A Theoretical Framework of Sports Team’s Well-Being: An Integrative Perspective of Emotional Intelligence and Equivocality on Trust and Happiness

Authors

Drew Sannes, Minnesota State University, MoorheadFollow
Wooyang Kim, Minnesota State University, MoorheadFollow

Publication Date

2018

Abstract

Abstract – The purpose of this study is to develop and provide an integrative conceptual model of sports teams’ well-being to achieve a win-win situation of happiness for all stakeholders of sports teams, grounded in role theory and commitment-trust theory. We first conceptualized the well-being as an ultimate consequence by exploring sub-dimensions of happiness and provide relevant propositions linking with the respective antecedents. Second, we explored the effect of antecedents of sports team’s well-being in the spectrum of the anchor between positive and negative sides on the resultant outcomes – i.e., trust and happiness. Third, we examined the role of trust as an intermediating factor in the relationship between the antecedents and sports team’s well-being. Then, we proposed an integrative conceptual model of sports teams’ well-being to understand a mechanism among relevant measurements. Literature suggests that two ambivalent components affect the level of psychological satisfaction and happiness by trading off the effect of each dimension, and those two contributing factors include equivocality having a negative characteristic caused by different role, multiple information sources and communication methods while emotional intelligence entails a positive characteristic comprised of self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. Then, those ambivalent antecedents affect the strength of trust (level of trust for self and teammates regarding expected performance) and ultimately determine student-athletes’ well-being (objective performance, cohesiveness, and overall satisfaction belonging to a team). Particularly, trust mediates the relationship between the antecedents and student-athletes’ well-being by diluting negative factors while intensifying positivity. The theoretical and practical implications of this conceptual model are discussed.

Relevance to Marketing Educators, Researchers and Practitioners – This study is important to intra- and extra-organizational stakeholders related to collegiate sports to comprehend an importance of student-athletes’ wellbeing and sports audience engagement.