“The leaders who work most effectively, it seems to me, never say "I." And that's not because they have trained themselves not to say "I." They don't think "I." They think "we"; they think "team." They understand their job to make the team function. They accept responsibility and don't sidestep it, but "we" gets the credit. This is what creates trust, what enables you to get the task done.”
Peter F. Drucker
Wat kenmerkt succesvolle leiders? Hoe komt het dat sommige managers erin slagen om hun team optimaal te laten functioneren, waarbij de beoogde winstcijfers worden waargemaakt en medewerkers met plezier komen werken, daar waar andere managers geconfronteerd worden met teleurstellende cijfers, burn-outs en ontslagen? Ook binnen sportteams kan diezelfde vraag gesteld worden. Hoe komt het dat sommige coaches erin slagen een team te vormen waarin spelers door het vuur gaan voor elkaar, terwijl andere coaches heel wat wereldsterren bij elkaar hebben, maar er niet in slagen hun krachten te bundelen?
Recent onderzoek, zowel op de werkvloer als binnen sportteams, wijst hierbij op het talent van leiders om een sterke teamidentiteit – een ‘wij’-gevoel – te creëren binnen hun team. Goede leiders (zij het de leidinggevende – directeur, manager, coach – of de leiders binnen het team), slagen er dus in om hun teamleden te laten denken, voelen en handelen als één team (als ‘wij’), eerder dan als een groep individuen (als ‘ik’ en ‘jij). Dit ‘wij’-gevoel, anders verwoord als een gedeelde teamidentiteit, zorgt ervoor dat teamleden verder gaan dan de aangewezen taken om elkaar en het team als geheel verder te helpen. Deze teamleden ervaren een succes van hun team immers als een persoonlijk succes. Meer nog, het versterken van dit ‘wij’-gevoel vormt voor zowel de formeel leidinggevende als de leiders binnen het team een hefboom naar het versterken van de teameffectiviteit en de veerkracht van het team, alsook de tevredenheid en het welzijn van hun teamleden.
“De verhouding van de Wij’s tot de Ik’s is de beste indicatie van de teamontwikkeling.”
Om leidinggevenden en leiders binnen het team te begeleiden in het creëren en versterken van deze gedeelde teamidentiteit ontwikkelden we twee trajecten; het 5R Traject focust hierbij louter op het versterken van deze gedeelde teamidentiteit, daar waar het 5RS Traject start met het implementeren van een structuur van gedeeld leiderschap en vervolgens de krachten van de leidinggevende en de leiders binnen het team bundelt om het ‘wij’-gevoel te versterken.
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
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
Identity leadership and social identification within sport teams over a season: A social network analysis.
Bruner, M.W., McLaren, C.D., Mertens, N., Steffens, N.K., Boen, F., McKenzie, L., Haslam, S.A., Fransen, K. (2022). Identity leadership and social identification within sport teams over a season: A social network analysis. Psychology Of Sport And Exercise, 59, Art.No. 102106. doi: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2021.102106
When the final whistle blows: Social identity pathways support mental health and life satisfaction after retirement from competitive sport.
Haslam, C., Lam, B. C. P., Yang, J., Steffens, N. K., Haslam, S. A., Cruwys, T., Boen, F., Mertens, N., Brandt, K. D., Wang, X., & Fransen, K. (2021). When the final whistle blows: Social identity pathways support mental health and life satisfaction after retirement from competitive sport. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 57, 102049. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2021.102049
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
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
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
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
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