S.Yu. Al’kova, associate professor, Ph.D.
A.S. Snigirev, associate professor, Ph.D.
A.V. Vekhova
Surgut State University, Surgut

Key words: sports team, team building, Moreno’s sociometry, sociometric method, sociometric research.

Introduction. Today the method of team building is popular in management of organizations (Engl. Team building – making a team), which is based on the practical use of sociometric techniques. The term is used in the business context and applies to a wide range of activities aimed at building a team and improving its performance. In our case it is interesting to use this method in team sports, in particular in an elite women's basketball team.

Object and methods of research. The effectiveness of group training work carried out in the pre-season in the women's basketball team "University - Yugra" (Surgut) was determined using sociometric methods.

The study was conducted in the preliminary period of the annual training cycle of elite female basketball players at the first phase (conditioning training camp) and the second (training camp dedicated to special physical and technical training). The line-up was 60% new before the training camp. Hence, the study of interpersonal relations within a basketball team is relevant, since mutual understanding and support within the team are among the key factors of sports result.

The study revealed sociometric criteria, formulated in the form of issues, the solutions of which served as basis for identifying in-group relations.

Formal criteria were chosen to study the relations in a determining activity, and informal to study informal relations.

The parametric procedure was chosen in the study designed to reduce the probability of random choice.  The essence of the procedure was to limit the number of choices for each of the participants (usually, the minimum value of the "sociometric limitation" for groups of 22-25 members must be determined within the limits of 4-5 choices). The limitation value "d" is called "sociometric limitation" or "choice limit". The external conditions of the choices in groups of varying sizes can be standardized by introducing this value. For this purpose the value d should be determined based on the probability of random choice equal for all groups. The formula for determining this probability is presented by J. Moreno and E. Jennings.

d = P(A) x (N - 1)

where P(A): probability of a random event of sociometric choice, usually selected in the range of [0.2-0.3];

N: number of members of the group.

Next, a sociometric card was developed that was used during the sociometry.

The procedure of the card's creation was as follows:

1) a list of the team members was prepared;

2) each person in the group was given a number that became his reference number;

3 vertical tables to the right of each team member in the card's list corresponded to choices that were supposedly allowed for this group.

The determination of the number of choices for different-by-number groups, but with a predetermined value P(A) in the range of 0.14-0.25, can be made using a special table (Table 1). A fragment of it is presented below.

Table 1. Limitation values of sociometric choices (fragment)

The sociometry was carried out as follows: In each microcycle, for the organization of the team players' leisure time during days off, team building training sessions were held, including special exercises and playing tasks that involved all of the team members. The selected methods were available, easy to perform and had no special requirements to the material/technical basis and staffing. Duration: 40 minutes to 1 hour.

Example. Exercise "Centipede". Initial conditions: the participants stand in a row. The leader connects with threads the legs of two players standing close by (at the level of the ankle). Task: to walk a 20 meter long distance in the line without tearing the thread.

The level of development of relations in the group, affecting the team's cohesion, was measured:

1) at the initial phase of the conditioning training camp;

2) at the second phase of the training camp – dedicated to development of technical skills and special physical training;

3) at the final phase of the pre-season training camp.

For the needs of sociometry, the coach gave verbal instructions and then distributed the sociometric cards (Table 2).

Table 2. Individual sociometric card                                                           

When filling out the cards, the following rules were applied:

•  every girl filled out her list herself, without discussing with anybody and not thinking aloud while choosing her answers;
• when filling out the list, all team members were taken into account, and not just the ones present at that moment;
• every girl could make up to two choices.

In addition, methods of quantitative data processing were chosen at this stage: tabular (sociometric matrix) and graphical (sociogram).

In the final part of the study, the indices of the group's cohesion (C) were calculated according to the following formula:

Results and discussion. The analysis of the sociomatrix (matrix of relationships) for every criterion gives a fairly clear picture of the interpersonal relations within the group: its main advantage is the possibility of presenting the choices in a numerical manner, so the order of effects in the group can be ranked (Tables 3-5).

