Structural interdependence as a method of distinguishing sport environments: A conceptual typology

Abstract

Sport researchers typically categorize sport involvement using the labels 'team' and 'individual' sport in reference to task interdependence among individuals during competition. This distinction overlooks potential variation in task interdependence within each of these categories as well as additional sources of interdependence (e.g., outcome, reward, social) that contribute to the sport environment. The primary objective of this project is to present a conceptual typology of group interdependence to distinguish sport environments. Rooted in existing conceptual and empirical group dynamics research (e.g., Johnson & Johnson, 1989; Wageman, 1995), this typology allows categorization within one of seven distinct categories based upon several sources of structural interdependencies: task interdependence (i.e., the competitive task requires teammates to exchange efforts), group outcome interdependence (i.e., teammates share a collective outcome), individual outcome interdependence (i.e., congruence/incongruence of individual goals among teammates), and resource interdependence (i.e., reciprocal dependence on shared resources). By categorizing sport involvement according to group properties rather than broad task types (Larson, 2010)