemistry will be during competition.

JC23