A Functional Model of Team Leadership for Sports

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The purpose of this study was to provide a new framework of team leadership in sport. More specifically, the aim was to examine a functional leadership paradigm in sport where full range of leadership behaviors by the coach and by the collective athletes influence team cohesion, and thereby increase the likelihood of team goal achievement. Data were utilized from 518 NCAA Division I-III athletes from 36 softball teams and 13 baseball teams. The participants completed the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (Avolio & Bass, 2004), the Team Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (Avolio & Bass, 1996), the Group Environment Questionnaire (Carron, Brawley, & Widmeyer, 1985), and the Team Outcome Questionnaire that was created for this study. Structural equation modeling was used to assess the relationships among the variables in the model. The results indicated that the original hypothesized model did not fit the data, but an acceptable alternative model was found which included transformational leadership and two transactional leadership variables as three separate leadership styles influencing perceptions of cohesion. It was discovered that transformational leadership had a significant positive effect on cohesion, which in turn appeared to have a significant positive effect on goal achievement. The author discusses a potentially fruitful direction in the examination of team leadership, within which the first step would involve a closer examination of measurement of coach leadership, team leadership, and cohesion.