a case study analysis of a high performance environment in elite swimming

Professor David Fletcher

BSc(Hons), MSc, PhD, CPsychol, FAASP, AFBPS, FHEA

• Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor (Sport, Health and Wellbeing)
• Professor of Human Performance and Health

Research groups and centres

• Sport performance
• Sport, business and society
• Lifestyle for health and wellbeing
• National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine
• Institute for Sport Business (Loughborough University in London)
• Loughborough Sport

• +44 (0)1509 223271
• National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine, NCSEM.1.20

Please call the press office on 01509 223491 to arrange an interview with Professor David Fletcher. Bookings can also be made online at globelynx.com .

• External activities
• Publications

David Fletcher is a Professor whose expertise in human performance and health is grounded in scientific disciplines and professional services relating to psychology, leadership, management, and coaching.  He is among the most distinguished , cited , and impactful performance psychologists in the world. As an Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor and a member of the University Leadership Group, David co-leads sport, health, and well-being strategy at the University.  He also acts as a performance and health specialist advisor to senior leaders and their teams across the University’s academic, professional, and athletic services.

David’s consultancy, research, and teaching focus on human excellence and well-being in sport, business, military, and other performance domains. His work addresses how high achievers develop, succeed, and thrive in demanding environments, and clusters around the following related themes:

• Leadership and Management (e.g., high performance leadership, managing elite teams)
• Environments and Cultures (e.g., organizational functioning and effectiveness, campaign planning)
• People and Teams (e.g., thriving and growth, psychological and team resilience, stress and emotion, mental health and well-being, lifestyle management)
• Consultancy and Coaching (e.g., psychosocial skills and interventions, professional competence and development)

Since the turn of the century, David has established and maintained a progressive programme of research that focuses on the psychology of human excellence and well-being in sport, business, military, and other performance domains.  His work addresses how high achievers develop, succeed, and thrive in demanding environments, and has pioneered the study of psychological and team resilience, stress and emotions, thriving and growth, organisational psychology and consultancy, particularly in elite sport contexts.  David’s research contributed to the national and international recognition of Loughborough University’s sport-related research as world-leading for its originality, significance, and rigour, as reported in the most recent UK Research Excellence Framework audit.

David serves in senior research roles in the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences.  He is currently the Research Evaluation Framework Psychology Lead (Sport and Performance), and a former University Sport and Exercise Beacon: Optimising Athlete Performance Theme Lead, Sport Performance Research Theme Lead, and Deputy Director of Doctoral Programmes (Sport Performance).  David currently leads the Human Performance and Health Lab which involves supervising doctoral researchers and managing research staff and visiting fellows’ scientific projects.  Their work has been supported by several million pounds of funding from private, public, and voluntary organisations.  The research team collaborates internationally with well-respected academics, and David is regularly invited to examine doctoral research candidates from around the globe.

David has published research in leading international journals in the fields of psychology (e.g., Current Opinion in Psychology , Psychophysiology ), sports medicine (e.g., Sports Medicine , Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport ), sports science (e.g., European Journal of Sport Science, Journal of Sports Sciences ), sport psychology (e.g., International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, Psychology of Sport and Exercise ), sport management (e.g., Journal of Sport Management, European Sport Management Quarterly ), and sports coaching (e.g., International Sport Coaching Journal ,  International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching ).  David is an experienced keynote speaker at academic conferences, currently serves in senior editorial positions for peer-reviewed journals, and has been the recipient of prestigious awards from international organisations for his research.

For doctoral research enquires, please e-mail: [email protected]

For visiting fellow and research collaboration enquires, please e-mail: [email protected]

David’s experience of consulting with high-level performers spans the past 24 years and includes working closely with Olympic and world champions from a variety of sports, senior business executives and their leadership teams in FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 companies, and special forces and military personnel.  He is an experienced keynote speaker at corporate events, and an expert media contributor for English-speaking television, radio, and newspapers.  David has published widely, including practical articles that demystify complex human phenomena, and he has been the recipient of prestigious awards from international organisations for his professional practice. 

David is currently Olympic and Paralympic Psychology Lead providing psychological support to elite athletes, coaches, and staff, with a focus on medalling in major international competitions.  He is a former Sport and Performance Psychology Lead.

