Transformational leadership and performance in sports: Testing a model

Purpose of this study was examining effects of transformational leadership on athletes' performance in the mediation of athletes' basic psychological needs, burnout, competition anxiety and life satisfaction and positive-negative affect. Sample was consisted of 391 soccer players aged between 16-20 years (Mage = 17.30, SD = 1.12 years). Scales used in this study were; Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, Needs Satisfaction Scale, Athlete Burnout Measure, The Satisfaction with Life Scale, Positive and Negative Affect Scale, Sport Competition Anxiety Test. The measurement method of Vallerand et al. (1) was preferred for performance measurements. Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modelling were employed in data analyses. Positive and significant effects were found between transformational leadership and basic psychological needs (r=0.46;t=7.73) and, basic psychological needs and wellbeing (r=0.53;t=7.51). Whereas, negative and significant effects was found among basic psychological needs, anxiety (r=-0.70;t=-7.89) and burnout (r=-0.77;t=-9.65). Transformational leadership (r= 0.25;t= 3.06) and well-being (r= 0.24;t=2.77) affect athletes' performance positively; while burnout (r=-0.35;t=-3.21) was found to affect performance negatively. Effects of basic psychological needs (r=-0.20;t=-0.75), anxiety (r=-0.08;t=-0.78), and negative emotions (r=-0.09;t=-0.95) with athletes' performance were not found to be significant. Consequently, an acceptable model data fit and a significant model was found. When coach displays transformational leadership behavior, athletes' basic psychological needs are affected. This effect causes increase in positive variables such as life satisfaction and positive emotions of the athlete. In addition, this mediation decreases the effects of negative variables such as competition anxiety, burnout and negative emotions in sports. As a result, increases in positive variables and decreases in negative variables lead to enhancement in performance of athletes.