MRes Research Project on Collaboration and Team Resilience in International Football Squads

Studentship Title: MRes Research Project on Collaboration and Team Resilience in International Football Squads
Organisation: Nottingham Trent University (in collaboration with the Football Association)
Location: Nottingham (and St George’s Park, Burton upon Trent) 
Closing Date: Wednesday 19 September 2018 (12.00 noon)
Interview Date: September 2018 (exact dates to be confirmed)
Start Date: October 2018 (for entry onto NTU’s MRes in Sport and Exercise Psychology)
Contract Type: Full-time (1 year)
Bursary: £1,000 

Project title: Collaboration and Team Resilience in International Football Squads

Background/Context: Why is it that some teams are able to withstand the pressures of professional sport and attain peak performances, whereas others succumb to the demands and under-perform? It is the study of team resilience that aims to address this question.

Over the past few years, research has begun to systematically investigate team resilience in elite sport (Morgan, Fletcher, & Sarkar, 2013, 2015, 2017). Teams that display resilience have been found to be characterized by mastery approaches (shared attitudes and behaviours that promote an emphasis on team improvement) and underpinned by team learning (sharing knowledge of setbacks). This highlights the importance of collaboration in a team setting. In other areas of performance psychology (e.g., business and medicine), the facilitators of collaboration in teams (McInnes et al., 2015) and the relationship between collaboration, learning, and team performance (Van den Bossche et al., 2006) have been well-established. However, in the sport context, the role of collaboration in building resilient teams has yet to be investigated.

Project Description: The purpose of this MRes project will be to investigate collaboration and team resilience in international football squads. Specifically, the project will explore key enablers of collaboration (e.g., shared goals, shared leadership, a constructive feedback culture, collective decision making, constructive conflict, blame/shame avoidance) and the impact this has on resilience in elite football teams.

The project will predominantly utilise a qualitative approach so knowledge and experience with this types of method will be desirable.

Entry Criteria: UK 1st Class / 2.1 Bachelor’s degree (or UK equivalent according to NARIC) (essential) in Sport and Exercise Science, Psychology, or related discipline. 

Click here for application details.

Contact Details: For informal discussions about the MRes and MRes project, please contact Dr Mustafa Sarkar (mustafa.sarkar@ntu.ac.uk) or Dr Ian Mitchell (ian.mitchell@thefa.com).

Social Media Twitter Handle: Dr Mustafa Sarkar (@MusSarkar); Dr Ian Mitchell (@ianmitch9)