AASP Newsletter - March 2018

Written by Rachel Arnold, PhD (University of Bath) and Jamie Collins, PhD (Marblelabs and University of Ottawa) on behalf of the AASP Dissertation Award Committee

Introduction

Dr. Jamie Collins is the 2017 AASP Dissertation Award recipient. Jamie’s dissertation, entitled “Developing and maintaining optimal team functioning in curling: A grounded theory study with high performance coaches and athletes”, involved the development of a comprehensive grounded theory model called the Optimal Team Functioning (OTF) model. Specifically, the model depicts 21 team processes that are considered essential for success in high-performance curling. It’s also the first sport-specific model of team functioning, and the only one to be developed ‘from the ground up’, that is, based on the experiences of coaches and athletes competing in the sport. The following article provides insight into Jamie’s journey and her compelling reflections on the education and research she completed, and the performance psychology work she conducts at “Marblelabs”, a company she co-founded, and with the Canadian Armed Forces.

Jamie Collins, PhD – A Narrative

I first became interested in the field of sport psychology as a high performance athlete struggling to better understand some of my inconsistent performances in critical moments. I began my University education by completing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sport Psychology at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Canada from 2003-2007. Following this, I moved to pursue a Master of Arts degree in Human Kinetics, with specialization in sport psychology, at the University of Ottawa, in Ottawa, Canada. I completed these studies and my subsequent PhD degree under the supervision of Dr. Natalie Durand-Bush, between 2009 and 2016. Throughout my studies, I was particularly interested in applied practice, thus I completed additional course work and supervised internship hours in order to meet the requirements of the Canadian Sport Psychology Association (CSPA) to practice as a Mental Performance Consultant in Canada.

When I decided to do my PhD, I was a novice Mental Performance Consultant. I found that when it came to developing high-functioning teams, I was struggling to determine how best to do it. I wasn’t finding the resources I was looking for to help me make informed intervention decisions. At the same time, a high-performance curling coach, with whom I worked during my Master’s research, confided that he too felt that coaches were often left ‘guessing’ how to get their athletes to work effectively together. In the end, it was this coach who inspired me to focus my PhD dissertation on teamwork and to empirically create a model to guide coaches and practitioners in developing high functioning teams. My PhD research had two objectives: (1) to review theoretical/conceptual frameworks addressing team processes in sport to identify contributions and limitations, and based on this (2) to inductively explore the factors contributing to optimal team functioning in high performance curling, and determine how optimal functioning was developed and maintained by coaches and athletes. The results of my PhD research have been shared with the academic community via several publications, as well as at national and international conferences.

I feel that my research offers theoretical, methodological, and practical contributions to the field. As part of my research, I conducted a critical review of existing frameworks of team processes in sport. What I found was that these frameworks had limitations. For example, they didn’t address all of the processes that were shown over the years to contribute to optimal team functioning; as such, they weren’t quite comprehensive enough. Additionally, existing models lacked practical implications (e.g., concrete, user-friendly strategies and guidelines) to guide team building intervention research and practice. All of the frameworks I reviewed were developed using a ‘top-down’ approach based on existing literature. As a result, I used grounded theory to inductively investigate team functioning from the ‘bottom-up’. The outcome of this was a theoretical model - the Optimal Team Functioning (OTF) model. The OTF model highlights 21 broader team processes (e.g., communicate, clarify expectations, take responsibility, lead), in comparison to the average six processes addressed in existing frameworks. Thus, the model provides new knowledge regarding the wide array of processes necessary for optimal functioning in high performance curling. The model can be used to guide future research in the sport of curling, and can also be validated in other sport contexts. Based on the results, my supervisor and I have developed a questionnaire to measure team functioning – the Optimal Team Functioning Scale (OTFScale). We are currently in the process of validating it, and upon completion, we hope it can be used in future research and applied interventions.

Turning to the practical contributions, in addition to exploring the processes contributing to optimal team functioning, I examined the ‘how to’ strategies used to develop and maintain them. Over 150 specific strategies used by coaches and athletes to optimize teamwork were identified and linked to each component of the OTF model, which facilitates and provides structure to the implementation of team processes. These strategies can be used proactively to periodize team functioning interventions. We created a periodized checklist (the OTF Checklist), and showed in a presentation at the 2016 AASP conference, how coaches and practitioners can use this checklist to structure team functioning interventions. Strategies can also be used reactively to help coaches and athletes effectively respond to team challenges. The OTF model can thus serve as a useful tool to increase their understanding of the causes of team issues when they surface, and to guide the selection of suitable intervention approaches.

Like many PhD students, I too struggled during my program of research to maintain momentum and motivation when I hit roadblocks. It’s easy to get frustrated by delays in the research process, manuscript rejections, etcetera, but at the end of the day, it’s all a learning process. And sometimes the learning relates to how to write a strong research paper, and other times it’s about how to dig in and be gritty. I got through the challenges by leaning on my support network – my family, friends, and business partners were extremely encouraging, and I was fortunate to have an amazing professional and personal relationship with my thesis supervisor, Dr. Natalie Durand-Bush. I also found that maintaining a balanced perspective on my life as a whole, staying physically active, and focusing my attention on what was in my control were helpful strategies. I think all of these things helped me take some of the frustrations and setbacks in stride. I have also found various AASP events incredibly valuable to help me to network and further my development. Whenever possible, I participate in AASP/ CSPA webinars, events, and conferences. It’s a great way to stay up-to-date on the research, and learn from the experiences and best practices of fellow consultants.

Looking forward, I hope to validate the OFT model in other contexts. For example, the model was used as the guiding framework for a season-long intervention study with the National Women’s Waterpolo team, in preparation for their World Championships. Plans to test the psychometric properties of the OTF Scale are also in motion. I’m also continuing to build my private practice at MarbleLabs and to apply my knowledge and skills as a mental training specialist with the Canadian Armed Forces. One of my primary areas of effort is to continue to develop resources (e.g., workshops, exercises, protocols) to guide the development and maintenance of optimal team functioning within these settings.

Conclusion

To conclude, Dr. Collins’ narrative shows that becoming an outstanding doctoral student is an extensive and challenging endeavor; it suggests that it is important to study something that is inspiring, and to surround yourself with a personal and professional support network. In addition to producing original and rigorous research that advances theory and measurement, Jamie has worked exceptionally hard to produce scholarly work that is readily useable by coaches, athletes, and practitioners. Drawing from her background as an elite athlete competing in different sports and as a mental performance consultant building her applied practice, she has been successful in creating hands-on strategies and periodized approaches to support the development of effective teams.