| name | design-team-cohesion-program |
| description | Use when a coach or team leader needs to build or repair team unity, trust, and collective identity to improve both performance and athlete satisfaction |
| source | Albert Carron group dynamics in sport (1982); AASP team building guidelines; Carron, Colman, Wheeler & Stevens "Cohesion and Performance in Sport" JSEP (2002) meta-analysis |
| tags | ["team-cohesion","team-building","group-dynamics","leadership","culture"] |
| verified | true |
Design Team Cohesion Program
Build structured team cohesion interventions that strengthen both task cohesion (working together to win) and social cohesion (liking each other), producing measurable performance gains.
Why This Is Best Practice
Adopted by: AASP sport psychologists, Olympic team sport programs, professional sports franchises (Golden State Warriors culture programs, All Blacks culture model), corporate team-building bodies
Impact: Carron et al. (2002) meta-analysis (N=9,988 athletes) found cohesion-performance relationship effect size r=0.65 — one of the largest in sport psychology; high-cohesion teams show 20-30% less dropout and higher athlete satisfaction
Why best: Cohesion buffers performance under pressure, increases communication quality, and sustains effort through adversity; it is trainable through deliberate structured experiences, not just chemistry
