What is Organizational Sport Psychology?
Most people are familiar with sport psychology, but few are aware of organizational sports psychology. Organizational sports psychology is the study of how individuals are affected by the team and/or organization they belong to and vice versa.
As an Organizational Sports Psychologist, I work with teams to explore two essential questions:
How does this team culture influence individual and team performance?
Does this team culture promote and support the care and well-being of all individuals within its community?
The first question works to breaks the so-called “myth of individualism” and belief that sporting success is determined by individuals alone. In point of this, Wagstaff (2019, p.2) explains that
. . .recurrent success in elite sport is not dependent on the talent (i.e., embodied competence) of individual performers but how effectively these individuals build and maintain working relationships with a systematic collective of social agents (e.g., coaches, managers, other performers, support staff, administrators, agents), supports (e.g., scientific, medical, and technological expertise), networks (e.g., personal social support), and bodies (e.g., sport organizations, commercial sponsors) to optimize day-to-day engagement and productivity in preparation for and performance at major competitions.
Individuals, and I mean all individuals, players, coaches, administrators, etc. are all impacted by the cultural forces they are subjected to. Without a doubt there is no argument that talent is necessary for high-achievement, but talent alone cannot achieve consistent success. It just can’t. Talent needs support and a team community aligned with the same performance objectives and expectations.
The second addresses the social-emotional expectations now placed on teams and athletic organizations that they provide a positive working environment for all those within their community. Times have gratefully changed and the abusive, negative, do-as-I-say, model of teaming is no longer acceptable. The news is littered with coached and sporting leaders who failed to attend to the social emotional needs of players and personnel alike. The Yates Report is but one of the most recent incidents wherein multiple franchises failed to protect their players.
Put simply, culture matters and it drives—or limits—performance in all areas.
References
Wagstaff, C. R. D. (2019). Taking Stock of Organizational Psychology in Sport. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 31(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2018.1539785