In: Athletic Insight Journal ISSN: 1947-6299 Volume 2, Issue 2, pp. 1–19 © 2010 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. T EAM B UILDING IN SPORT: A NARRATIVE REVIEW OF THE PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS, CURRENT METHODS, AND THEORETICAL UNDERPINNINGS Esa Rovio 1 *, Monna Arvinen-Barrow 2 , A. Daniel Weigand 3 , Jari Eskola 4 and Taru Lintunen 5 1 LIKES Research Center for Sport and Health Sciences, Jyväskylä, Finland 2 Division of Sport, Exercise, and Life Sciences, School of Health, The University of Northampton, Northampton, United Kingdom 3 Center for Research Support, Walden University and Achieve Acumen, Inc. 4 Department of Education, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland 5 Department of Sport Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland Abstract Despite team building (TB) methods having their roots in organizational development (OD), this theoretical background has been seldom applied in sport. The purpose of this study was to provide chronological narrative review of the recent (1997- 2008) sport-related research on team building. A total of 28 articles were reviewed. The findings suggest that team building has a positive effect on group functioning, especially increasing group cohesion. It was also apparent that thus far, the team building research in sport is mostly focused on cohesion. In conclusion, it would be advantageous for researchers to familiarize themselves with the existing organizational development research tradition. This could assist in establishing a clear definition and a solid theoretical framework for team building in sport, as well as preventing sport researchers making the same mistakes made in work organizations. By doing so, team building, and the development of group functioning and performance, could become an even more promising area for sport science research. Keywords: Narrative, team building, group functioning, team sport Introduction In recent years, the professionals involved in the training and development of sport teams have been particularly interested in the development of a well-functioning group. Much interest has been placed in identifying the characteristics of such a group while performing their tasks effectively. It is believed that teams that work well together * Corresponding author: Postal address: Rautpohjankatu 8a, FIN-40700 Jyväskylä, Finland Tel + 358 50 4011951, Fax + 358 14 260 1571 E-mail: esa.rovio@likes.fi