Communication and Team Performance: A Case Study of Division I Football Captains

in International Journal of Sport Communication
Leeann M. Lower-Hoppe * , 1 , Kyle B. Heuett * , 2 , Tarkington J. Newman * , 3 and Shea M. Brgoch * , 1
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  • 1 The Ohio State University, USA
  • 2 Ball State University, USA
  • 3 University of New Hampshire, USA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsc.2019-0112
Keywords:
intrateam ego network; leader network centrality; leader network density
In Print:
Volume 13: Issue 1
Pages:
77–96
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Performance excellence is a core value in athletic teams. A team’s intraorganizational network has been considered an important determinant of team performance. However, the role of sport-team captains is often overlooked in lieu of the coaching staff. The purpose of this case study was to explore the relationship between team captains’ intrateam ego network and team-performance indicators. The researchers video recorded the intrateam communication of 4 college football-team captains over the course of 9 practices and collected secondary data pertaining to team performance. Analysis of the coded interactions revealed significant positive relationships between captains’ ego network and the previous week’s team performance, with a nonsignificant correlation with the subsequent week’s team performance. Analysis exploring the relationships between captains’ ego network and other team-performance indicators provides some support for the impact of intrateam communication on team performance. Implications for coaches and future directions for research are presented.

Lower-Hoppe and Brgoch are with the Dept. of Human Sciences, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH. Heuett is with the Dept. of Communication Studies, Ball State University, Muncie, IN. Newman is with the Dept. of Social Work, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH.

Lower-Hoppe (lower-hoppe.1@osu.edu) is corresponding author.

International Journal of Sport Communication

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