Dimensions of social identification with the team as predictors of the coach-created training climate in rugby: A group-actor partner interdependence modelling perspective

Recently, social identity approach has been giving stimulating insights in leadership in sport, considering social identification as a consequence regarding leadership processes. Nonetheless, social identity theory fundamentally posits social identification as a subjacent parameter of cognitions implied in the frame of interpersonal and intergroup relations. The current study aimed to enrich the existing literature by investigating athletes’ team identification as a predictor of the perception of coach-created climate. French male rugby union players (N = 248) completed an online survey measuring the multidimensionality of their social identification to the team, and their perception of the coach-created climate in terms of empowering and disempowering motivational climate. Using Group Actor-Partner Interdependence Modelling, the analyses revealed that the perception of the climate as empowering was driven by high scores on ingroup ties, especially when teammates’ ingroup ties scores were low. Team’s ingroup affect and cognitive centrality resulted in lower perception levels of the empowering climate. Neither player's ingroup ties nor cognitive centrality predicted the perception of the climate as empowering, and when player’s ingroup affect fitted into the group, his perception of a disempowering motivational climate decreased when ingroup affect score was high. The results are mainly discussed to the light of intergroup permeability by underlying the importance of considering social identification as a predictor of the perception of coach-athletes’ relationship. Some practical applications are put forward along with future directions for research on coach-athletes’ relationship. Especially, this study points out the importance of considering the social identity approach of leadership as a transactional relationship encapsulated in a mutual influence between the ingroup member social identification and that of the team as a whole.