Coach Knight Case Analysis

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Coach Knight is a basketball coach in search of the perfect game. His coaching philosophy revolves around hard work and places emphasis on the preparation it takes to win consistently – no matter what. He is an effective coach, with a 800-303 career winning record and an admiration “Knight family” composed of high profile alumni, the results of his methods are clear. However, his dedication to the sport is often misconstrued for harshness and insensitivity towards his players as he works them to the point of physical impossibility and exhaustion. A list of controversies has as long as his accomplishments has plagued Knight’s career from the start. Motivating his team through an excessive use of coercive power has resulted in a rocky relationship between him and his team. Coach Knight holds several types of power over his players, stemming from both formal and personal bases. Formal power is based on an individual’s position in an organization and can derive from the ability to coerce, reward or control through legitimate means (Robbins & Judge, 2012). Knight exercises coercive power over his players: they fear the consequences of a failure to comply with his demands and the resulting negativity they may experience. If a player is perceived to be underperforming or not giving his best effort, he is under the threat of being thrown out of practice, being forbidden to play in the upcoming games or demoted to a “B” team and at risk of losing his scholarship. Also, players are subject to bursts of unprecedented verbal and physical aggression, which creates tension and ultimately creates an environment that forces players to obey under coercive power. At the same time, players desperately yearn for Knight to recognize and acknowledge their efforts. Because he is so critical and typically unyielding, his praise is coveted that much more. In this sense, Knight holds
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