What you can learn about Team Resilience from Dean Smith

What can you get from this blog?

1.) An understanding of Team Resilience

2.) What Team Resilience looks like in a Premier League Team

3.) Tips on how to create Resilience in your own team

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This season premier league is closer than ever and producing more surprising results that no-one could have predicted. One team surprising many spectators Aston Villa who currently sit 9th in the league with 2 games in hand. Leading the Villains this season is Dean Smith who has been managing Villa for 2 years and 71 days to date. Smith currently is the 8th longest serving premier league manager of any premier league club. He may soon jump to 7th given that Chris Wilder is 3rd and his days seem to be numbered (Sorry Chris). I believe that this surprising season for Villa, in terms of success stems from their team resilience. Smith has planted a resilience seed at Villa and over those 2 and a bit years it has blossomed (against the odds and a fortunate faulty hawk eye system against Sheffield united, again apologies to Wilder) into a strong team that still has the potential to grow.

What is Team Resilience

Team resilience can be defined as

“a dynamic, psychosocial process which protects a group of individuals from the potential negative effect of the stressors they collectively encounter. It comprises of processes whereby team members use their individual and combined resources to positively adapt when experiencing adversity” [1]

What this essentially means is that a team will face different stressors at different times (dynamic). That team must work together (psychosocial) to adapt to these stressors by collectively using their abilities. In order for a team to be resilient the correct culture must be created for it to grow. Creating that “culture” has been a goal of Smiths since his first interview for the club back in 2018. When considering what that culture looks like, it is important to consider three areas that can influence team resilience that lead to sustained success.

When considering what that culture looks like, it is important to consider three areas that can influence team resilience that lead to sustained success.

1. Collective Qualities

2. Facilitative Environment

3. Challenge Climate

These three areas stem from how resilience can be developed in an individual. However instead of an individual developing desirable personal qualities, a team should strive for collective qualities. Also, instead of an individual creating a challenge mindset, a team strives for a challenge climate [2].

Collective qualities

Collective qualities are defined as the qualities of the team that enable it to not buckle under stressful situations. Looking at Smith’s squad they have had to deal with their fair share of pressure over the last two years. Dean inherited a squad that was 14th in the Championship and who had missed out on promotion the season before. However, under his guidance they have secured promotion (largely due to a 10-game unbeaten streak to secure a play-off position which set a new club record) and avoided relegation with both those achievements coming down to single game performances.

The collective identity Dean created has been done through practices such as clearly defining roles and responsibilities within the team, having players commit to aligned goals, strengthening the belief of the players in each other and creating supportive and nurturing relationships. [3]

When looking at Villa it is clear to see the defined roles that have been designated amongst the players. Smith appointed Jack Grealish as captain in March 2019. Grealish is a boyhood Villa fan and worked his way through the academy. He lives and breathes Villa and appointing him as captain not only cemented his as a leader, but also set a standard for passion and expected work rate for the rest of the dressing room. Grealish’s passion and leadership is also mirrored in defender Tyrone Mings who is a physical and vocal powerhouse on the pitch (this is easy to distinguish this season given the absence of crowd noise). The passion from Grealish and structure from Mings gift Villa with a high level of group structure [1], which shapes the norms of the team and sets a precedent of what is expected from others.

Furthermore, the collective identity of the team can be witnessed through the perceived relationships between the players themselves. Getting players to believe in each others abilities is key to forming that collective identity and collective efficacy. The current Villa squad have endured many stressful games together. Six players who were in the starting eleven that saw Villa clinch promotion were also present in the starting eleven that avoided relegation last season and five of them started last week against Burnley (three of them pictured below).

When the players in the changing room look at their fellow teammates, they know that they can perform under pressure and have got each other’s back, on and off the field. This was evident when Tyrone Mings publicly defended El Ghazi due to the actions of some idiotic fans.

The supportive and nurturing relationships at Villa have been facilitated by Smith which in turn has created a squad with a strong set of collective qualities at Villa.

Facilitative Environment

The strong levels of support that the players receive from Smith help create a facilitative environment. This can be defined as an environment that promotes the development of resilience [2]. Three other types of non-optimal environments can be created by a leader. As you can see below an environment that is high in support and challenge creates a facilitative environment [2].

In a league where one bad result (or even a decent result if you are Slaven Bilić) can result in you losing your job it easy to assume that premier league managers can create an unrelenting environment. One characterised by unhealthy competition, little care for wellbeing and a leader who exposes and ridicules players [2]. (Sound familiar Arsenal fans?).

However, that sort of environment is not present at Villa. Smith has great relationships with his players and stated in a Leaders Performance Podcast Episode how he used the lockdown period to watch re-watch every game Villa had played last season and do individual reviews with players before they resumed playing after lockdown. This approach from Smith shows how he is capable of providing constructive feedback and setting challenges that are achievable with his support [2]. One characteristic that I personally think is important, is for a leader to recognise and celebrate success just as Smith did with his team after escaping relegation (even if it did anger the likes of (Roy Keane)

Challenge Climate

Creating collective qualities and a facilitative environment results in a challenge climate where team members overcome stressors together, utilising their combined resources. The culture surrounding the club influences this climate and it is evident to see with their current success this season that Aston Villa is a club with high levels of team resilience and beginning to achieve sustained success.

How can you create a Resilient Team

So, with Dean in mind, how can you start to increase resilience within your team and create that challenge climate?

The latest research into team resilience focuses on 5 categories that develop resilience in elite performing teams [3]

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References

[1] Morgan, P. B. C., Fletcher, D., & Sarkar, M. (2013). Defining and characterizing team resilience in elite sport. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 14(4), 549–559. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2013.01.004

[2] Fletcher, D., & Sarkar, M. (2016). Mental fortitude training: An evidence-based approach to developing psychological resilience for sustained success. Journal of Sport Psychology in Action, 7(3), 135–157. https://doi.org/10.1080/21520704.2016.1255496

[3] Morgan, P. B. C., Fletcher, D., & Sarkar, M. (2019). Developing team resilience: A season-long study of psychosocial enablers and strategies in a high-level sports team. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 45(May), 101543. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2019.101543