Team Building Insight on Team Building in Health Care
Settings
team building.WHO.2007.geneva
Learning Objectives
• Define team and team building .• Identify factors that should be considered in
selecting the right team.• Define the characteristics of effective teams.• Describe team development phases.• Identify barriers affecting teamwork.• Understand the impact of teamwork on
healthcare professionals, patients, & healthcare delivery systems.
team building.WHO.2007.geneva
What is a Team?
• Team:• Two or more people working interdependently
towards a common goal.• Getting a group of people together does not make
a “team.”• A team develops products that are the result of the
team's collective effort and involves synergy.• Synergy is the property where the whole is greater
than the sum of its parts.
team building.WHO.2007.geneva
What is a Team?
• Team Building: The process of gathering the right people and getting them to work together for the benefit of a project.
• Norms :Acceptable standards of behaviors within a group that are shared by group members.
team building.WHO.2007.geneva
Selecting the Right Team for a Project
Team size.
Overall team composition.
Team member
selection.
team building.WHO.2007.geneva
Team Size• Recommended size is a team of 3-12
members.• A team of 5-7 members is the best. • Small teams work faster and tend to
produce results quickly, but there is less diversity. • Teams greater than 7 or 8 members
require an expert.
team building.WHO.2007.geneva
Team Composition
• Ensure that the team have a wide range of experience and skills
• Consider members who have different abilities such as:
Technical expertise and skills. Administrative skills (e.g. problem-solving &
decision-making skills). Interpersonal and communication skills.
team building.WHO.2007.geneva
Team Member Selection & Exclusion
• When selecting team members, give preference to individuals who are:
Concerned about & committed to the common purpose and goals (interested in the project)
Enthusiastic & Optimistic. Creative, flexible, proactive, & open minded. Can devote time to the initiative .
Characteristics of Effective Teams
1. Organizational structure.2. Individual contribution.3. Team processes.
Mickan S, Rodger S. Characteristics of effective teams: a literature review.Aust Health Rev. 2000;23(3):201-8.
Characteristics of Effective Teams
Organizational structure
Clear purpose
Appropriate culture
Specified task
Distinct rolesSuitable leadership
Relevant members
Adequate resources
Mickan S, Rodger S. Characteristics of effective teams: a literature review.Aust Health Rev. 2000;23(3):201-8.
Characteristics of Effective Teams• Organizational Structure:1)Clear Purpose• Each organization should have a clear mission
& vision. • Clear & measurable team goals could be
derived from the mission statement. • As team members participated in setting &
prioritizing goals, they better understood the task requirements & were more motivated to achieve them.
Characteristics of Effective Teams
2) Appropriate Culture Organizational culture needs to transform
shared values into behavioral norms.
Mickan S, Rodger S. Characteristics of effective teams: a literature review.Aust Health Rev. 2000;23(3):201-8.
Characteristics of Effective Teams
3)Specified Tasks:• Tasks should make tangible contribution to the
organization & should be sufficiently motivating.
4)Distinct Roles:• Roles need to be flexible to accommodate individual
differences & personal development.• Individuals should be able to negotiate their roles to
perform unique & meaningful tasks.
Mickan S, Rodger S. Characteristics of effective teams: a literature review.Aust Health Rev. 2000;23(3):201-8.
Characteristics of Effective Teams
5) Suitable Leadership: • Leaders need to maintain a strategic focus to support
the organization’s vision, facilitate goal setting, educate, & evaluate achievements.
• When leaders delegate responsibility appropriately, team members become more confident & autonomous in their work.
Mickan S, Rodger S. Characteristics of effective teams: a literature review.Aust Health Rev. 2000;23(3):201-8.
Characteristics of Effective Teams
6) Relevant Members: • Teams require the right number of members with the
appropriate mix and diversity of tasks & interpersonal skills. A balance between homogeneity and heterogeneity of members’ skills, interests & backgrounds is Preferred.
7) Adequate Resources: • Organizations need to provide teams with adequate
financial resources, administrative & technical support & professional education.
Mickan S, Rodger S. Characteristics of effective teams: a literature review.Aust Health Rev. 2000;23(3):201-8.
Characteristics of Effective Teams
Individual Contribution
Self-knowledge
trust
Commitment
Flexibility
Mickan S, Rodger S. Characteristics of effective teams: a literature review.Aust Health Rev. 2000;23(3):201-8.
Characteristics of Effective Teams• Individual Contribution:1) Self Knowledge: • Individuals need to be independent & self-aware before
they can be satisfied, productive & respectful of others.
2) Trust:• The ability to trust originates from self-knowledge &
competence. • Trust must be slowly built up across team members who
have different competencies, assumptions & priorities, through developing confidence in each other’s competence & reliability.
Characteristics of Effective Teams
3) Commitment: • Commitment to a unified set of team goals & values
provides direction & motivation for individual members. Further, commitment is increased by & increases feelings of responsibility for & participation in the team’s work.
4) Flexibility:• Ability to maintain an open attitude, accommodate
different personal values & be receptive to the ideas of others.
Characteristics of Effective Teams
Team processes
Communication
Cohesion
Conflict management
Social relationships
Performance Feedback
Mickan S, Rodger S. Characteristics of effective teams: a literature review.Aust Health Rev. 2000;23(3):201-8.
characteristics of Effective Teams
• Team Process:1) Communication• As a major form of communication, meetings
need to have clear agendas, & be managed so that all members contribute .
• In addition, clear two-way communication channels across team boundaries & with the organization ensures the relevance of the team’s functioning.
Mickan S, Rodger S. Characteristics of effective teams: a literature review.Aust Health Rev. 2000;23(3):201-8.
Characteristics of Effective Teams
2) Cohesion• Team cohesion acknowledges members’ personal
attraction to the team & the task. • Members cooperate interdependently around
the team’s task in order to meet team goals• Socially, members feel as if they belong & want
to remain with the team for future tasks.• Cohesion can be fostered through small team
sizes, similar attitudes & physical proximity.Mickan S, Rodger S. Characteristics of effective teams: a literature review.Aust Health Rev. 2000;23(3):201-8.
Characteristics of Effective Teams
3) Conflict Management:* Team conflict can source both creativity &
destruction. For teams to value creative contributions & promote effective problem solving, diversity needs careful management.
• Destructive team conflict often has an interpersonal basis in work role or organizational factors.
Mickan S, Rodger S. Characteristics of effective teams: a literature review.Aust Health Rev. 2000;23(3):201-8.
Characteristics of Effective Teams
4) Social Relationships: • Good social relationships maintain effective teams. • Personally, team members who are empathic & supportive of their colleagues offer practical assistance, share information & collaboratively solve problems.
5) Performance Feedback: * Individuals, the team & the organization all require accurate and timely feedback about the team’s performance in order to maintain their effectiveness.
team building.WHO.2007.geneva
Usual Phases of a Team's Development
Forming.
Storming.
Norming.
Performing.Reorientating .
team building.WHO.2007.geneva
1. Forming2. Storming3. Norming4. Performing5. Reorientating
team building.WHO.2007.geneva
1)Forming
• This is the initial orientation period.• The team is unsure about what it is
supposed to do, members do not know each other well or are not yet familiar with the way the team leader & the other members function.
team building.WHO.2007.geneva
2) Storming
• The team members now feel more comfortable giving their opinion & challenging the team leader's authority & recommendations.
• Some members may become dissatisfied & challenge not only the tasks of the team & how these will be carried out, but also the leader's role and style of leadership.
• This is the start of intra-group conflicts.
team building.WHO.2007.geneva
3) Norming
• Team members begin to use their past experiences to solve their problems & pull together as a cohesive group.
• This process should result in the team establishing procedures for handling conflicts, decisions, & methods to accomplish the team projects.
team building.WHO.2007.geneva
4) Performing
• In this phase the team has achieved harmony, defined its tasks, worked out its relationships, & has started producing results.
• Members have learned how to work together, manage conflict & contribute their resources to meet the team's purposes.
team building.WHO.2007.geneva
5) Reorientating
• The team dissolves when the team has completed the project. It may be reoriented to continue on a next phase of the project.
team building.WHO.2007.geneva
Responsibilities of Team Leader:
1) Assign clear tasks to each member. 2) Regularly review & monitor progress of work. 3) Discuss & agree on the timetable for major activities with the team. 4) Motivate team members & Resolve conflicts. 5) Helps members to overcome barriers.
team building.WHO.2007.geneva
External Barriers to Teamwork:
1)Work load: Members are often required to work on their team assignments in addition to a full workload or are given more work than they are capable of handling.2) Teams are not given adequate resources.
team building.WHO.2007.geneva
Internal Barriers to Teamwork:
1) Team members don’t set appropriate goals for the team and do not implement a plan for reaching them. 2) Team members don’t spend enough time planning how they will work together. 3) Inability to resolve interpersonal conflict. 4) Lack of consistent or clear team leadership .
team building.WHO.2007.geneva
Team Building in Health Care Settings:
Definition
• According to a research synthesis released in 2006, titled “Teamwork in Healthcare,” Teamwork is the interaction or relationship of two or more health professionals who work interdependently to provide care for patients.
Are doctors team players, and do they need to be?. N Z Med J. 2010
Factors affecting the development of healthcare teams:
1) Changing demographics with aging populations.2) Increasing complexity of healthcare.3) Rising costs of health-related technology.4) Increasing consumer expectations.
Are doctors team players, and do they need to be?. N Z Med J. 2010
Factors affecting the development of healthcare teams (cont.)
• This has challenged health professionals & medical staff in particular, to work together more effectively to:
• Reduce admissions.• Decrease length of stay.• Rationalize expensive interventions, while still
endeavoring to provide high quality care.
Are doctors team players, and do they need to be?. N Z Med J. 2010
Impact of teamwork on patients:
1) Improves care by increasing coordination of services, especially for complex problems.2) Integrates health care for a wide range of problems and needs.
Interdisciplinary collaborative teams in primary care: a model curriculum and resource guide.1995.
Impact of teamwork on health care professionals:
1) Increases professional satisfaction.2) Enables the practitioner to learn new skills & approaches.3) Encourages innovation.4) Allows providers to focus on individual areas of expertise.
Interdisciplinary collaborative teams in primary care: a model curriculum and resource guide.1995.