Examining the Origins of Team Building in Sport: A Citation Network and Genealogical Approach

Team building (TB) is regarded as one of the most effective group development interventions in organizations (Cannon-Bowers, J. A.,& Bowers, C. [2010]. Team development and functioning. In S. Zedeck [Ed.] APA handbook of industrial and organizational psychology [Vol. 1, pp. 597-650]. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.). Although the body of literature on TB continues to grow, there have been few attempts to synthesize TB research in sport. The present study examined the influential texts (articles, books, and chapters) providing the basis for TB in sport using two novel, yet related, research synthesis approaches; namely, citation network analysis and citation path analysis. Results revealed how a focus on cohesion helped shape present conceptualizations and research of TB in sport. The findings also serve to highlight alternative perspectives and frameworks (i.e., other than those with a focus on cohesion) that may have been overlooked or ignored by group dynamics researchers interested in TB in sport.