Transformational leadership and task cohesion in sport: The mediating role of inside sacrifice

Citation

Cronin LD, Arthur CA, Hardy J & Callow N (2015) Transformational leadership and task cohesion in sport: The mediating role of inside sacrifice. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 37 (1), pp. 23-36. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.2014-0116

Abstract
In this cross-sectional study, we examined a mediational model whereby transformational leadership is related to task cohesion via sacrifice. Participants were 381 American (Mage = 19.87 years, SD = 1.41) Division I university athletes (188 males, 193 females) who competed in a variety of sports. Participants completed measures of coach transformational leadership, personal and teammate inside sacrifice, and task cohesion. After conducting multilevel mediation analysis, we found that both personal and teammate inside sacrifice significantly mediated the relationships between transformational leadership behaviors and task cohesion. However, there were differential patterns of these relationships for male and female athletes. Interpretation of the results highlights that coaches should endeavor to display transformational leadership behaviors as they are related to personal and teammate inside sacrifices and task cohesion.

Keywords
coaching; group dynamics; teamwork

Journal
Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology: Volume 37, Issue 1