The Relationship between Coaching Leadership Behavior, Group Cohesion, and Performance of Iranian Women's Proleague Volleyball Teams

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between Coaching leadership behavior, group cohesion, and performance of Iranian women's prologue volleyball teams. In this correlational study, 76 female volleyball players (age 24.96±4.26 yrs, athletic experience 9.71±4.74 yrs, and membership experience in professional teams 6.55±3.73 yrs) from prologue teams in 2009 completed individual characteristics questionnaire, Leadership Scale in Sport (LSS; Chelladurai & Saleh, 1980), and Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ; Carron et al., 1985). Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and multivariate linear regression model at the 0.05 significant levels. Results showed that total level of group cohesion is significantly related to training and instruction, democratic behavior, autocratic behavior, social support, and positive feedback, and total level of leadership behavior (p≤0.05). Also, performance of women's prologue volleyball teams is significantly related to training and instruction, democratic behavior, autocratic behavior, social support, and positive feedback, total level of leadership behavior, task cohesion, social cohesion, and total level of group cohesion (p≤0.05). Results of regression analysis showed that democratic and autocratic behavior have significant contribution in prediction of task cohesion (56%), social cohesion (63%), and total level of group cohesion (73%), however, positive feedback also was significant predictor for social cohesion in women's prologue volleyball teams (p≤0.05). About team performance, regression analysis showed when the both of leadership behavior and group dimensions are entered together to the analysis, only leadership behavior included training and instruction, social support, and positive feedback can predict team performance (p≤0.05). Findings of this study confirm the importance of coaching leadership behavior in prediction of group cohesion and team performance.