Wanneer het woord “leiderschap” valt, wordt dit vaak spontaan in verband gebracht met het leiderschap van de formele leidinggevende; de CEO of teammanager binnen een organisatie of de coach binnen een sportteam. Wat vaak wordt onderschat, is het leiderschap van andere sleutelfiguren binnenin het team. Door actief een leiderschapsrol op te nemen, kunnen teamleden immers een essentiële schakel vormen in het optimaal functioneren van hun team.
Uit recente analyses blijkt immers dat binnen organisaties, op alle niveaus, talentvolle informele leiders aanwezig zijn waarvan het leiderschapspotentieel vaak onbenut blijft. Ook binnen sportteams wordt het leiderschapstalent niet optimaal ingezet. Hoewel hier vaak naar de kapitein wordt gekeken voor leiderschap, blijkt dat in de overgrote meerderheid van de teams het andere spelers dan de kapitein zijn die op en naast het veld het voortouw nemen.
Lees hier meer over de rol van de teamkapitein.
Wanneer de teamleden met leiderschapstalent niet benoemd worden in hun rol, is de kans echter reëel dat zij hun leiderschapspotentieel niet ten volle zullen benutten (bv. uit angst voor reacties van teamgenoten of de formele leider). En dat zou zeer jammer zijn. Vanuit ons onderzoek blijkt immers dat leiders binnen het team net heel wat potentieel hebben om het teamfunctioneren te versterken.
We geven jullie hierbij graag wat meer inzicht in ons onderzoek dat het belang van deze sleutelfiguren binnen het team bekrachtigde. Om te kijken of leiders binnen het team daadwerkelijk een sterke impact hadden op het teamfunctioneren, voerden we een reeks van wetenschappelijke studies uit. Lees hieronder meer over de opzet en de resultaten van elk van onze studies.
We kunnen concluderen dat leiders wel degelijk een zeer sterke impact hebben op het teamvertrouwen, de motivatie, en de prestatie van hun teamgenoten. Deze studies bevestigen de positieve kracht van leiderschap waarbij goede leiders binnen het team het team op sleeptouw kunnen nemen, hun aanstekelijk enthousiasme verspreiden binnen het team en zo ook de prestaties van hun teamgenoten verbeteren.
Tegelijkertijd waarschuwen deze studies ook voor de gevaren van leiderschap. Wanneer de verkeerde leiders gekozen worden en zij laten hun schouders op beslissende momenten zakken, dan zal ook dit gebrek aan teamvertrouwen zich razendsnel verspreiden doorheen het team met fatale gevolgen voor de prestatie. Op deze pagina kan je meer info terugvinden rond de opzet en de resultaten van één van deze studies die deze bevindingen aan het licht bracht.
Gebruik dus onze Shared Leadership Mapping om zo de juiste leiders binnen het team te identificeren en te benoemen en de kracht van je leiders ten volle te benutten.
Lees hier meer over onze studies rond dit topic:
Measuring leadership in sport: Development and validation of the Identity Leadership Inventory – Youth (ILI-Y)
Butalia, R., Miller, A., Steffens, N. K., Haslam, S. A., Bruner, M. W., McLaren, C. D., Boen, F., Slater, M. J., Dunn, K., & Fransen, K. (2024). Measuring leadership in sport: Development and validation of the Identity Leadership Inventory – Youth (ILI-Y). Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 73, Article 102630. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2024.102630
The power of peer leaders: Exploring the link between peer leadership behaviors and sustainable work outcomes
Edelmann, C. M., Boen, F., Stouten, J., Vande Broek, G., & Fransen, K. (2024). The power of peer leaders: Exploring the link between peer leadership behaviors and sustainable work outcomes. Behavioral Sciences, 14(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14010002
Unlocking the power of ‘us’: Longitudinal evidence that identity leadership predicts team functioning and athlete well-being
Fransen, K., Boen, F., Haslam, S. A., McLaren, C. D., Mertens, N., Steffens, N. K., & Bruner, M. W. (2022). Unlocking the power of ‘us’: Longitudinal evidence that identity leadership predicts team functioning and athlete well-being. Journal of Sports Sciences, 40(24), 2768-2783. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2023.2193005
Leading the way together: A cluster randomised controlled trial of the 5R Shared Leadership Program in older adult walking groups
Fransen, K., Cruwys, T., Haslam, C., Iserbyt, P., Seghers, J., Vanderlinden, J., Van Uffelen, J. G. Z., Verbaanderd, E., & Boen, F. (2022). Leading the way together: A cluster randomised controlled trial of the 5R Shared Leadership Program in older adult walking groups. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 19, 63. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-022-01297-x
El poder del liderazgo de jugadores en equipos deportivos
Fransen, K. (2021). El poder del liderazgo de jugadores en equipos deportivos. In T. García-Calvo, F. M. Leo, & E. Cervelló (Eds.), Dirección de equipos deportivos (pp. 147-177). Tirant Lo Blanch.
