Developing Team Cohesion: A Comparison of Cognitive-Behavioral Strategies of U.S. and Australian Sports Coaches

Anecdotal importance has been placed on various means of developing sport team cohesion. However, little empirical evidence exists as to the specific cognitive-behavioral strategies used by coaches and the situational variables that govern their use (M. H. Anshel, 1990; F. Gardner, 1995). The goal of this study was to determine the latent factors of cohesion strategies as well as patterns of use. Australian (n = 196) and U.S. (n = 162) coaches reported the frequency of use, relative effectiveness, and perceived control of coaching behaviors proposed to facilitate team cohesion. Multiple analysis of variance revealed that social cohesion strategies were determined primarily by sporting culture, coach gender, sport type, and competitive level of teams. Cultural differences in strategy use are discussed within the framework of J. Misumi's (1992) performance-maintenance theory of leadership. © 1999 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.