Multilevel Analysis of Coach Leadership, Group Cohesion and Collective Efficacy in Semiprofessional Football Teams

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Francisco M. Leo ^*, I. González-Ponce ^**, J. J. Pulido ^**, M. A. López-Gajardo ^*** and T. García-Calvo ^***

^(*) Faculty of Teacher Training, University of Extremadura, Spain
^(**) Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Extremadura, Spain
^(***) Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Extremadura, Spain

Citation

Leo, F.M., González-Ponce, I., Pulido, J.J., López-Gajardo, M.A., García-Calvo, T. (2022). Multilevel Analysis of Coach Leadership, Group Cohesion and Collective Efficacy in Semiprofessional Football Teams. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 53(4), 378-395. doi:10.7352/IJSP.2022.53.378

Abstract

This study examined how perceptions of leadership behavior in semi-profes- sional sport predicted group cohesion and collective efficacy in a sample of Spanish football players. We adopted a longitudinal perspective, taking measures at the be- ginning, the middle, and the end of a sport season, and three levels of analyses were specified: intra-individual, inter-individual, and inter-team level. Multilevel model- ing analysis showed that perceptions of positive leadership behaviors, such as training instruction, social support, positive feedback, and democratic behaviors, were a stron- ger predictor of a high level of cohesion and collective efficacy than were perceptions of coaches’ autocratic behavior. Predictive effects differed as a function of time, level of analyses and the outcome variable under investigation. The results indicate the importance of considering the coaches’ leadership styles when examining group cohe- sion and collective efficacy at different levels of analyses in semi-professional sports

Keywords: Coaching, Psychology, Team Sport

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