Culture Change in Elite Sport Performance Teams: Examining and Advancing Effectiveness in the New Era

Abstract

Reflecting the importance of optimizing culture for elite teams, Fletcher and Arnold (2011) recently suggested the need for expertise in culture change. Acknowledging the dearth of literature on the specific process, however, the potential effectiveness of practitioners in this area is unknown. The present paper examines the activity's precise demands and the validity of understanding in sport psychology and organizational research to support its delivery. Recognizing that sport psychologists are being increasingly utilized by elite team management, initial evidence-based guidelines are presented. Finally, to stimulate the development of ecologically valid, practically meaningful knowledge, the paper identifies a number of future research directions.

Notes

In some professional sport cases, however, oligarch team owners (rather than a number of board members) may hold all the power in determining the level and extent of resource provision, carrying bespoke implications for the manager's efforts to ensure compatibility between the manager's perceptions and those above.