A Case Study of the Northern Mystics Netball Team
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Copyright is owned by the Author of the thesis. Permission is given for a copy to be downloaded by an individual for the purpose of research and private study only. The thesis may not be reproduced elsewhere without the permission of the Author. Team Culture and Leadership: A Case Study of the Northern Mystics Netball Team A thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Sport and Exercise At Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand Lana Margaret McCarthy 2015 1 Dedication This thesis is dedicated to my mother Meryl, my father Colin and my sister Kara for their many years of support and the on-going encouragement to fulfil my academic ambitions. It is also dedicated to my younger brother Josh who is the strongest, most courageous person I know. 2 Abstract A winning culture has been defined as “one in which everyone on the team is committed to creating a performance-focused environment, which in turn, provides the opportunity for the team and every individual on that team to win” (Goldsmith, 2007, p. 42). This case study examines the team culture and leadership of the Northern Mystics netball franchise team throughout the ANZ Championship competition between 2008 and 2014. It focuses on what past and present factors of the team culture and leadership have influenced the team’s perceived lack of success (41wins, 45%: 50 losses), and also what factors are important in creating a successful winning team for future seasons to come. Primary data was obtained through the use of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with both past and present Northern Mystics coaches (N = 4) and senior players (N = 3). The rich description provided by these interviews, combined with the lack of scholarly studies completed in this specific area of study, increased the credibility of this qualitative research. A case study analysis was chosen as it allows for the integration and contrasting of different perspectives to provide a detailed understanding of a context (Yin, 2009). Findings indicate that there is a need to re- establish, reinforce and commit to team values each season, and adopt a transformational and collective leadership approach involving informal and formal leaders to align cultural values. Whilst it is acknowledged that there are other aspects that affect team performance, it is hoped that these findings could potentially provide a catalyst and be of significant use to the Northern Mystics netball franchise, along with other high-performing sports team environments which will support the development and sustaining of a winning team culture. 3 Acknowledgements Academic Supervisor: I would like to express my upmost gratitude to Associate Professor Andy Martin whom I greatly respect and admire. The degree of support, encouragement, advice, and guidance he provided throughout this entire process has been instrumental towards this personal academic accomplishment. His genuine belief in me to complete this thesis was unwavering, and for that I am truly grateful. Interviewees: I would like to sincerely thank all of the past and present coaches, captains, and players of the Northern Mystics Netball Franchise, who agreed to take part in the interview process. Without their personal contributions and insights completing this thesis would not have been possible. Levinia Paku for having done a fantastic job transcribing all of the interviews. Hamish Barton, High Performance Manager Netball Northern, for the significant role he played in allowing this research to take place and for the assistance in arranging and gaining access to the interviewees. Northern Mystics Netball Board for the support given towards this research being conducted and for the approval of past and present Northern Mystics coaches, captains and players having being involved. Dr Farah Palmer for taking the time to read and critique my thesis and for whose feedback was greatly appreciated and respected. 4 Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... 4 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................... 8 1.0 Nature of the Research .................................................................................................... 8 1.0.1 Team Culture ............................................................................................................. 9 1.0.2 Leadership ............................................................................................................... 10 1.1 History of the ANZ Championship .................................................................................. 12 1.2 The Northern Mystics ..................................................................................................... 14 1.3 Motivation for the Research .......................................................................................... 15 1.4 Rationale: Why the topic needs investigating ............................................................... 18 1.4.1 Research Question .................................................................................................. 19 1.4.2 Aims ......................................................................................................................... 19 1.4.3 Objectives ................................................................................................................ 19 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................................... 20 2.0 Team Culture .................................................................................................................. 20 2.0.1 Rites, Rituals & Symbols .......................................................................................... 27 2.0.2 Values & Beliefs ....................................................................................................... 29 2.0.3 Core Assumptions .................................................................................................... 33 2.1 Leadership ...................................................................................................................... 37 2.1.1 Collective Leadership............................................................................................... 46 2.1.2 Transformational Leadership .................................................................................. 48 2.1.3 Empowerment ......................................................................................................... 49 5 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................................... 52 3.0 Research Design ............................................................................................................. 52 3.0.1 Subjectivist Epistemology & Phenomenology: An interpretivist & inductive approach ................................................................................................................................ 52 3.1 Case Study ...................................................................................................................... 54 3.1.1 Semi-structured interviews ..................................................................................... 55 3.2 Data Analysis .................................................................................................................. 56 3.2.1 Credibility, Dependability, Confirmability & Transferability ................................... 56 3.3 Limitations ...................................................................................................................... 59 3.4 Ethics .............................................................................................................................. 59 CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS ........................................................................................................... 60 4.0 Team Culture ...................................................................................................................... 60 4.0.1 Rites, Rituals & Symbols .......................................................................................... 60 4.0.2 Values & Beliefs ....................................................................................................... 66 4.0.3 Core Assumptions .................................................................................................... 70 4.1 Leadership ...................................................................................................................... 76 4.1.1 Captain, Coach & Senior Players ............................................................................. 77 CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION ......................................................................................................... 82 5.0 Team Culture .................................................................................................................. 82 5.0.1 Rites, Rituals & Symbols .......................................................................................... 83 5.0.2 Values & Beliefs ....................................................................................................... 84 5.0.3 Core Assumptions ...................................................................................................