Coworker knowledge sharing and peer learning among elite footballers: Insights from German Bundesliga players

Kim Werner and Geoff Dickson

Sport Management Review, 2018, vol. 21, issue 5, 596-611

Abstract: •We investigate how peer learning impacts elite footballers’ performance.•We interview twelve elite footballers from German Bundesliga clubs.•Our findings highlight that peers are important knowledge sources in football.•Knowledge sharing positively impacts elite players’ development and performance.•The findings call for management tactics to use this untapped potential.This research focuses on coworker learning and knowledge sharing amongst elite footballers. The authors provide an in-depth understanding on how elite footballers learn from their peers and which channels are used to share their knowledge. The authors also analyze how peer learning impacts an elite footballer’s development and performance and to what extent elite football clubs actively support peer learning. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 12 elite footballers from first and second division German Bundesliga clubs. The findings demonstrate that peers are very important sources of knowledge for elite footballers. There are four main knowledge sharing channels: observing/imitating, peer exchange/peer communication, labor mobility and knowledge brokers. The findings highlight the positive impact of knowledge sharing on elite players’ development and performance and call for future (knowledge) management tactics to specifically use this untapped potential.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1016/j.smr.2018.02.001

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