Professional challenges in elite sports medicine and science: Composite vignettes of practitioner emotional labor

Hings, Rebecca F.; Wagstaff, Christopher; Anderson, Valerie; Gilmore, Sarah; Thelwell, Richard

doi:10.1016/j.psychsport.2017.11.007

Cited by 33 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…These experiences are likely to resonate with a diverse audience (e.g., coaches, managers, players, and practitioners) and invoke a greater sense of reflection than other qualitative research techniques (Schinke, Blodgett, McGannon, & Ge, 2016). Creative nonfiction practices, whereby the authors move from story analysts to story tellers, have been advocated by qualitative researchers (e.g., Schinke et al, 2016) in line with scholarly investigations into the professional challenges of sports scientists (e.g., Hings, Wagstaff, Anderson, Gilmore, & Thelwell, 2018) and cultural dynamics in athlete transitions (e.g., Schinke et al, 2016).…”

Section: Data Analysis and Representationmentioning

confidence: 97%

Negotiating Gender in the English Football Workplace: Composite Vignettes of Women Head Coaches’ Experiences

Clarkson

Cox

Thelwell

2019

Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal

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Historically, men have dominated the English football workplace; as a result, the number of women in coaching positions has been limited. The aim of the present study was to explore the lived experiences of women head coaches to identify the extent that gender influences the English football workplace. Semi-structured interviews (N = 12) were conducted with women head coaches operating at the (a) youth recreational, (b) talent development, and (c) elite levels of the English football pyramid. An inductive thematic analysis was performed which informed the development of composite vignettes, a form of creative nonfiction. Three vignettes were developed comprising women head coaches’ stories at each pyramid level. Findings from the thematic analysis identified themes of gender stereotyping, proving yourself, and confidence at the youth recreational level; work-life conflicts, limited career mobility, and marginalization at the talent development level; and tokenism, undercurrents of sexism, and apprehensions of future directives at the elite level. The vignette stories demonstrate that gender negatively influences coaches’ interactions and confidence early in their career in youth recreational football; gender bias is embedded within discriminatory organizational practices which limit career mobility for coaches working in talent development; and gender is used to hold elite level women coaches to higher scrutiny levels than male colleagues. Recommendations (e.g., [in]formal mentoring, male advocacy, recruitment transparency) are made to practitioners for a targeted occupational-focused approach regarding support, retention, and career progression of women head coaches in football.

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Section: Data Analysis and Representationmentioning

confidence: 97%

Negotiating Gender in the English Football Workplace: Composite Vignettes of Women Head Coaches’ Experiences

Clarkson

Cox

Thelwell

2019

Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal

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“…Thankfully, work is emerging to support sport science and medicine educators and trainers in this endeavor. For instance, Hings and colleagues recently observed professional development challenges for practitioners (Hings, Wagstaff, Anderson, Gilmore, & Thelwell, 2018a;Hings, Wagstaff, Thelwell, Gilmore, & Anderson, 2018b), and examined the emotional education-trainingpractice gap in the professional formation of sport psychologists, and provided guidance for individuals at each career stage (Hings, Wagstaff, Anderson, Gilmore, & Thelwell, in press).…”

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confidence: 99%

A Commentary and Reflections on the Field of Organizational Sport Psychology

Wagstaff

2018

Journal of Applied Sport Psychology

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The articles published in this special issue all significantly extend the knowledge within their respective lines of inquiry. Taken together, they offer a key reference point for future research and application knowledge. In this epilogue, I provide a brief commentary on each article and some reflections on the field of organisational sport psychology. Specifically, I offer three pressing observations of the field relating to: the need for intervention work; the need for greater duty of care; and, the need for practitioner action. It has been a decade since David Fletcher and I concluded our review of the then nascent research on organizational psychology in elite sport by stating: Those governing and managing elite sport have a duty of care to protect and support the mental wellbeing of its employees and members. In addition to these statutory requirements, National Sport Organizations also have an ethical obligation to create performance environments which facilitate individual and group flourishing… It appears that the 'global sporting arms race' has had both positive and negative consequences for those operating in elite sport. A convergence of evidence points to the organisational environment as having the potential to significantly impact on individuals' wellbeing and performance. It also indicates that the climate and culture in elite sport requires careful and informed management in order to optimise individuals' experiences and organisational flourishing. However, the body of knowledge is still in its early stages and restricted.

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“…Building on a wealth of research on athletes' stress experiences, contemporary scholars are now focusing more attention on the professional challenges experienced by 'the team behind the team' (viz., those individuals operating in sport science and management roles in elite sport; Arnold, Collington, Manley, Rees, Soanes, & Williams, 2017;Hings, Wagstaff, Anderson, Gilmore, & Thelwell, 2018). Indeed, Wagstaff (2017) recently reported that there are additional 'performers' in sporting contexts (e.g., coaches) who, like athletes, encounter demanding situations and are expected to perform under pressure.…”

Section: Stressors In Elite Sportmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The rationale for this study is fourfold: (a) while the stressor experiences of other sport science staff have been examined, physiotherapists working in STRESSORS IN ELITE SPORT 5 elite sport have been ignored. This study, therefore, complements previous research and seeks to provide an additional 'piece to the puzzle' of the professional challenges experienced by the 'team behind the team' (viz., ; (b) stress has been observed to impact the well-being of sporting personnel (viz., ; therefore, it is critical that we seek to raise our awareness of the stressors experienced by physiotherapists and their impact to ensure their wellbeing is not being compromised; (c) considering the transactional nature of stress and how strain can be contagious (viz., Hings et al, 2018), it is important to understand physiotherapists' lived experiences of working in elite sport to identify whether they can impact the well-being and performance of others (e.g., athletes, coaches); and (d) only by understanding physiotherapists' working experiences on the 'ground' level can we raise sports organizations' awareness of whether policies and practices are providing them with a sufficient duty of care (e.g., National Governing Bodies, National Institutes of Sport). Findings can also inform professional societies and regulatory bodies codes of conduct that govern the professional practice of physiotherapists (e.g., Health and Care Professions Council, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy).…”

Section: Stressors In Elite Sportmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stressors experienced in elite sport by physiotherapists.

Kerai¹,

Wadey²,

Salim³

2019

Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology

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This study extends stress research by exploring the stressors experienced by physiotherapists' working in elite sport. The physiotherapists who were interviewed have prepared athletes and worked with them at international events (e.g., Olympic and Paralympic Games). Transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis. Methodological rigor and generalizability were maximized through selfreflexivity and eliciting external reflections before seeking publication. Five themes were identified: I am not a Machine, This is Sport, Relationships are Messy, Under the Microscope, and Beyond one's Remit. These themes illustrate that sports physiotherapists experience a wide variety of stressors (e.g., workload, power-relationships, moral and ethical conflicts), with diverse consequences (e.g., work-life conflict, job insecurity, relationship breakdown). Although these findings resonate with practitioners in other sport science and management roles, they also provide unique insights into this population. Practical implications are discussed across multiple levels (i.e., policy, cultural, organizational, interpersonal, and intrapersonal).

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Professional challenges in elite sports medicine and science: Composite vignettes of practitioner emotional labor

Cited by 33 publications

References 34 publications

Negotiating Gender in the English Football Workplace: Composite Vignettes of Women Head Coaches’ Experiences

Negotiating Gender in the English Football Workplace: Composite Vignettes of Women Head Coaches’ Experiences

A Commentary and Reflections on the Field of Organizational Sport Psychology

Stressors experienced in elite sport by physiotherapists.

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