1. The team building/cohesion
relationship:
What every coach should know to
get the most out of their team
Stefanie A. Latham, Ph.D.
Contact info and Bio on Last slide

2. “Naturally there are going to be some
ups and down, particularly if you have
individuals trying to achieve at a high
level…when a pressure situation
presented itself, we were plugged into
one another as a cohesive unit. That’s
why we were able to win, and that’s why
we were able to beat more talented
teams” (Michael Jordon, 1994, 23)

3. Why you need to increase
cohesion on your team
 Teams do not succeed on talent alone!
 Success requires teamwork
 “You’re not going to win with kids
who are just All-Americans. A team
must have togetherness” (Pat Riley)
 Talent without teamwork=TROUBLE!
 Teamwork allows your talent to work
together in harmony. (Cohesion)

4. Cohesion Defined
 Cohesion is the tendency of a group to stick
together and remain united while pursuing
goals and objectives (Carron et al., 1998).
 Two types of Cohesion:
 Social – relates to relationships
 Task – activities team engages in to
accomplish goals
 Can be accomplished by team building

5. Team Building
 Effective means to increase cohesion
 Cohesion increases chances of success and
satisfaction
 Successful coaches and athletes credit their
success to cohesion
 Cohesion contributes to as much as 80-95%
of team’s success (Yukelson, 1996; 2002)

6. Why Team-Building
 Enhances task and social cohesion
 Maximizes potential because the team is
focused on common goals
 Enhances success by minimizing conflict
 Increases your odds of winning
 Make the season more enjoyable for you
and your players!
 Important for team and individual sports

7. More on Team Building
 Coaches only devote 5-10% of practice
time to developing team chemistry
 Team building can include games &
activities
 But also drills to sharpen focus, set goals,
clear communication, imagery, build
motivation and confidence, etc

8. Cohesion is a product
of team-building
 Conceptual Factors that increase cohesion:
2. The Team’s Environment
3. The Team’s Structure
4. The Team’s Processes
 Each factor holds specific components
 Research says TB in each area increases
cohesion but varies from team to team

9. Team Structure
 Role Clarity, Acceptance, and Appreciation
 Leadership (coaches and team leaders)
 How are you going to chose leaders?
 How are you going to increase leadership
on your team?
 Conformity to Standards
 More likely if there is ownership

10. Team Environment
 Togetherness
 Team wins together, loses together
 Social events
 Supportive teammates in practices and
games
 Distinctiveness
 Sense of pride, traditions within the team

11. Team processes
 Sacrifices
 Team rules, high status members
 Goals & Objectives
 Common team goals are associated
w/greater success than individual
 Process goals vs. outcome goals
 Enhanced cohesion if players have a say
= take ownership
 Cooperation (working together)

12. BRAINSTORMING TIME!!!
 Each group brainstorm and generate as
many specific strategies as possible that
they might be used for team building based
on the conceptual factors discussed.
 Include TB activities for TS, TE, & TP
 Designate a transcriber and a speaker
 Time starts now……………………….

13. SHARE TIME!
 Speaker, quickly and briefly tell us
using your GYM voice what Specific
Strategies your group came up with

14. Team Building Strategies for
Building Social Cohesion
 Team dinners, go to the movies together,
have your team play a different sport
 Preseason retreat or training camps
 Team scavenger hunts
 Support squads – pairs, goals
 People bingo card
 Secret pals

15. Team Building Strategies (cont.)
 Sunshine notes
 Switch positions for the day (roles)
 I got your back (roles)
 Conflict skits
 Slogan/Themes/Posters
 Mission Statements & Common Goals

16. Balloon Train
 Have twice as many balloons as you have players
 Set up a slalom course using 4-6 cones and obstacles
 Zig-Zag the cones 5-10 yards away from each other
 Players line up in straight single file line with inflated
balloon between their navel and the teammates back who
is in front of them
 Walk through the course together as a team w/o busting
balloons
 Afterwards, have each player share one thought on the
activity. Activity requires working closely together to
achieve a common goal

17. Strung Together
 Have a large ball of string
 Team members sit down in a big circle
 Hand the ball of string to one player and have her hold one
end of it
 She tosses the ball of string to another teammate while
holding the end of the string
 She will talk about all the things the team needs from the
teammate she tossed the ball of string to in order for the
team to be successful
 Encourage others to add to the statement
 That player then hangs onto part of the string then tosses
the ball to another player

18. Strung together
 Once everyone is holding a piece of the string
(including you) have players discuss their
perceptions of what the activity means
 i.e. everyone is dependant on each other in some
way because of the connections of the string
 Have them talk about what it means to be
connected. How that relates to responsibility,
accountability, and trust
 Have them discuss what happens if connections
are cut or a person lets go of the string

19. FINAL THOUGHTS
 Do not try to intervene on every conceptual
factor at once. Too much = overload = less
cohesion
 Determine with your players which factors
need attention for your team
 Remember a strategy that is effect with one
team is not always effective with another
 TB activities should always have a purpose

20. More Final Thoughts
 Every activity should have an objective and
end with discussion
 The most important part of team building
activities occur after the exercise and
depends upon how you relate the activity
back to your team
 Allow each person to share their thoughts

21. Final, Final Thoughts
 The role of the coach/teacher is to facilitate
discussion
 keep it on track!
 Keep it going!
 Focus on solutions not the problems!
 Any criticism should be presented
constructively!

22. Final Quotes to Ponder
 “Talent wins games, but teamwork and
intelligence win championships” (Michael Jordon)
 “A great collection of talent with unbalanced
chemistry and inappropriate attitudes can get
knocked over by teams of lesser talent” (John
Wooden)
 “Teamwork is taught. You don’t just lump a
group of people together in a room and call them a
team and expect them to behave like one.” (Pat
Summitt)

23. Stefanie A. Latham, Ph.D. (405-659-9770)
Follow her on Twitter @stefanielatham
StefanieLatham@yahoo.com
Stefanie has worked in and around athletics all of her life. She was a dual collegiate
athlete in volleyball and track at Southern Nazarene University (1994-1997).
Following her playing career she immediately began coaching volleyball as an
Assistant Coach at the University of Central Oklahoma. She went on to the high
school ranks establishing a winning record of 187-12 in seven short years. She was
selected as the Oklahoma Coaches Association coach of the year for two years in
2001 and 2002. She directed and coached a premiere United States Volleyball
Association club for five years with teams advancing to nationals every year.
Stefanie left the world of coaching in 2003 to finish her Ph.D. in Sport Psychology.
She served as the Chairwoman and Professor of Sport Science at Oklahoma City
University for five years. She currently consults privately with individual athletes
/teams and does research analysis for the BBN Network. She has also contributed to
the peak performance of numerous winning teams across a variety of sports at the
collegiate and high school levels including Oklahoma State University, University of
Central Oklahoma, West Texas A&M University, and Oklahoma City University.
Stefanie is a frequent and popular motivational speaker at many schools, workshops,
and professional conferences across the country. As a result of her work and
experience with elite athletes and teams, Stefanie has authored and co-authored