Table 3. The sociomatrix at the initial phase of the conditioning training camp

Table 4. The sociomatrix at the second phase of the training camp dedicated to technical training and special physical training

Table 5. The sociomatrix at the final phase of the pre-season training camp.               

A sociogram (schematic representation of the respondents' reactions to each other while answering) was developed based on the sociomatrix. Using this sociogram a comparative analysis of the spatial structure of the interpersonal relations in the group on a certain plane ("backboard") was carried out.

With the help of the group sociogram, the general interpersonal relations in the group were considered. The group sociogram was presented in the form of a conventional sociogram, where the players are depicted as circles, interconnected by arrows that symbolize the sociometric choices or divergences (Fig. 1-3).

Fig. 1. The sociogram the initial ERAP collection - in physical training

Fig. 2. The sociogram at the second phase of the camp dedicated to technical and special physical training

Fig. 3. The sociogram at the final phase of the pre-season training camp.

The analysis of the sociomatrices and sociograms clearly demonstrates a shift in preference, manifested with the change from one number to another, for example from 1, 4, 5, 7, 13 to 7, 11, 14. The willingness of the team members to act together is discernible in the following: the microgroup 2-5-13 transformed into the microgroup 2-5-11-13 and the microgroup 4-9-14 into 4-7-9-14 respectively. The human bondings in the team were distributed non-uniformly: at the first phase of the study number 11 had a total number of 5 choices and a sum of 2 mutual ones, whereas, at the third phase it became the leader: 15 and 5, respectively. On the contrary, the numbers of the leader of the first phase (number 7), i.e. 13 choices and 5 mutual ones, changed to 11 and 1 respectively at the third phase.

It should be noted that at the end of the training camp, and when electing the team's captain (according to the results of the secret ballot), number 11 took the confident first place (11 votes out of 14).  With regard to choosing the captain, the team's opinion coincided with the opinion of the coaches.

If we examine the sociogram visually, it becomes obvious that the "thread" symbolizing the sociometric choices became more consolidated by the end of the training camp. The consolidation of the "thread" indicates that the training work contributed to the team's cohesion.

If we analyse the divergence of choices, we can reach the following conclusion: Number 8 was practically ignored by the group, as she followed an individual training mode and didn't participate in the general training of the team. The situation that deserves due attention regarding the interpersonal relations with the rest of the team was observed in the cases 10 and 12. The coach needs to figure out the reasons for this and think of the ways out of this unfavourable situation.

In calculating the indices of the group cohesion (C), the following results were obtained (Table 6).

Table 6. Results of the group cohesion indices

When analysing the data of the first question, we can assume that the drastic downward change in the index from 0.53 to 0.14 does not indicate at all the deterioration in the team's interpersonal relations. To the contrary, the result indicates the reconsideration of every team member's choices.  If, at the beginning of the training camp, the girls made choice from the first impression or based on the character and fitness level of particular players only, by the end of the training camp every player had already shown her capabilities. Therefore, the obtained result indicates the objectivity of the players' own assessment of "working condition". The same can be said when interpreting the results of the second question.

The findings with regard to the third question probably point to a gradual improvement in the team cohesion. In other words, knowing all the positive and negative aspects in the level of physical fitness, the players are still ready to interact, cooperate and communicate with each other.

Conclusion. The obtained results prove the effectiveness of the team building training work that has been carried out (the increment of the group cohesion index by 0.10). Jacob Moreno's sociometric method can be used to study the structure of interpersonal relationships in a team and the dynamics of their development, which is useful in team sports.

References

1. Zolotovitsky, R.A. J.L. Moreno’s sociometry; communication measure // R.A. Zolotovitsky // SotsIS: Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya. – 2002. – № 4. – P. 103-113.
2. Malinauskas, R.K. Implementation of the program of formation of psychological skills in basketball teams / R.K. Malinauskas. // Nauka v Olimpiyskom sporte. – 2003. – № 1. – P. 121-124.
3. Weinberg, R.S. The basics of sport psychology and physical culture / R.S. Weinberg, D. Gold. – Kiev:  – 2001.
4. http://www.timtrening.ru/about-history.php

Corresponding author: apokin_vv@mail.ru