It's A Collaboration

So far I have discussed and described 2 out of the 3 Cs that can be used to improve performances of them individually and the team as a whole. This week I will talk about the last of the 3 Cs which is collaboration, which is the ability of the players to work as a team.

Collaboration is the ability to work as a team. This might sound simple but it can be very hard to get 16 people with a collective focus and all pulling in the same direction. Luckily we have a strong squad and team ethic here, and the players get on well and focus on the games at hand. This has been increasingly evident in the last few games, there is a real unity about the team and a great feeling within the team in both training and matches. The players are working extremely hard for each other and the results have been showing this.

There is a psychological phenomena called social loafing, which is where people put less effort into a task when they are in a group than they would if they were working individually, this is because people think that their own personal effort is not important and that if they reduce their effort someone else in the group will put more effort in. However, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, so it is important that every player on the team knows their individual jobs and how they are important to the team as a whole. This is where the concept of team spirit comes in, if the team is a close unit the individual players are more likely to put in extra effort so that they do not let their team mates and their friends down. This is a phenomenon called social labouring, where people that know each other will put more effort into a task when they are in a group so they do not let their team mates and friends down.

It is difficult to get new players to the team to bond straight away but we had an opportunity to do this when a game was called off through the winter, when the team went paintballing, everyone who attended had a great day and the already strong team spirit has got better since then. Away games which are travelled to by bus also give an opportunity for the players to bond together, I think the bus trip back from Sheffield FC was particularly memorable for some dodgy singing at the back of the bus!

If players can work as a team, concentrate on their jobs and are confident in their own ability they will have a good chance of success on the football pitch.