Blog Layout

Commitment vs Involvement

HJ Kriek

Ever considered the difference between commitment and involvement?

This advertisement of the Standard Bank Group got me thinking about commitment and involvement, especially within sport, and especially so in the post Covid-19 world we find ourselves in.

(“We’re all in - YouTube,” n.d.)

A student once asked his professor: "I don't understand the difference between involvement and commitment. Aren't they the same thing?"

"No, they are not the same thing,” said the professor. He went on, "think of it this way: have you ever had eggs and bacon for breakfast?"

"Yes" responded the young student.

"Ah, then you will understand." the professor said slowly. "In your breakfast of eggs and bacon, the chicken was involved, but the pig was committed." (Wilson, 2017)

Involvement: the act or process of taking part in something 

(“INVOLVEMENT | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary,” n.d.)


Commitment:  a promise or firm decision to do something:

something that you must do or deal with that takes your time

(“COMMITMENT | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary,” n.d.)


From the Pig and Chicken analogy and from the definitions that the Cambridge dictionary gives us, it is evident that there is a big difference between the two. 

Involvement only mentions “taking part” in something, whereas Commitment features the strong words “promise” and “firm decision” and something that “takes your time”.


The question: When are you just involved versus when are you committed to the sport (task) that you do?

This after all can be the defining difference in success for high performance athletes and coaches. 


Dave Trott put it best in his blog:

“If we’re merely ‘involved’ in something then we don’t have to give it our all.

If it fails, it’s not the end of the world.

But if we’re ‘committed’ that’s a different matter.

Then it really is do or die.

We’ve got a lot more at stake.” (Trott, 2010)


Social media plays a massive role within high-performance sport in modern society. 

To be cool and to look good is very important, especially for our younger athletes. Commitment can be very uncool for a start. Athletes are not supposed to look like they are working hard and trying hard right? Social perception counts and what if they gave it their all and still failed? There are then no excuses. 

If they are just involved and not fully committed the excuse is still there that they did not really try and have more in the tank to give next time. (Trott, 2010)


The challenge is to understand the signs of involvement versus commitment in our athletes and to understand what it is that will make them switch from just being involved to fully committed to the cause. 


The answer lies in the outcomes that athletes achieve and experience. 

“Outcomes are the rewards and costs a person experience in an activity” (Schmidt & Stein, 2016)


The greater the rewards relative to the costs, the higher the outcomes. 

In high performance sport these rewards can be anything from financial rewards, trophies, and emotional satisfaction in the achievement of a desired goal. 

Rewards and cost does not exist in isolation however. (Schmidt & Stein, 2016)


As high-performance coaches and athletes we need to be aware what it is that drives commitment within our athletes and ourselves. 


Back in 1993 Scanlan and Simons published the Sport Commitment Model. This is a simple model that highlights five factors that drives commitment in sport.
Four of these factors has a positive outcome on commitment, while one has a negative impact.


Büssing (20020 also highlighted trust as a factor that plays a massive role in the commitment shown.


Let’s start with the negative factor.


Involvement alternatives 

Where there are alternatives that athletes can participate in and get better rewards with the same cost or even less, athletes will not be committed and just be involved until the opportunity arises to jump ship. 


How do we then keep athletes committed to the cause to achieve maximal results?


Positive factors are the following:


Sport Enjoyment

Make sure that there is maximal enjoyment in what you do and in what you present as a coach. In a recent article on NBC Sports (https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/warriors/how-steve-kerr-preserved-warriors-winning-culture-through-losing-seasons) Steve Kerr points out that enjoyment was one of the key factors instilled with the Golden State Warriors. (“How Steve Kerr preserved Warriors winning culture through losing seasons | RSN,” n.d.)


Personal Investments

Where athletes have made personal sacrifices, the commitment will be stronger. It is the same as the age-old principal that you will look better after something that you have bought for yourself with your hard-earned money than after a gift. With personal investment the cost factor is high but so are the emotional reward achieved in the end that comes with these sacrifices. 


Social Expectations and Norms

As mentioned earlier, social media has become a major role player in the way high performance sports is portrayed and marketed. The higher the social expectation and or norms are the more committed athletes will be to their cause and sport. This however can create pressure on athletes that on the other hand be negative in performance even though the athlete is fully committed. This is tight rope to be walked very carefully. 


Involvement Opportunities

The more athletes are involved, the happier they will be and the more they will commit. Within professional team setups this can be harder than what you would think. With big squads and only a percentage of that squad being able to play, keeping all involved becomes a challenge. 


Trust

In a world where change is all around us, confidence in leadership is at an all-time low and

uncertainties are the order of the day; trust goes a very long way in the commitment 

process. 


In summary, sport commitment is a motivational force that reflects a person’s desire and resolve to continue participation in sport.

Sport commitment is a dynamic, psychological state that can vary over time, through seasons, and over the course of careers. 

Individuals’ level of commitment influences behavior in the form of choice, persistence, and effort (Williams, 2013)


In a high-performance environment, the factors that plays a role in the level of commitment needs to be identified and actively pursued to make sure that commitment is at a maximum and involvement at a minimum. 


Let’s makes sure in our environment everyone is ‘in’ and no one is ‘out’. 


Commitment after all is a necessary condition for success.

As a result of this article I caught up with Oliver Randall from Tribe 365 for a chat. 

You can see a condensed version of our conversation below.

