Beyond the Tip of the Iceberg: Using Systems Archetypes to Understand Common and Recurring Issues in Sports Coaching

Scott McLean; Gemma J M Read; Adam Hulme; Karl Dodd; Adam D Gorman; Colin Solomon; Paul M Salmon

doi:10.3389/fspor.2019.00049

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Beyond the Tip of the Iceberg: Using Systems Archetypes to Understand Common and Recurring Issues in Sports Coaching

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Beyond the Tip of the Iceberg: Using Systems Archetypes to Understand Common and Recurring Issues in Sports Coaching

Scott McLean, Gemma J M Read, Adam Hulme, Karl Dodd, Adam D Gorman, Colin Solomon and Paul M Salmon

Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, Vol.1, 49

2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2019.00049

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Abstract

Design Practice and Management

Human Movement and Sports Science

system thinking

coaching

performance

system archetypes

talent development

Background: Systems thinking, a fundamental approach for understanding complexity, is beginning to gain traction in sports science. Systems archetypes (SAs) describe common recurring patterns of system behaviors and have been used extensively in other domains to explain the system wide influences on behavior. SAs look at the deeper levels of systemic structure by identifying what creates system behaviors, which supports the development of interventions to identify and resolve problem sources. Methods: Four commonly used SAs were used to explain the dynamics underpinning recurring issues for coaching in football: (1) Fixes that fail, (2) Shifting the burden, (3) Drifting goals, and (4) Success to the successful. The SAs models were built, refined and validated by seven subject matter experts (SMEs) including experienced football researchers, systems thinking experts, an international football coach, a skill acquisition specialist, and an experienced exercise scientist. Results: The findings show that the SAs fit well in the football coaching context, providing further evidence that a complex system thinking approach is required when considering football performance and its optimization. The developed SAs identify the factors that play a role in recurring issues in football coaching and highlight the systemic structures that contribute to the issues. The developed SAs identify the appropriate leverage points in the system where sustainable change can be made to improve coaching practice and subsequent performance of players. Discussion: A common theme emerging across the analyses was that systemic problems often arise in football when quick fixes are attempted. Whereas, improvements to system behavior usually require a delay after the implementation of the appropriate corrective action. The SAs developed in the current study also provide practical templates of common problems in football that can be used to prompt discussions around how to avoid ineffective interventions and instead make sustainable improvements across multiple aspects of football performance.

Details

Title: Beyond the Tip of the Iceberg: Using Systems Archetypes to Understand Common and Recurring Issues in Sports Coaching
Authors: Scott McLean (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Gemma J M Read (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Adam Hulme (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Karl Dodd (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Adam D Gorman (Author) - Queensland University of Technology
Colin Solomon (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Paul M Salmon (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Publication details: Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, Vol.1, 49; 12
Publisher: Frontiers Research Foundation
Date published: 2019
DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2019.00049
ISSN: 2624-9367
Copyright note: Copyright © 2019 McLean, Read, Hulme, Dodd, Gorman, Solomon and Salmon. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Organisation Unit: Centre for Human Factors and Systems Science; School of Social Sciences - Legacy; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Health and Sport Sciences - Legacy; School of Health - Psychology; School of Health - Sports & Exercise Science; School of Law and Society; School of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Legacy
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99451429602621
Output Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Sport Sciences