Eriksson was appointed in succession to Dutchman Charles van Commenee who stepped down last week after a sometimes uneasy relationship with some members of the sport.

Van Commenee moved on after Team GB fell two medals short of his target at the London 2012 Olympics - despite four of those six were gold for Jessica Ennis, Greg Rutherford and Mo Farah, who won two.

Eriksson, previously head coach of the UK Athletics Paralympic programme, said he shared many of van Commenee's views but added there were also distinct differences, not least when it came to setting medal targets.

"There are a lot of similarities in what we do," said the Swede, who spent much of his career in Canada.

"We both want to achieve great performances by this team and that will not change.

"[But] it's more about listening to what the athletes and their coaches have to say and try to adjust so the athlete is always the most responsible person for the performance."

Eriksson reiterated he would take a far more low-profile approach than van Commenee.

"You take time listening to them and what they have to say and see what their goals are and try to help them as much as possible so they get a feeling you are not someone on a pedestal and are at same level," he told BBC Radio's Sportsweek programme.

"Maybe that's the key to it."

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