Data_Sheet_1_Why the Chosen Ones May Not Always Be the Best Leaders: Criteria for Captain Selection as Predictors of Leadership Quality and Acceptance.PDF

There seems to be some initial evidence that team captains are selected based on non-leadership factors such as team tenure, technical abilities, being the daughter of the club president, or playing position. This is concerning since players expect their ideal team captain to have superior motivational and social skills. Adding to this literature on captain selection, the present study investigates relationships between the reasons for which team captains are selected and their (a) perceived leadership quality; and (b) perceived acceptance. To accomplish this, we recruited 450 coaches and 198 players from Flemish football and volleyball teams. Participants evaluated 41 reasons on the extent to which they played a role in the selection of their team captain. Additionally, participants rated their team captain’s leadership quality and level of acceptance. The results consistently indicated that captains who were selected for having good motivational and social competencies were given higher ratings on perceived leadership quality and acceptance by participants. In conclusion, athletes who are motivated, good at motivating others and have superior social skills tend to be better suited for captaincy than those selected based on non-leadership factors.

现有初步证据显示，球队队长的遴选往往基于非领导力因素，例如球队任职年限、技术能力、俱乐部主席之女的身份，或是场上位置。这一现象令人担忧，因为球员心目中的理想队长应具备卓越的激励能力与社交素养。为丰富队长遴选相关的研究文献，本研究探讨了队长遴选依据与以下两项指标的关联：(a) 感知领导力水平；(b) 感知认可度。为此，本研究从佛兰德斯地区的足球与排球队中招募了450名教练与198名球员作为参与者。参与者需对41项遴选依据进行评分，以衡量各因素在其所在球队队长遴选中的影响程度；此外，参与者还需对其球队队长的领导力水平与团队认可度进行评级。研究结果始终一致显示：因具备出色的激励能力与社交素养而当选的队长，其感知领导力水平与团队认可度评分均更高。综上，相较于基于非领导力因素遴选的队长，具备内在驱动力、善于激励他人且拥有卓越社交能力的运动员，更适合担任球队队长一职。