Thomas, William Edward Blake (2017) Teams: a social identity approach. Doctoral thesis (PhD), University of Sussex.

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Abstract

Through a series of three papers, this thesis explores identity processes in 52 teams,
ranging from amateur volleyball teams in Italy through to elite-level Olympic,
professional and military teams. Paper 1 takes a multilevel approach to social
identification and team performance, demonstrating that when identification occurs
across the whole team (i.e., team level identification) this predicts an increase in both
perceived and actual team performance. Paper 2 uses motivated identity construction
theory (MICT, Vignoles, 2011) as an integrative framework to explore why people
identify with teams. In doing so, this paper helps resolve confusions about the
relationship between “personal” and “group level” identity motives that have troubled
social identity researchers for almost four decades. Paper 3 extends this theorising by
investigating these identity processes in a unique sample of elite-level teams. A
longitudinal multilevel approach is used throughout these three papers, enabling us to
explore team level effects as well as making causal inferences regarding the direction of
relationships between identity motives, team identification and team performance. An
example of how this series of papers led to a team development tool implemented
within Great Britain Olympic men’s and women’s hockey teams is discussed.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Schools and Departments:	School of Psychology > Psychology
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GV Recreation. Leisure > GV0557 Sports H Social Sciences > HM Sociology > HM1001 Social psychology
Depositing User:	Library Cataloguing
Date Deposited:	23 Jan 2017 16:38
Last Modified:	23 Jan 2017 16:38
URI:	http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/66406

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