A Qualitative Study of Leader-Member Exchange Theory and Psychological Safety in High School Baseball Team

This study examined the relationship between coaches and players in Japanese high school baseball teams through the framework of Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) theory, with a particular focus on its influence on team psychological safety. With the aim of elucidating specific relational dimensions and behaviors related to trust, communication, and support within the coach-athlete relationship, semi-structured interviews were conducted via Zoom. An interview guide was developed based on the Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) scale (Graen & Uhl-Bien, 1995) and the Psychological Safety scale (Edmondson, 1999), and the interviews were administered accordingly.Participants included four coaches (mean age = 46.3 ± 4.78 years) and sixteen players (mean age = 16.8 ± 1.04 years) from. four championship-level high school baseball teams with proven success in Japan’s highly competitive national high school baseball tournaments. The narrative data obtained were transcribed verbatim and analyzed through the categorization process of the KJ method, yielding 617 data points. These were grouped into 135 sub-categories, then into 23 mid-level categories, and ultimately organized into seven overarching themes: (1) Ideal-Based Actions, (2) Multifaceted Communication, (3) Driving Forces, (4) Achievements and Evaluations, (5) Coaching Competence, (6) Comfort, and (7) Tokenism.Findings suggest that psychological safety fosters trust between coaches and players, enabling open expression of opinions and encouraging players to take on challenges without fear of negative repercussions. High-quality LMX relationships—characterized by mutual trust and respect—further enhance psychological safety by creating a supportive environment in which players feel valued and motivated to contribute.Conversely, traditional coaching styles such as " traditional authoritarian coaching" and the use of "critical language" increase psychological stress and weaken coach-player relationships by discouraging open communication and limiting players' willingness to take initiative.These findings highlight the importance of individualized trust-building by coaches and mutual understanding among players in fostering a psychologically safe team environment. Such an environment contributes to stronger team cohesion, improved performance, and a more positive overall sports experience.Future research should explore how coaching styles can be adapted to enhance psychological safety, optimizing both individual growth and team success.