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    Coaches, captains and constructing culture : a case study of the Silver Ferns : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sport & Exercise at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2019) McCarthy, Lana
    Organizational culture and leadership can influence the success of both businesses and high performance sports teams. This current research is based on Schein’s (2010) three level theoretical model of organizational culture using artefacts (rites, rituals and symbols), values and beliefs, and core assumptions. Female sport in general, and female high performance sport specifically, is not well served by the media. Receiving even scanter coverage and insights, is scholarly work on women’s elite sport investigated from the perspective of team captains and coaches. Therefore, this study examines New Zealand’s national netball team, the Silver Ferns from 1960-2015, and the ways in which captains and coaches have constructed the culture of the team. Employing a case study methodology, primary data was generated through the use of semi-structured, in-depth interviews with former Silver Fern captains and coaches. This qualitative research approach provided insights into the various experiences and stories of the participants, and described other aspects such as their actions, beliefs and interests (Denzin & Lincoln, 2005). A consistent finding was team member adherence to the values of work ethic, pride, and good behaviour on and off the court. In addition, other constant characteristics included pride in selection, in wearing the black dress and the symbol of the silver fern. By contrast, no single model of coaching emerged as a constant across the eras. There was also a lack of consistent rituals and a range of inconsistencies in the ways various captains and coaches perceived the emphasis placed on winning. An outcome of this unique study is a historical insight into a New Zealand female high performance sport team, the Silver Ferns, and its evolving team culture and leadership. It is hoped that these insights will inform current and future best practice in elite-level female sport teams and help achieve further consistent high quality performances, thereby heightening the prospect of winning.
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    The relationship between attachment style and important elite sport team variables : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2018) Campbell, Jade
    The purpose of this study was to extend group attachment theory research by Smith, Murphy, and Coats (1999) and apply it within a sport team context. The relationship between attachment and important sport team variables, namely leadership, cohesion, and collective efficacy, was explored. Data were collated by on-site administration of a questionnaire consisting of the Social Group Attachment Scale (SGAS), the Leadership Scale for Sport (LSS), the Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ), and the Collective Efficacy Scale. The sample included 173 elite female netball players from 16 teams competing in the U17 and U19 New Zealand National Championships. Results demonstrate that both attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance had significant negative correlations with almost all subscales from the GEQ and collective efficacy measure. However, attachment avoidance revealed enlarged significance and strength in the relationships. Similarly, attachment avoidance demonstrated a significant positive relationship with three leadership subscales, whereas attachment anxiety did not. Attachment avoidance demonstrates a stronger relationship with the variables under investigation, suggesting this style of attachment may have a more detrimental impact in an elite sport team setting. Implications for theory, measurement, coaches, and sport psychology are discussed. Future recommendations for researchers, sport psychologists, and coaches are also discussed.
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    How individualism and collectivism relate to team performance, team cohesion, and collective efficacy in a multilevel analysis : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Psychology at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2016) Edwards, Lydia Lucy
    Individual-level individualism (IND) and collectivism (COL), team performance, and team cohesion were investigated as predictors of collective efficacy using Hierarchical Linear Modelling (HLM). Participants were 153 elite netball players comprising 16 teams competing at either of two national tournaments. The netball players completed a questionnaire the day before their tournament consisting of Carron, Widmeyer, and Brawley’s (1985) Group Environment Questionnaire measuring four types of team cohesion (‘individual attractions to the group-social’, ‘individual attractions to the group-task’, ‘group integration-social’, and ‘group integration-task’), Triandis and Gelfand’s (1998) IND-COL scale (measuring horizontal individualism, horizontal collectivism, vertical individualism, and vertical collectivism), and a collective efficacy measure designed for netball players by Wilkinson, Fletcher, and Sachsenweger (2011). Team performance was measured as the percentage of games won by each team at their tournament. The four types of IND-COL were analysed as individual-level predictors, and performance and team cohesion were included as team-level predictors, of collective efficacy. HLM was used to analyse main effects of individual-level and team-level predictors, and any cross level interactions simultaneously. As overall team cohesion and team performance increased, collective efficacy increased, consistent with previous research. However, when the four types of cohesion were specified as team-level predictors, only the ‘individual attractions to the group-task’ (ATGT) type of cohesion significantly predicted collective efficacy, and performance no longer remained a significant predictor of collective efficacy. Furthermore, at high levels of ATGT, players higher on vertical collectivism tended to have greater collective efficacy. Whereas at low levels of ATGT, players higher on vertical collectivism tended to have lower collective efficacy. This type of interaction had not been explored in research previously, and was a new finding. Therefore, the study highlighted the value in research on how individual-level IND and COL relate to team cohesion and collective efficacy, and offered the first insight into their relationship in a team context.
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    Team culture and leadership : a case study of the Northern Mystics netball team : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Sport and Exercise at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2015) McCarthy, Lana Margaret
    A winning culture has been defined as “one in which everyone on the team is committed to creating a performance-focused environment, which in turn, provides the opportunity for the team and every individual on that team to win” (Goldsmith, 2007, p. 42). This case study examines the team culture and leadership of the Northern Mystics netball franchise team throughout the ANZ Championship competition between 2008 and 2014. It focuses on what past and present factors of the team culture and leadership have influenced the team’s perceived lack of success (41 wins, 45%: 50 losses), and also what factors are important in creating a successful winning team for future seasons to come. Primary data was obtained through the use of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with both past and present Northern Mystics coaches (N = 4) and senior players (N = 3). The rich description provided by these interviews, combined with the lack of scholarly studies completed in this specific area of study, increased the credibility of this qualitative research. A case study analysis was chosen as it allows for the integration and contrasting of different perspectives to provide a detailed understanding of a context (Yin, 2009). Findings indicate that there is a need to re-establish, reinforce and commit to team values each season, and adopt a transformational and collective leadership approach involving informal and formal leaders to align cultural values. Whilst it is acknowledged that there are other aspects that affect team performance, it is hoped that these findings could potentially provide a catalyst and be of significant use to the Northern Mystics netball franchise, along with other high-performing sports team environments which will support the development and sustaining of a winning team culture.