‘We don’t have enough leaders.’ It’s a call you’ll hear from fans, managers and pundits on a regular basis. But what defines a dressing room ‘leader’ and how can clubs develop what some coaches are now calling ‘cultural guardians’? It’s an issue that divides opinion. On the one hand, it’s tempting to point to images of talismanic performances (think David Beckham against Greece in 2001) or dogged resilience (Giorgio Chiellini’s immovable presence springs to mind).
It's an interesting question! Traits, behaviours, emotions and cognitions of leadership (amongst other things) have been studied extensively to account for creating something akin to a "leadership group". So in short, leadership can take many forms...some more observable to the average fan, than others. This paper (Eberly et al., 2013) explores some of the dynamics involved in generating integrative leadership processes. I think the references in the paper to "event cycles" (interpersonal interactions as points of reference, contact and influence on leadership) (Morgeson and Hofmann, 1999) could be particularly relevant here and in other team sports.
“With collectives, multiple leaders and followers interact with the other loci, which then determine how leadership develops. The context may also interact with the group/collective to redefine leadership.” (Eberly et al., 2013, p. 434)
Eberly, M. B., Johnson, M. D., Hernandez, M., & Avolio, B. J. (2013). An integrative process model of leadership: Examining loci, mechanisms, and event cycles. American Psychologist, 68, 427–443. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032244
It's an interesting question! Traits, behaviours, emotions and cognitions of leadership (amongst other things) have been studied extensively to account for creating something akin to a "leadership group". So in short, leadership can take many forms...some more observable to the average fan, than others. This paper (Eberly et al., 2013) explores some of the dynamics involved in generating integrative leadership processes. I think the references in the paper to "event cycles" (interpersonal interactions as points of reference, contact and influence on leadership) (Morgeson and Hofmann, 1999) could be particularly relevant here and in other team sports.
“With collectives, multiple leaders and followers interact with the other loci, which then determine how leadership develops. The context may also interact with the group/collective to redefine leadership.” (Eberly et al., 2013, p. 434)
Eberly, M. B., Johnson, M. D., Hernandez, M., & Avolio, B. J. (2013). An integrative process model of leadership: Examining loci, mechanisms, and event cycles. American Psychologist, 68, 427–443. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032244