THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERCEIVED COACH LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOURS AND TEAM COHESION AMONG ROMANIAN ATHLETES

Abstract

Marius Crăciun y Claudia-Lenuţa Rus

Cohesion is an important aspect of performance groups. Therefore it is important to investigate the antecedents of team cohesion, such as leadership. Although the relationship between coach leadership behaviors and team cohesion has been extensively studied, it is not so clear. In the present study, we examined the relationship between the perceived coach leadership behaviors and group cohesion. The 81 participants have completed the Leadership Scale for Sport (LSS; athlete perceptions version) and Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ). The results show that perceived cohesion of the basket team members is significantly lower than the perceived cohesion of the volleyball, rugby and handball team members. Most of the coach leadership behaviors were negatively associated with the overall team cohesion and its dimensions. It was found that the coach leadership behaviors did not predict the overall team cohesion, when controlling the effects of gender and the type of sport. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.