Is Stylistic Coach Leadership Style Suitable for Young Student Athletes? The Effect on Team Cohesion and Team Performance

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between stylistic coach leadership style, team cohesion, and team performance for young student athletes who take part in a team sport. The stylistic coach leadership style is defined as a combination of both democratic and holistic coach leadership styles. In other words, the stylistic coach leadership style is when the coaches make the final decision based on what young student athletes think while ensuring that they are content and that the team is able to be successful overall. In order to determine the effect of stylistic coach leadership style on team cohesion and team performance, a study was conducted using an online questionnaire that was split into two parts. Young student athletes in grades 6 through 12 who were taking part in a team sport at the time were eligible to participate in this study. Demographic information was collected through the first part of the questionnaire while the second part measured each of the three constructs through questions that required the athletes to rank the statements based on the 5-point Likert scale. The results highlight that the stylistic coach leadership style directly affects both team cohesion and team performance, and team cohesion acts as a partial mediator in the relationship between stylistic coach leadership style and team performance. Finally, this study also provides some practical suggestions for coaches, with the aim of aiding them to be more efficient and effective in leading those young student athletes.