interdisciplinary prespective in health care
saudsr66
chapter_15.pptxBuilding Healthcare Teams
What Is Team Building?
Team building refers to activities that teams undertake to develop the capacity of the team to be effective.
Among issues frequently addressed by team building are goal clarification, improvement in interpersonal relationships, role clarification, and specific task related problems.
Team building is distinguished from team training, which
involves instruction of team members on individual and team
competencies.
Together, the activities of team building and team training have been referred to as team development.
Team building can be the responsibility of either the leader or the team sponsor
Accomplishing a successful outcome builds the team.
Why and When to Use Team Building
A team building intervention is put into place when a leader or some team members identify a problem or
concern that is affecting team effectiveness.
Team building commonly is initiated by team leaders in response to conflicts or other signs of differences
among team members.
Effective teams have appropriate structure, focus, orientation, collaboration, and management.
Difficulties in any of those areas can cause teams to falter in meeting their goals.
Possible symptoms of such team problems include a decline in productivity or other performance outcome, an observed lack of clarity in communication, or a level of hostility among team members.
Some of those difficulties are beyond the reach of team building.
Characteristics of Effective Teams Influenced by Team Building
Team Structure
Influenced by Team
Building
A shared goal, understood by all team members
Shared responsibility for achieving the goal
Well defined membership for the whole team or for the core team
A clear leader, acknowledged by all team members as the leader
Sufficient hierarchy to enable quick decision making if needed
Adequate authority for the team to take action to achieve its goal
Stability of membership
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Characteristics of Effective Teams Influenced by Team Building Cont…
Team Focus
Influenced by Team
Building
Respect for the interests of patients and families, above all other
interests
Generation of trust in patients and families
Support for patients as partners in their care or managers of their
own care
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Characteristics of Effective Teams Influenced by Team Building Cont…
Team Orientation
Influenced by Team
Building
Agreement on common values
Agreement on a common set of work processes
Team identity
Attention to the social climate of the team
Mutual accountability for achieving the team's goal
Spending time on activities that build and maintain the team
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Characteristics of Effective Teams Influenced by Team Building Cont…
Team Collaboration
Influenced by Team
Building
Respect by all team members for each other and for the patient
Trust
Active interdependence
Use of scientific evidence in decision making
Effective communication
Prevention and management of relationship conflicts
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Characteristics of Effective Teams Influenced by Team Building Cont…
Team Management
Influenced by Team
Building
Unity of purpose and structure
Favorable social climate
Enjoyment of work
Effective building of the team
Effective team level operations
Management of unresolved relationship conflicts
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Timely and effective training
Systematic performance improvement
Effective sponsorship of the team
Support from the larger organization
Elements of a Team Building Program
To begin a team building program, a team should assess its own functioning.
A serious and systematic team building cycle includes stages of problem identification, data collection and analysis, action planning, implementation, and evaluation.
Data gathering provides a team with the opportunity to develop a foundational understanding of its own problems.
Next, to develop an agenda for its team building program, a team should prioritize the information collected and consider how well the team is functioning, what is related to existing problems, and how the team can change.
Finally, using findings from the data collection and analysis phase, a team should generate an action plan, implement it, and evaluate its success.
Action planning is often as simple as coming to agreement, defining assignments, and following up to ensure that actions have been completed.
Facilitation by the team leader
1. The leader is comfortable with the activity.
2. The team is experienced in successfully working through difficult issues.
3. The leader is not part of the problem.
4. The activity is easy to understand.
Types of Team Building Interventions
The team building activities are Categories as: clarifying goals, building interpersonal relationships, establishing team identity, clarifying roles, or improving processes.
Types and Examples of Team Building Interventions
Type of Activity
Example(s)
Clarifying goals
Building interpersonal
relationships
Establishing
team identity
Clarifying roles
Improving
processes
As a team, addressing a set of specified questions about the team goal
Ice breakers; social events; sharing vulnerabilities; behavioral profiles
Honoring team history; telling team stories; celebrating team successes; team
symbols
Describing roles and expectations in round robin, with questions; responsibility
matrix
Using a team process observer; discussing disruptive behaviors and
consequences; managing problem members (see Chapter 16 for other
examples)
Clarifying Goals
A basic foundation of team effectiveness is a shared goal or set of goals, understood by all members.
To clarify a team's goal more comprehensively and collectively, a designated team member or the team leader (or team sponsor) can lead a more formal exercise, typically occupying a full meeting.
A set of questions is then discussed regarding the goals, with each question receiving separate attention.
Questions such as the following allow for probing and understanding of team goals:
1. Is it clear what our sponsor expects of us?
2. Where do we fit in the larger scheme of things? Is our team a priority of the sponsor?
3. Are the boundaries of our work clear? What is outside our jurisdiction?
4. What resources do we need?
5. Does our goal make sense to us based on our knowledge of the area?
6. Do we have the right people on the team to accomplish the goal? What other people who are not on the team will be crucial to our efforts?
7. Who will support us in our efforts? Who will be opposed? Who will be neutral? How should we communicate with them?
Establishing Team Identity
A strong team identity, and related characteristics that contribute to identity, such as common values, processes, and shared goals, are critical to team effectiveness
Other activities to build identity include honoring team history, telling team stories, celebrating team accomplishments, and designing team symbols.
Clarifying Roles
Goals of a role clarification exercise are that members emerge with:
(1) A clear understanding of their own roles.
(2) Comfort that other members understand their roles.
(3) An understanding of what others expect of them.
Guidelines for Effective Team Retreats
Involve team members in planning the retreat.
Require attendance, particularly of all key players.
Go offsite.
Have multiple planning meetings months before the retreat.
Pick topics based on team input. Focus on topics that require face to face interaction and participation.
Communicate the goals of the retreat well in advance.
Take and distribute notes.
Follow up any decision.
Effectiveness of Team Building
Team building can result in improved outcomes, particularly "affective" outcomes, which include feelings of trust among team members
Interventions that emphasize role clarification, in particular, notably improve performance.
Role clarification is particularly important to improve individual performance, while goal clarification enhances the achievement of team outcomes.
The effectiveness of team building is linked to the quality of the team building effort.
Team building is more effective in larger teams (defined as larger than 10 members).
Team building activities with no follow up or evaluation are viewed as a waste of time and energy by team members.
Successful team building activities generally should be planned by team members in addition to team leaders or sponsors.
The planning process should reflect the culture of teamwork.
