“Cohesion” means how well a team works together (Martin & Herbison, 2019). Carron et al. (1985) found that when a team is united and working towards the same goal, they are more likely to do well.
Carron et al. (1985) proposed that there are two dimensions of cohesion: task and social. For task cohesion, group integration task (GIT) involves member’s perceptions of the degree to which the team is united toward achieving the team’s objectives. Attractions to the group task (ATGT) is more introspective in nature and refers to whether an what an individual wants is in line with the desires of the group.
Carron et al. (2002) found that things like team roles, leadership, and how satisfied team members are can affect how well they work together. Several questionnaires have been developed to measure cohesion, such as the Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ) (Carron et al., 1985), which has been adapted for use with children, adolescents, and older adults, and has been translated into several languages.
Overall, when a team has good cohesion, they are more likely to do well together, and an overview of the research supports the relationship between task cohesion and team performance (Carron et al., 2002).
Carron, A. V., Brawley, L. R., & Widmeyer, W. N. (1998). The measurement of cohesiveness in sport groups. In J. L. Duda (Ed.), Advances in sport and exercise psychology mea- surement (pp. 213226). Morgantown, WV: Fitness Information Technology.
Carron, A. V., Colman, M., Wheeler, J., & Stevens, D. (2002). Cohesion and performance in sport: A meta analysis. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 24, 168188.
Carron, A. V., Widmeyer, W. N., & Brawley, L. R. (1985). The development of an instrument to assess cohesion in sport teams: The Group Environment Questionnaire. Journal of Sport Psychology, 7, 244266.
Martin, L. J., & Herbison, J.D. (2019). In D. Hackfort, R. J. Schinke, & B. Strauss (Eds.), Dictionary of sport psychology: Sport, exercise, and performing arts. Academic Press.
