AUTOCRATIC COACHING
Disadvantages
Who was included:
Purpose of Study
- Examine the differences of student-athletes' preffered leadership behavior for their coaches based on gender, competition level, task dependence, and task variability.
What is Autocratic Coaching?
Nick Saban
References
Beam, J., Serwatka, T., & Wilson, W. (n.d.). Preferred Leadership in NCAA Division I and II Intercollegiate Student-Athletes. Journal of Sport Behavior, 27(1), 1-17.
- May not work well with independent sports such as tennis, golf, or swimming
- Team cannot contribute to the decision making
- The athletes' critical thinking or creativity may not develop or be used to their full advantage
- Student-athletes from NCAA D1 and D2 schools
- Included 408 males and females between ages of 18 and 25.
- 4 D1 schools
- 6 D2 schools
- Included independent (172) and interdependent (236) sports
- Full-time students only
- 179 males/ 229 females
- 171 D1
- 237 D2
Results
- "Do as I say"
- According to Revised Leadership Scale
- Limits involvement of athletes in decision making
- Use of commands and punishments
- Prescribes plans and methods for activites
- Coach makes plan for team independently of the athletes
Advantages
- Firm leader
- Quick decision maker
- Works well with dependent sports like basketball, baseball, and volleyball
- Young/ inexperienced athletes need the direction
- Less stress on the team
- Teaches athletes to follow orders
- Male student athletes preferred autocratic coaches
- Demonstrated differences in behavior preferences based on characteristics of gender, task-dependence, and task-variability
- Fisher's LSD revealed male closed sport student athletes gave higher ratings to autocratic behavior than female closed sport student athletes did
- Male physical education majors and athletes had a significantly higher preference for autocratic leader behavior