Cross-cultural team conflicts

While many studies have focused on the relationship between team cohesion and sporting performance, their cultural aspects were left out. Hence, this exploratory study was conducted to gain insights into interpersonal and cross-cultural conflicts within sports teams. This research was accomplished with culturally diverse teams of college-level athletes in a public university in the United States and focused on the types of conflicts, where those conflicts occurred, how the conflicts developed, who was involved, how the conflicts ended, and their effects on team cohesion.

The findings of the study give valuable insight into how cultural differences and their resultant ramifications were viewed and worked through by the athletes involved. Furthermore, the results indicated, for example, that coaches could take a more active role in managing the conflicts, especially since the role of leadership is crucial in resolving conflicts.