Decision-Making Processes of Coaches: Influence of Leadership Orientations and Problem-Solving Skills

Background The purpose of this study is to examine the rational and intuitive decision making of coaches in terms of their leadership orientations and problem-solving skills. The research model was designed to reveal the effect of intuitive and rational decision-making styles that coaches choose when overcoming problems and the effect between leadership orientations and intuitive and rational decision-making styles. Method In the study, a questionnaire-based approach was used to collect data from ‘261’ individual and team sport coaches working in Turkey. The hypotheses of the model were tested with structural equation modelling using Smart PLS software. Results The findings reveal the positive effect of education and training, democratic and social support components of leadership orientation on coaches' rational decision-making skills, and the positive effect of democratic and autocratic leadership orientation components on intuitive decision-making skills. Moreover, the positive effect of rational decision making on coaches' problem solving components of impulsive, confidence, monitoring, avoidant, and planfulness, and the positive effect of intuitive decision making on problem solving antecedents of reflective, monitoring, and planned were found. Conclusions Our research is unique in that it is the first step towards understanding the guidance of intuitive and rational decision-making mechanisms in the influence of coaches' leadership orientations on problem solving skills and can be modeled to provide evidence for future research. The results suggest that coaches' leadership orientations positively influence their intuitive and rational decision-making skills.