Teams in sports can work together better if they have shared knowledge. Shared knowledge means that everyone on the team understands the situation in a similar way (Eccles & Tenenbaum, 2004). This understanding helps them coordinate their actions during a game. To have shared knowledge, teams need to share information before the game. This information includes things that are typical for the team and for the sport in general. For example, in soccer, players know that if they lose the ball, their teammates will move to defend. They also have knowledge specific to their team, like knowing that a certain player prefers to pass with their left foot. Teams can plan and practice together to develop this shared knowledge. They come up with coordinated actions and practice them during training. These plans can be general, like “press high in the second half,” or more specific, like “Rob passes out wide to Antonio in this set play” (Eccles, 2010). Having shared knowledge helps team members work together and coordinate their actions during a game.
Eccles, D. W. (2010). The coordination of labour in sports teams. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 3, 154-170.
Eccles, D. W., & Tenenbaum, G. (2004). Why an expert team is more than a team of experts: A social-cognitive conceptu- alization of team coordination and communication in sport. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 26, 542-560.