David’s consultancy focuses on human excellence and well-being in sport, business, military, and other performance domains. His work supports high achievers to develop, succeed, and thrive in demanding environments, and areas in which he specialises include:

• The Corporate Athlete
• Creating a High Performance Environment
• Preparing for “The Big Show”
• Becoming and Being a Real Leader
• The Winning Mindset
• Think like a Champion
• What Makes the Best Better than the Rest?
• Know Thyself
• Optimising Motivation
• Strengthening Self-belief
• Handling Pressure
• Maintaining Focus
• Supporting Others
• Developing Resilience
• Overcoming Adversity
• What Does it Really Mean to Thrive?
• Staying Sane while Sustaining Success

For consultancy enquires, please e-mail: [email protected]

For media appearances, please e-mail: [email protected]

Featured publications

Human thriving.

• Brown, D. J., Arnold, R., Standage, M., Turner, J. E. and Fletcher, D. (2021). The prediction of thriving in elite sport: A prospective examination of the role of psychological need satisfaction, challenge appraisal, and salivary biomarkers. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport , 24 , 373-379.
• Fletcher, D. (2020, Winter). #ProjectThrive: The enabling of better persons and performers. The Sport and Exercise Scientist , 66 , 12-13.
• Fletcher, D. (2019). Thriving. In D. Hackfort, R. J. Schinke, and B. Strauss (Eds.), Dictionary of Sport Psychology: Sport, Exercise, and Performing Arts (page 303). London: Academic Press.
• Brown, D. J., Arnold, R., Fletcher, D. and Standage, M. (2017). Human thriving: A conceptual debate and literature review. European Psychologist , 22 , 167-179.
• Sarkar, M. and Fletcher, D. (2014). Ordinary magic, extraordinary performance: Psychological resilience and thriving in high achievers. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 3 , 46-60.

Psychosocial Growth

• Fletcher, D. (2021). Stress-related growth and resilience. In R. Arnold and D. Fletcher (Eds.), Stress, Well-being, and Performance in Sport (pages 191-221). Abingdon, UK: Routledge.
• Fletcher, D. (2019). Adversarial growth. In D. Hackfort, R. J. Schinke, and B. Strauss (Eds.), Dictionary of Sport Psychology: Sport, Exercise, and Performing Arts (pages 7-8). London: Academic Press.
• Howells, K., Sarkar, M. and Fletcher, D. (2017). Can athletes benefit from difficulty? A systematic review of growth following adversity in competitive sport. Progress in Brain Research , 234 , 117-159.
• Howells, K. and Fletcher, D. (2016). Adversarial growth in Olympic swimmers: Constructive reality or illusionary self-deception? Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology , 38 , 173-186.
• Howells, K. and Fletcher, D. (2015). Sink or swim: Adversity- and growth-related experiences in Olympic swimming champions. Psychology of Sport and Exercise , 16 , 37-48.

Psychological Resilience

• Lines, R. L. J., Crane, M., Ducker, K., Ntoumanis, N., Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C., Fletcher, D. and Gucciardi, D. F. (2020). Profiles of adversity and individual-level resilience resources: A latent class analysis across two samples. British Journal of Psychology , 111 , 174-199.
• Fletcher, D. (2019). Psychological resilience and adversarial growth in sport and performance. In E. O. Acevedo (Ed.), The Oxford Encyclopedia of Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology (pages 731-756). New York City, NY: Oxford University Press.
• Fletcher, D. and Sarkar, M. (2016). Mental fortitude training: An evidence-based approach to developing psychological resilience for sustained success. Journal of Sport Psychology in Action , 7 , 135-157.
• Fletcher, D. and Sarkar, M. (2013). Psychological resilience: A review and critique of definitions, concepts and theory. European Psychologist , 18 , 12-23 .
• Fletcher, D. and Sarkar, M. (2012). A grounded theory of psychological resilience in Olympic champions. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 5, 669-678.

