PSY FPX 8841 Assessment 4

Enhancing Team Performance Strategy

The subsequent report outlines the Team Performance Improvement Strategy created by Coach Rebekah Woodson for a collegiate-level co-ed cheerleading team, with emphasis on Track IV. The plan of improvement aimed at developing better team dynamics as a preparation for the team’s initial competition (APA Division 47, 2011). The strategy will provide the significant factors influencing the performance of the team, in addition to intervention strategies to offset barriers and enhance behaviors toward quality performance.

PSY FPX 8841 Assessment 4:Identifying Performance Challenges

Coach Becky has raised issues concerning her athletes’ loss of motivation and absence of team cohesion. This is her first coaching assignment with this team, a change from her previous coaching experience. Notably, the university is a Historically Black College and University (HBCU), while Coach Becky is a Caucasian woman from the UK. Her coaching experience is mostly dealing with competitive teams with minimal game day-type and competitive season experiences. She has most of her athletes questioning her ability to coach the team, adding complexity to the already present motivational deficit. Coach Becky asserts an overall low level of motivation among her athletes, which impedes their readiness for competition season. Motivation, as described by Bull and Sham (1996), includes external stimuli and internal mechanisms that initiate and direct behavior. Motivation is of two types: extrinsic, which is driven by external incentives like praise or money, and intrinsic, which is derived from within the sportsperson (Seipp, 1991).

Moreover, Coach Becky has observed a sharp lack of cohesiveness among veteran players and rookies. Veterans adopt a stricter approach towards rookies in learning, employing initiation strategies that further increase the gap. Cohesion, as conceptualized by Carron, Brawley, and Widmeyer (1998), is a dynamic process where a group comes together and remains together to pursue mutual objectives.

Strategies for Performance Enhancement

Overcoming Anxiety: Anxiety, which is an optimal state of mind for predicting bad outcomes, poses a huge problem, particularly for new competition players. Fear as a compelling motivation, as argued by Beckmann and Elbe (2014), is effective in triggering players to locate instances of true failure so that they can focus on positive fear and motivate themselves to practice and rectify weaknesses.

Developing Cohesion: To create a more cohesive team culture, implementing a mentorship-mentee model among rookies and veterans is a conservative approach. Putting athletes together based on similarities in academic majors or body positions facilitates familiarity. Montoya, Horton, and Kirchner’s (2008) study also discusses the contribution of perceived similarity towards the establishment of interpersonal relationships. Secondly, increasing interaction time among the team members, suggested by Eys et al. (2015), boosts cohesion.

Implementation and Integration

Integration into Practice: Anxiety-to-fear intervention and mentor-mentee sessions should be integrated into practice schedules smoothly. This facilitates direct application of skills learned in practice situations, thereby their efficacy. Coach Becky’s active participation in the sessions ensures she is committed to team development and promotes respect between her and the team.

Ethical Considerations and Mental Health

Since the team is co-ed, ethical concerns of fair treatment of athletes need strict examination. The American Psychological Association guidelines (2017) caution against discrimination on unfair bases, and emphasis is placed on making the environment inclusive. In addition, caution in terms of athletes’ mental health is to be observed, with active referral to mental health professionals warranted if there is a problem.

Feedback and Revisions

Coach Becky’s words emphasize the need to build interpersonal relationships among the team. In order to resolve her problems, the strategy targets incorporating interventions into practice schedules in order to be most effective and applicable. Apart from enhanced performance, this approach also builds a sense of belonging among the team members.

PSY FPX 8841 Assessment 4 Team Performance Enhancement Plan 

Beckmann, J., & Elbe, A. (2014). Sport psychological interventions in competitive sports. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Bull, A., & Sham, B. (1996). The mental game plan. Eastbourne, United Kingdom: Sports Dynamics.

Capella University. (n.d.). Tracks and Opportunities in Sport Psychology. Retrieved from

https://www.apadivisions.org

Carron, A. V., Brawley, L. R., & Widmeyer, W. N. (1998). The measurement of cohesiveness in sport groups. In J. L. Duda (Ed.), Advances in sport and exercise psychology measurement (pp. 213–226). Morgantown, WV: Fitness Information Technology.

Eys, M., Evans, M. B., Martin, L. J., Ohlert, J., Wolf, S. A., Van Bussel, M., & Steins, C. (2015). Cohesion and performance for female and male sports teams. The Sport Psychologist, 29(2), 97–109.

Montoya, R. M., Horton, R. S., & Kirchner, J. (2008). Is actual similarity necessary for attraction? A meta-analysis of actual and perceived similarity. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 25(6), 889–922. 

. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407508096700

PSY FPX 8841 Assessment 4 Team Performance Enhancement Plan 

Seipp, B. (1991). Anxiety and academic performance: A meta-analysis of findings. Anxiety Research, 4(1), 27-41.