Lead me to train better: Transformational leadership moderates the negative relationship between athlete personality and training behaviours.

Zhang, Shuge; Beatie, Stuart; Pitkethly, Amanda; Dempsey, Chelsey

Abstract

High-quality training environments are essential for athletic peak performance. However, recent research highlighted that athletes' personality characteristics could undermine effective training. The current set of studies aimed to examine whether specific transformational leadership characteristics displayed by the coach would moderate the potential negative impacts of two personality traits (i.e., extraversion and neuroticism) on training behaviours. In study 1, ninety-nine university athletes completed questionnaires assessing personality, transformational leadership, and training behaviours. In study 2, eighty-four high-level athletes completed the same personality and transformational leadership questionnaires. However, in study 2 the head coaches assessed athletes’ training behaviours. Both studies showed that coach high-performance expectations moderated the extraversion-distractibility relationship. Further, both studies also demonstrated that the relationship between neuroticism and coping with adversity was moderated by coach’s inspirational motivation. Our findings highlight that extraversion and neuroticism can negatively relate to training behaviours, but such effects can be moderated by certain transformational leadership behaviours.

Citation

Zhang, S., Beatie, S., Pitkethly, A., & Dempsey, C. (2019). Lead me to train better: Transformational leadership moderates the negative relationship between athlete personality and training behaviours. Sport Psychologist, 33(2), 119-128. https://doi.org/10.1123/tsp.2018-0055

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 3, 2018
• Publication Date: 2019-06
• Deposit Date: Dec 10, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 11, 2018
• Journal: Sport Psychologist
• Print ISSN: 0888-4781
• Publisher: Human Kinetics
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 33
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 119-128
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1123/tsp.2018-0055
• Keywords: personality, transformational leadership, training behaviours, high-quality training
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/1427983
• Publisher URL: https://journals.humankinetics.com/page/about/tsp?mobileUi=0
• Contract Date: Dec 10, 2018