Team Resilience

• Morgan, P. B. C., Fletcher, D. and Sarkar, M. (2019). Developing team resilience: A season-long study of psychosocial enablers and strategies in a high-level sports team. Psychology of Sport and Exercise , 45 , 101543.
• Decroos, S., Lines, R. L. J., Morgan, P. B. C., Fletcher, D., Sarkar, M., Fransen, K., Boen, F. and Vande Broek, G. (2017). Development and validation of the Characteristics of Resilience in Sports Teams Inventory. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology , 6 , 158-178.
• Morgan, P. B. C., Fletcher, D. and Sarkar, M. (2017). Recent developments in team resilience research in elite sport. Current Opinion in Psychology , 16 , 159-164.
• Morgan, P. B. C., Fletcher, D. and Sarkar, M. (2015). Understanding team resilience in the world’s best athletes: A case study of a rugby union world cup winning team. Psychology of Sport and Exercise , 16 , 91-100.
• Morgan, P. B. C., Fletcher, D. and Sarkar, M. (2013). Defining and characterizing team resilience in elite sport. Psychology of Sport and Exercise , 14 , 549-559 .
• Arnold, R. and Fletcher, D. (2021). Stressors, hassles, and adversity. In R. Arnold and D. Fletcher (Eds.), Stress, Well-being, and Performance in Sport (pages 31-62). Abingdon, UK: Routledge.
• Fletcher, D.and Arnold, R. (2017). Stress in sport: The role of the organizational environment. In C. R. D. Wagstaff (Ed.), An Organizational Psychology of Sport: Key Issues and Practical Applications (pages 83-100). London, UK: Routledge.
• Arnold, R., Fletcher, D. and Daniels, K. (2016). Demographic differences in sport performers’ experiences of organizational stressors. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 26, 348-358.
• Arnold, R., Fletcher, D. and Daniels, K. (2013). Development and validation of the Organizational Stressor Indicator for Sport Performers (OSI-SP). Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology , 35 , 180-196.
• Fletcher, D., Hanton, S. and Mellalieu, S. D. (2006). An organizational stress review: Conceptual and theoretical issues in competitive sport. In S. Hanton and S. D. Mellalieu (Eds.), Literature Reviews in Sport Psychology (pages 321-373). Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science.
• Arnold, R. and Fletcher, D. (2015). Confirmatory factor analysis of the Sport Emotion Questionnaire in organizational environments. Journal of Sports Sciences , 33 , 169-179 .
• Wagstaff, C. R. D., Fletcher, D. and Hanton, S. (2012). Exploring emotion abilities and strategies in sport organizations. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology , 1 , 268-282.
• Fletcher, D., Hanton, S. and Wagstaff, C. R. D. (2012). Performers’ responses to stressors encountered in sport organizations. Journal of Sports Sciences , 30 , 349-358.
• Mellalieu, S. D., Hanton, S. and Fletcher, D. (2006). A competitive anxiety review: Recent directions in sport psychology research. In S. Hanton and S. D. Mellalieu (Eds.), Literature Reviews in Sport Psychology (pages 1-45). Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science.
• Fletcher, D. and Hanton, S. (2001). The relationship between psychological skills usage and competitive anxiety responses. Psychology of Sport and Exercise , 2 , 89-101.

Mental Health and Well-being

• McLoughlin, E., Arnold, R., Moore, L. J., Slavich, G. M. and Fletcher, D. (2024). Sport performers’ experiences of lifetime stressor exposure: Exploring the factors that influence health, well-being, and performance. Anxiety, Stress, and Coping: An International Journal , 37 , 233-250.
• Sivaramakrishnan, H., Spray, C. M., Fletcher, D. and Ntoumanis, N. (2023). John Henryism and fear of failure in competitive sport: Predicting competitive standard and mental well-being. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 22, 273-289.
• McLoughlin, E., Arnold, R., Fletcher, D., Spahr, C. M., Slavich, G. M. and Moore, L. J. (2022). Assessing lifetime stress exposure in sport performers: Associations with trait stress appraisals, health, well-being, and performance. Psychology of Sport and Exercise , 58 , 102078.
• Giles, S., Fletcher, D., Arnold, R., Ashfield, A. and Harrison, J. (2020). Measuring well-being in sport performers: Where are we now and how do we progress? Sports Medicine , 50 , 1255-1270.
• Newman, H. J. H., Howells, K. and Fletcher, D. (2016). The dark side of top level sport: An autobiographic study of depressive experiences in elite sport performers. Frontiers in Psychology , 7 , 868.

Psychosocial Interventions

• Fletcher, D. and Arnold, R. (2021). Stress and pressure training. In R. Arnold and D. Fletcher (Eds.), Stress, Well-being, and Performance in Sport (pages 261-296). Abingdon, UK: Routledge.
• Brown, D. J. and Fletcher, D. (2017). Effects of psychological and psychosocial interventions on sport performance: A meta-analysis. Sports Medicine , 47, 77-99 .
• Didymus, F. F. and Fletcher, D. (2017). Effects of a cognitive-behavioral intervention on field hockey players' appraisals of organizational stressors. Psychology of Sport and Exercise , 30 , 173-185.
• Wagstaff, C. R. D., Hanton, S. and Fletcher, D.(2013). Developing emotion abilities and strategies in a sport organization: An action research intervention. Psychology of Sport and Exercise , 14 , 476-487.
• Rumbold, J. L., Fletcher, D. and Daniels, K. (2012). A systematic review of stress management interventions with sport performers. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology , 1 , 173-193.

