Team dynamics in esports and traditional sports: similarities and differences

Purpose While esports and traditional sports teams have differences, they also share similarities that, if large enough, uphold learning opportunities, especially for building sustainable esports teams. This study aims to compare esports and traditional sports teams in the context of team dynamics. Specifically, the authors investigate the relationship of team trust and collective efficacy (CE) to shared mental models (SMMs), its effect on team performance in esports as well as traditional sports teams and quantifiably compare their similarity. Design/methodology/approach Data from 159 esports team players (aged 22.58; SD = 4.09) with, on average, 4.49 (SD = 3.77) years of playing experience and 165 traditional-team players (aged 23.54; SD = 5.99) with, on average, 13.49 (SD = 5.49) years of playing experience were collected online through validated questionnaires. Findings Structural equation modeling supports the relationship of trust and CE to SMMs and, in turn, to perceived performance. The models on esports and traditional sports teams are similar; only team trust is found to be statistically significantly higher for esports teams (Z = 2.08, p = 0.02). Furthermore, MANOVA results show only significant differences in two CE scales out of 13, with esports teams being higher in ability (ηp2 = 0.03) and persistence (ηp2 = 0.02). Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to collect data on team dynamics while conducting a quantitative comparison between traditional and esports teams. The results not only confirm their similarities but also highlight their distinct importance for performance. Thus, to effectively manage and maintain sustainable esports teams, existing knowledge on traditional sports teams can serve as a foundation for esports psychologists, coaches and managers to apply and adapt to the unique demands of the esports context.