Social Network Analysis and Team Cohesion in Collegiate Sports: A Comparative Study of South Korea and Hong Kong

Objectives:
Given the situation, this study aimed to examine social networks, such as advice network density and friendship network density, in South Korea and Hong Kong. It compared the mean network densities of the two countries and examined the correlations between network densities and team cohesion sub-factors separately for each country.
Theoretical background and literature review:
Social capital emphasizes the importance of fostering social connections based on reciprocity and trustworthiness within social networks (Dekker & Uslaner, 2001) and research has found its beneficial effects on team cohesion and organizational effectiveness. Team cohesion plays an important role in sport competition and has been frequently examined as one of key factors in developing successful sport teams (Mason & Griffin, 2003). The contrasting collegiate sports environment in Hong Kong and Korea, with Hong Kong focusing on sportsmanship and physical activity in academics and Korea emphasizing intense athletic training for elite student-athletes, may influence team cohesion and outcomes (Kim et al., 2020).
Methodology:
In the current study, data comprised survey responses from 613 student-athletes (261 from Korea and 352 from Hong Kong, with 282 males and 331 females) across 25 sports. The questionnaire employed in the current study consisted of three components: (a) demographic information, (b) Name Generator Questionnaire based on social network analysis, and (c) pre-existing item-based scale for team cohesion. Advice network density and friendship network density were extracted the number of relationships that exist among the members of an individual’s social network as a proportion of the total possible number of such relationships (Wasserman & Faust, 1994). Means of two network densities in the two countries were compared using independent t-test, and then the correlation coefficients between network densities and the four sub-factors of team cohesion (attraction to group social, attraction to group task, group integration social, and group integration task) were derived.
Results and discussion:
The results were as follows. First, after standardizing the network densities for each country and comparing the mean, it was found that Korea's friendship and advice networks were significantly higher than those of Hong Kong (t=-3.625, p=.001, t=-2.355, p=.022). Second, In the case of Hong Kong, the only variable that showed a statistically significant correlation with the density of both friendship and advice networks was Attraction to Group Social (r=.458, .470). when it comes to Korea, the variables that showed a statistically significant correlation with the density of friendship and advice networks were Group integration-social (r=.561, .572) and Group integration-task (r=.429, .408). Overall findings revealed significant cross-cultural differences in friendship and advice network densities between collegiate sports teams in Korea and Hong Kong. The varying correlations between specific variables and network densities underscored the importance of cultural and social factors in shaping team dynamics.
Conclusion:
These findings have implications for team cohesion and performance within collegiate sports settings, highlighting the need for tailored strategies to foster effective communication and collaboration. Future research exploring additional cultural contexts and longitudinal effects on team outcomes could further enhance our understanding of social network dynamics in sports teams.