The coach as an architect of Danish high- performance sport environments

Abstract

Elite athletes train and compete within high-performance sport environments that significantly influence their performance, development, and well-being. Within an enormous portfolio of tasks, a key role of a coach, therefore, is that of an ‘architect’ who designs, builds, and maintains successful high-performance environments. To understand this role in more depth, we conducted four case studies in which we interviewed one high-level coach in Danish Olympic and Paralympic sport, their manager, and two of their athletes. Each case was first analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis to identify key themes. Second, in a cross-case analysis focusing on how these four coaches develop and maintain environments conducive to top performance, we crafted two overarching themes. Non-negotiables refer to ways of leading that coaches described as so essential that they were never up for discussion, and included leading through values and clear structures, leading whole persons, and leading the whole staff. Delicate balances refer to dilemmas that coaches had to navigate when leading their HPSE, including balancing intensity with sustainable development, individual consideration with the team, a focus on the best with a focus on the rest, and athlete responsibility with coach guidance. The study illustrates that high-performance coaches play a critical role as architects of their athletes' environments and thus contributes to the understanding of the complexity of modern coaching, highlighting a need for ongoing professional development for coaches to enhance their leadership competencies in high-performance settings.