Harnessing the power of ‘us’: A randomized wait-list controlled trial of the 5R Shared Leadership Development Program (5RS) in basketball teams
Mertens, N., Boen, F., Haslam, S. A., Steffens, N. K., Bruner, M. W., Barker, J., Slater, M., & Fransen, K. (2021). Harnessing the power of ‘us’: A randomized wait-list controlled trial of the 5R Shared Leadership Development Program (5RS) in basketball teams. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 54, 101936. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2021.101936
Will the real leaders please stand up? The emergence of shared leadership in semi-professional soccer teams.
Mertens, N., Boen, F., Steffens, N. K., Haslam, S. A., & Fransen, K. (2021). Will the real leaders please stand up? The emergence of shared leadership in semi-professional soccer teams. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 24, 281-290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2020.09.007
Leading together towards a stronger ‘us’: An experimental test of the effectiveness of the 5R Shared Leadership Program in basketball teams.
Mertens, N., Boen, F., Steffens, N. K., Cotterill, S. T., Haslam, S. A., & Fransen, K. (2020). Leading together towards a stronger ‘us’: An experimental test of the effectiveness of the 5R Shared Leadership Program in basketball teams. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 23(8), 770-775. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2020.01.010
The power of empowerment: Predictors and benefits of shared leadership in organizations
Edelmann, C., Boen, F., & Fransen, K. (2020). The power of empowerment: Predictors and benefits of shared leadership in organizations. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 3281. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.582894
The impact of identity leadership on performance and well-being in team sport: Is psychological safety the missing link?
Fransen, K., McEwan, D., & Sarkar, M. (2020). The impact of identity leadership on performance and well-being in team sport: Is psychological safety the missing link? Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 51, 101763. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2020.101763
All for us and us for all: Introducing the 5R Shared Leadership Program
Fransen, K., Haslam, S. A., Steffens, N. K., Mallett, C. J., Peters, K., Mertens, N., & Boen, F. (2020). All for us and us for all: Introducing the 5R Shared Leadership Program. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 51, 101762. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2020.101762
Making ‘us’ better: High-quality athlete leadership relates to health and burnout in professional Australian football teams.
Fransen, K., Haslam, S. A., Steffens, N. K., Mallett, C., Peters, K., & Boen, F. (2020). Making ‘us’ better: High-quality athlete leadership relates to health and burnout in professional Australian football teams. European Journal of Sport Science, 20(7), 953–963. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2019.1680736
The emergence of shared leadership in newly formed teams with an initial structure of vertical leadership: A longitudinal analysis.
Fransen, K., Delvaux, E., Mesquita, B., & Van Puyenbroeck, S. (2018). The emergence of shared leadership in newly formed teams with an initial structure of vertical leadership: A longitudinal analysis. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 54(2), 140-170. doi:10.1177/0021886318756359
An experiment on the impact of coaches’ and athlete leaders’ competence support on athletes’ motivation and performance.
Mertens, N., Boen, F., Vande Broek, G., Vansteenkiste, M., & Fransen, K. (2018). An experiment on the impact of coaches’ and athlete leaders’ competence support on athletes’ motivation and performance. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, 12, 2734-2750. doi:10.1111/sms.13273
The power of competence support: The impact of coaches and athlete leaders on intrinsic motivation and performance.
Fransen, K., Boen, F., Vansteenkiste, M., Mertens, N., & Vande Broek, G. (2018). The power of competence support: The impact of coaches and athlete leaders on intrinsic motivation and performance. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, 28, 725-745. doi:10.1111/sms.12950
The competence-supportive and competence-thwarting role of athlete leaders: An experimental test in a soccer context.
