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Published (Version of record)CC BY-NC V4.0, Open Access
Published (Version of record)CC BY-NC V4.0, Open
Journal article
Characteristics of successful performance support team members at the Olympic games
International journal of sports science & coaching, Vol.19(5), pp.1950-1960
10/2024
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Source: InCites
Abstract
Objectives
Athletes and coaches rely on their performance support team to optimise training and competition. The specific characteristics of performance support teams that contribute to success in competition from the perspective of athletes and coaches have not been examined. Olympic gold medal winning athletes and coaches were asked about the characteristics they valued in the performance support team members who were with them at the Olympic Games. The insights shared provide important context to the role of the performance support team member, beyond technical skills, in the high-stress environment of elite sporting competition.
Methods
Concept mapping was completed online to collect, analyse, and visually represent insights from 30 Olympic gold medal winning athletes and coaches. The concept mapping focus prompt used to generate insights from participants was 'When I reflect on my gold medal winning performance, a characteristic that I really valued within my support team was horizontal ellipsis .'. Athletes then brainstormed, sorted, and rated relevant statements.
Results
Multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis produced an 8-cluster map - Way of Working, Communication Style, Emotional Management in Competition, Teamwork, Commitment to Athlete Preparation, Professionalism, Embracing the Experience, and Equality - as the best visual representation of the way participants sorted the 49 unique brainstormed statements.
Conclusions
Olympic gold medal winning athletes and coaches prioritised ways of working, communication style, emotional management, and teamwork as the characteristics they valued most in their performance support team. These constructs, when further examined by item, encourage performance support staff to develop emotional management skills to (a) strengthen interpersonal relationships within the team, (b) enhance the working alliance with athletes and coaches, and (c) contribute to team performance overall. Concept mapping provided a structured way of collecting lived experience insights that may compliment other qualitative approaches such as structured interviews.
Details
- Title
- Characteristics of successful performance support team members at the Olympic games
- Creators
- Lauren Burns - Southern Cross UniversityRosanna Stanimirovic - Australian Institute of SportAlex Donaldson - La Trobe University
- Publication Details
- International journal of sports science & coaching, Vol.19(5), pp.1950-1960
- Publisher
- SAGE
- Number of pages
- 11
- Identifiers
- 991013261010702368
- Copyright
- © The Author(s) 2024
- Academic Unit
- National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article