Thaindian News

Washington, April 18 (ANI): Team building activities in sport do not enhance cohesion among team members, a new British research has found.

According to the study into initiation practices in sport by Dr Moira Lafferty, from the University of Chester, and Dr Caroline Wright, from Liverpool Hope University, these activities are merely carried out for tradition’s sake.

“Initiation ceremonies have often been described as “rites of passage’ for new players joining sporting groups or teams. Despite attempts to eradicate inappropriate team building activities there is still evidence that they take place and are perceived to promote team cohesion,” Science Daily quoted Dr Lafferty, as saying.

The researchers analysed the level of appropriate and inappropriate activities engaged in across a range of sports and then looked at their relationship to team cohesion to discover whether differences exist between co-active sports, such as badminton, tennis and horse riding, and interactive sports such as football, rugby and cricket.

For the study, 100 athletes from across the UK, aged between 18 and 24, were surveyed.

Dr Lafferty said: “Our findings suggest that, despite there being no positive relationship to team cohesion, team building activities, both positive and negative, are still conducted.

“Interactive sports players are more likely to be subjected to inappropriate team building activities, which suggests that the idea of initiation may be embedded in the tradition of these teams and is seen as part of their cultures.”

The study was presented at the British Psychological Society’s Annual Conference in Stratford-Upon-Avon. (ANI)