Fransen, K., Vansteenkiste, M., Vande Broek, G., & Boen, F. (2018). The competence-supportive and competence-thwarting role of athlete leaders: An experimental test in a soccer context. PLoS ONE, 13(7), e0200480. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0200480
Is perceived athlete leadership quality related to team effectiveness? A comparison of three professional sports teams.
Fransen, K., Haslam, S. A., Mallett, C. J., Steffens, N. K., Peters, K., & Boen, F. (2017). Is perceived athlete leadership quality related to team effectiveness? A comparison of three professional sports teams. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 20, 800-806. doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2016.11.024
We will be champions: Leaders' confidence in 'us' inspires team members' team confidence and performance.
Fransen, K., Steffens, N. K., Haslam, S. A., Vanbeselaere, N., Vande Broek, G., & Boen, F. (2016). We will be champions: Leaders' confidence in 'us' inspires team members' team confidence and performance. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, 26(12), 1455–1469. doi:10.1111/sms.12603
Athlete leadership in sport teams: Current understanding and future directions.
Cotterill, S. T., & Fransen, K. (2016). Athlete leadership in sport teams: Current understanding and future directions. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 9(1), 116-133. doi:10.1080/1750984X.2015.1124443
Leading from the top or leading from within? A comparison between coaches' and athletes' leadership as predictors of team identification, team confidence, and team cohesion.
Fransen, K., Decroos, S., Vande Broek, G., & Boen, F. (2016). Leading from the top or leading from within? A comparison between coaches' and athletes' leadership as predictors of team identification, team confidence, and team cohesion. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 11(6), 757–771. doi:10.1177/1747954116676102
When do elite cyclists go the extra mile? Team identification mediates the relationship between perceived leadership qualities of the captain and social laboring.
De Cuyper, B., Boen, F., Van Beirendonck, C., Vanbeselaere, N., & Fransen, K. (2016). When do elite cyclists go the extra mile? Team identification mediates the relationship between perceived leadership qualities of the captain and social laboring. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 47(4), 355-372. doi:10.7352/IJSP 2016.47
Believing in us: Exploring leaders’ capacity to enhance team confidence and performance by building a sense of shared social identity.
Een Nederlandse samenvatting van dit artikel vind je op deze link.
Fransen, K., Haslam, S. A., Steffens, N. K., Vanbeselaere, N., De Cuyper, B., & Boen, F. (2015). Believing in us: Exploring leaders’ capacity to enhance team confidence and performance by building a sense of shared social identity. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 21(1), 89-100. doi:10.1037/xap0000033
Perceived sources of team confidence in soccer and basketball.
Fransen, K., Vanbeselaere, N., De Cuyper, B., Vande Broek, G., & Boen, F. (2015). Perceived sources of team confidence in soccer and basketball. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 47(7), 1470–1484. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000000561
The myth of the team captain as principal leader: Extending the athlete leadership classification within sport teams.
Fransen, K., Vanbeselaere, N., De Cuyper, B., Vande Broek, G., & Boen, F. (2014). The myth of the team captain as principal leader: Extending the athlete leadership classification within sport teams. Journal of Sports Sciences, 32(14), 1389-1397. doi:10.1080/02640414.2014.891291
The impact of athlete leaders on team members’ team outcome confidence: A test of mediation by team identification and collective efficacy.
Fransen, K., Coffee, P., Vanbeselaere, N., Slater, M., De Cuyper, B., & Boen, F. (2014). The impact of athlete leaders on team members’ team outcome confidence: A test of mediation by team identification and collective efficacy. The Sport Psychologist, 28(4), 347-360. doi:10.1123/tsp.2013-0141
"Yes, we can!": Perceptions of collective efficacy sources in volleyball.
Fransen, K., Vanbeselaere, N., Exadaktylos, V., Vande Broek, G., De Cuyper, B., Berckmans, D., . . . Boen, F. (2012). "Yes, we can!": Perceptions of collective efficacy sources in volleyball. Journal of Sports Sciences, 30(7), 641-649. doi:10.1080/02640414.2011.653579