We split the chat into:

What does it mean to be committed vs involved? 0:07

What made you look at Committed vs Involved? 0:33

What are the challenges to getting committed individuals? 4:08

How does the pathway to committed look? 8:17

How much do we sacrifice focus on results for getting culture right? 13:58

Bibliography 


  • Büssing, A. (2002). Trust, Commitment and Involvement in Work 37, 28(4), 36–42.
  • COMMITMENT | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary. (n.d.). Retrieved June 25, 2022, from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/commitment
  • How Steve Kerr preserved Warriors winning culture through losing seasons | RSN. (n.d.). Retrieved July 1, 2022, from https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/warriors/how-steve-kerr-preserved-warriors-winning-culture-through-losing-seasons
  • INVOLVEMENT | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary. (n.d.). Retrieved June 25, 2022, from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/involvement
  • Scanlan, T. K., Carpenter, P. J., Simons, J. P., Schmidt, G. W., & Keeler, B. (1993). An Introduction to the Sport Commitment Model. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 15(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.15.1.1
  • Schmidt, G. W., & Stein, G. L. (2016). Sport Commitment: A Model Integrating Enjoyment, Dropout, and Burnout. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 13(3), 254–265. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.13.3.254
  • Trott, D. (2010). THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INVOLVEMENT AND COMMITMENT | Dave Trott’s Blog. Retrieved June 13, 2022, from https://davetrott.co.uk/2010/08/the-difference-between-involvement-and-commitment/
  • We’re all in - YouTube. (n.d.). Retrieved July 2, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0FxcZVkm6s
  • Williams, L. (2013). Commitment to sport and exercise: Re-examining the literature for a practical and parsimonious model. Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, 46(SUPPL.1), 35–42. https://doi.org/10.3961/jpmph.2013.46.S.S35
  • Wilson, M. (2017). The difference between involvement and commitment. Retrieved June 13, 2022, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/difference-between-involvement-commitment-mel-wilson


The Final Pass

Success vs Happiness: The Winning Formula in Sport

By HJ Kriek • December 24, 2024
Are you happy because you are successful, or are you successful because you are happy?

Navigating the Digital Lens: A Step-by-Step Small Business Video Marketing Manual

By Lisa Walker • September 26, 2024
In today's fast-paced digital landscape, video marketing has emerged as a powerful tool for small businesses to connect with their target audience. With the right strategy in place, videos can capture attention, convey messages effectively, and drive engagement. In this guide from The Final Pass , we'll delve into the components of a successful video marketing campaign for small businesses. Understanding Types of Video Marketing At the core of crafting an impactful video marketing strategy is grasping the array of video formats at your disposal. Each type of video serves a unique purpose and can be used to achieve different marketing goals. For example, explainer videos are excellent for simplifying intricate ideas and making complex information more accessible to your audience. Product demos spotlight your offerings, showcasing their features and benefits in a tangible way that helps potential customers understand their value. Targeting Your Audience To make the most of your video marketing efforts, it's crucial to define your target market by understanding their preferences, needs, and pain points. Start by examining your web traffic for unique visitors and average time on site to gain insights into which content resonates most with your audience. Additionally, analyze statistics from your social media platforms to further refine this information. Creating videos that address these identified aspects establishes a genuine connection, leading to higher engagement and better results. Setting a Realistic Budget Before embarking on a video marketing campaign, it's essential to determine a budget that aligns with your business's financial situation. Consider factors such as production costs, equipment requirements, and advertising expenses. Striking a balance between your investment and expected returns is key to ensuring that your video marketing efforts yield positive outcomes without straining your resources. Enlisting Professional Help While smartphone cameras have come a long way, collaborating with video production professionals can significantly enhance the quality and impact of your videos. Videographers, scriptwriters, and video editors possess the expertise to create visually appealing and compelling content that resonates with your audience. Their skills can elevate your videos from good to exceptional, leaving a lasting impression on viewers. Integration with Content Marketing A successful video marketing strategy doesn't exist in isolation. Integrating videos into your overall content marketing approach can amplify their impact. Enhance blog posts, enrich social media content, and strengthen email campaigns with engaging videos. This integration extends your reach and resonates with your audience on multiple platforms, maximising your overall marketing efforts. Measuring Campaign Effectiveness To determine the success of your video marketing campaigns, it's crucial to establish key performance indicators (KPIs). Metrics such as view counts, engagement rates, conversion rates, and social shares provide insights into how well your videos are performing. Regularly monitoring these metrics enables you to assess the effectiveness of your strategy and make necessary adjustments to optimize results. Optimising Videos for SEO To ensure your videos reach a broader audience, optimising them for search engines is essential. Start by incorporating relevant keywords in your video titles, descriptions, and tags to improve discoverability. Additionally, create captivating thumbnail images and provide transcriptions for accessibility and better indexing by search engines. By following these SEO best practices, you can boost your video’s visibility and drive organic traffic to your small business. Crafting an effective video marketing strategy for your small business requires a thoughtful approach that encompasses audience targeting, budgeting, professional collaboration, survey feedback, and performance measurement. By embracing the power of video and integrating it seamlessly into your content marketing efforts, you can create a lasting connection with your audience, foster engagement, and ultimately drive growth and success. Unlock the full potential of video marketing and watch your small business flourish in the digital age. Unlock your team's full potential with tailored high-performance sports coaching from The Final Pass . Reach out today to reshape your approach and achieve greater success in both sports and organisational growth!
More Posts
Share by: