Team cohesion and individual productivity the influence of the norm for productivity and the identifiability of individual effort

This study investigated the potential moderating effects of productivity norms and identifiability of effort on the cohesion-performance relationship in team sports. The design was a 2 (high cohesion, low cohesion) × 2 (high productivity norm, low productivity norm) × 2 (high identifiability of an individual's effort, low identifiability of an individual's effort) factorial. Each participant (n = 324) read one of eight scenarios, with cohesion, norms, and identifiability systematically rotated, and indicated the probability that the individual would train during the off-season. An ANOVA showed a main effect for cohesion, F(1, 316) = 113.44, p < .0001, and norms, F(1, 316) = 19.61, p < .0001), and an interaction between cohesion and norms, F(1, 316) = 7.35, p = .007. The probability of off-season training was significantly higher for the high-cohesion - high-norms scenario than for the high-cohesion -low-norms scenario, with no differences under conditions of low cohesion. Directions for future research are discussed.