Performance Leadership and Management

• Arnold, R., Fletcher, D. and Hobson, J. A. (2018). Performance leadership and management in elite sport: A black and white issue or different shades of grey? Journal of Sport Management , 32 , 452-463.
• Fletcher, D. and Arnold, R. (2015). Performance leadership and management in elite sport: Current status and future directions. In S. Andersen, B. Houlihan and L. T. Ronglan (Eds.), Managing Elite Sport Systems: Research and Practice (pages 162-181). Abingdon, UK: Routledge.
• Arnold, R., Fletcher, D. and Anderson, R. J. (2015). Leadership and management in elite sport: Factors perceived to influence job performance. International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching , 10 , 285-304.
• Arnold, R., Fletcher, D. and Molyneux, L. (2012). Performance leadership and management in elite sport: Recommendations, advice and suggestions from national performance directors. European Sport Management Quarterly , 12 , 317-336.
• Fletcher, D. and Arnold, R. (2011). A qualitative study of performance leadership and management in elite sport. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology , 23 , 223-242.

Organizational Functioning and Effectiveness

• Fletcher, D.and Streeter, A. P. (2016). A case study analysis of the high performance environment model in elite swimming. Journal of Change Management , 126 , 123-141.
• Arnold, R., Hewton, E. and Fletcher, D. (2015). Preparing our greatest team: The design and delivery of a preparation camp for the London 2012 Olympic Games. Sport, Business and Management: An International Journal , 5 , 386-407 .
• Wagstaff, C. R. D., Fletcher, D. and Hanton, S.  (2012). Positive organizational psychology in sport: An ethnography of organizational functioning in a national governing body. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology , 24 , 26-47.
• Wagstaff, C. R. D., Fletcher, D. and Hanton, S.  (2012). Positive organizational psychology in sport. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology , 5 , 87-103.
• Fletcher, D. and Wagstaff, C. R. D. (2009). Organizational psychology in elite sport: Its emergence, application and future. Psychology of Sport and Exercise , 10 , 427-434.

Lifestyle Management

• Harrison, G. E., Vickers, E., Fletcher, D. and Taylor, G. (2022). Elite female soccer players’ dual career plans and the demands they encounter. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology , 34 , 133-154.
• Cartigny, E., Fletcher, D., Coupland, C. and Bandelow, S. (2021). Typologies of dual career in sport: A cluster analysis of identity and self-efficacy. Journal of Sports Sciences , 39 , 583-590.
• Cartigny, E., Fletcher, D., Coupland, C. and Taylor, G. (2021). Mind the gap: A grounded theory of dual career pathways in sport. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology , 33 , 280-301.
• Garrett, S., Vickers, E., Fletcher, D. and Taylor, G. (2020). Sport migration from the UK to the US: The student-athlete experience. Journal for the Study of Sports and Athletes in Education , 14 , 19-40.
• Brown, D. J., Fletcher, D., Henry, I., Borrie, A., Emmett, J., Buzza, A. and Wombwell, S. (2015). A British university case study of the transitional experiences of student-athletes. Psychology of Sport and Exercise , 21 , 78-90.

Performance Consultancy and Coaching

• Cook, G., Fletcher, D. and Peyrebrune, M. C. (2022). Olympic coaching excellence: A quantitative study of Olympic swimmers' perceptions of their coaches. Journal of Sports Sciences , 40 , 32-39.
• Cook, G., Fletcher, D. and Carroll, C. (2021). Psychosocial functioning of Olympic coaches and its perceived effect on athlete performance: A systematic review. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology , 14 , 278-311.
• Cook, G. and Fletcher, D. (2017). Sport psychology in an Olympic swimming team: Perceptions of the management and coaches. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice , 48 , 343-351.
• Fletcher, D. and Maher, J. (2013). Toward a competency-based understanding of the training and development of applied sport psychologists. Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology . 2 , 265-280.
• Fletcher, D. and Scott, M. (2010). Psychological stress in sports coaches: A review of concepts, research and practice. Journal of Sports Sciences , 28 , 127-137.

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