Coach Leadership And Communication In Building Team Culture In Team Sports: A Systematic Literature Review

Sudirman

Authors

Sudirman Universitas Negeri Makassar

Keywords:

Coach Leadership, Coach Communication, Team Culture, Team Sports, Systematic Literature Review.

Abstract

Team culture is recognized as a critical factor influencing cohesion, commitment, trust, and performance in team sports. In recent years, coach leadership and communication have emerged as essential determinants in shaping a positive and sustainable team culture. However, empirical findings regarding the interaction between leadership and communication in developing team culture remain fragmented across sport psychology, coaching science, and sport management literature. Therefore, this study aimed to systematically review and synthesize contemporary evidence concerning the role of coach leadership and communication in building team culture within team sports. This study employed a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) approach following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Literature searches were conducted across Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, Taylor & Francis, Google Scholar, and SINTA-indexed journals. Articles published between 2016 and 2025 were screened using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. From an initial pool of 214 records, 25 eligible studies were included in the final synthesis. The findings revealed that transformational leadership was the most frequently examined leadership style and demonstrated positive effects on team cohesion (88%), trust (92%), commitment (84%), and team identity (80%). Effective communication practices, including clear instruction, constructive feedback, emotional support, and motivational communication, were consistently associated with improved athlete engagement, interpersonal relationships, and collective efficacy. Furthermore, approximately 78% of the reviewed studies indicated that leadership and communication jointly contributed to the development of a positive team culture. In conclusion, coach leadership and communication are interconnected factors that play a strategic role in fostering trust, cohesion, shared values, and collective commitment, thereby creating a high-performance team culture in team sports.

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