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Chapter 11
Effective Team Building
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Objectives
Upon completion of this chapter, the reader should
be able to:
Discuss advantages and disadvantages of teamwork
Review key concepts of creating an effective team
Discuss the stages of a team process
Discuss ways to create a conducive environment for
teamwork
Identify the qualities of an effective team member
Identify the qualities of an effective team leader
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Definition of a Team
A small number of people with
complementary skills who are committed to
a common purpose, performance goals, and
approach for which they are mutually
accountable
Teams exist for specific purposes
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Types of Teams
Multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary
Comprised of varied disciplines contributing to
an individual patients care
Team works closely and communicates
frequently
Allows the disciplines to work together
collaboratively
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Types of Teams
Committees
Teams serve on several types of committees,
which are created for specific goals or tasks
The goal is to improve patient care
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Advantages of Teamwork
Promotes safe and efficient patient care delivery
Creates effective interprofessional communication
Equalizes power through shared governance
Improves interpersonal relationships and job
satisfaction
Promotes free exchange of ideas, team cohesion,
trust, and mutual respect
Improves stability in employee satisfaction
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Disadvantages of Teamwork
May take longer to achieve a goal than one
individual
Team members may have disagreements on the
best course of action
Teams develop through time-consuming
predictable stages of selecting the right members
for the team, organizing team goals and
manpower, and team collaboration
Some team members may lack interest,
motivation, or skills to participate in the team
process
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Informal Teams
Can influence the organization either
positively or negatively
Are not directly established or sanctioned
by the organization, but often form naturally
Can become very powerful
Often responsible for facilitating
improvements in the working conditions
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Stages of Group
and Team Process
Forming stage
Storming phase
Norming phase
Performing stage
Adjourning phase
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Forming Stage
Occurs when the group is created and they
meet as a team for the first time
They explore the purpose of the team, why
they are called to be part of a team, and
what contribution they can bring to the table
Proceed to establishing team goals and
expectations
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Storming Stage
As the group relaxes into a more
comfortable team setting, interpersonal
issues or opposing opinions may arise to
cause conflict between the members
Conflict is healthy and a natural process
Must openly confront issues and conflict
Real teams dont emerge unless individuals
on them take risks involving conflict, trust,
interdependence, and hard work
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Norming Stage
A feeling of group cohesion develops
Team members master the ability to resolve
conflict
Team members learn to respect differences
of opinion and work together
Overcoming barriers to performance is how
groups become teams
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Performing Stage
Group cohesion, collaboration, and
solidarity are evident
Personal opinions are set aside in order to
achieve group goals
Team members are openly communicating,
know each others roles and responsibilities,
are taking risks, and trusting and relying on
each other
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Adjourning Stage
Termination and consolidation occur in this stage
The team reviews their activities and evaluates
their progress
The team leader summarizes the groups
accomplishments and the roles each member
played in achieving these goals
It is important to provide closure so each member
leaves with a sense of accomplishment
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A Winning Team
Achieved when there is synergy
Things work together harmoniously
The whole is greater than the sum of the parts
The needs and characteristics of a patient,
clinical unit, or system are matched with the
nurses competencies
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Conducive
Teamwork Environment
Requires ongoing time and effort
Facility design allows for collaboration and
interaction
Social factors
Clear identification and ownership of the team goal
Clear definition and acceptance of each persons roles
and responsibilities
Clear delineation of team processes
Clear opportunities to build trust
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Team Communication
Ambassador activities
Communicate with those in the hierarchy
Used to protect the team from outside pressures
Task coordinator activities
Communicate with lateral levels in the
organization
Scout activities
Occur in general ideas
Scanning in the external environment
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Team Size
Team size affects performance in that too
few or too many affect performance
Communication and coordination problems
increase with large teams
Smaller teams have lower incidence of social
loafing
Individuals in large teams are able to maintain
anonymity and gain from the work of the group
without making a suitable contribution
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Status Differences
Status is the measure of worth conferred on an
individual by a group
High-status members initiate communication more
often and are provided more opportunities to participate
A lower-status member may be ignored or intimidated
Status differences have significant impacts on
patient outcomes
Need to build a trust-sensitive environment
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Psychological Safety
Describes individuals perceptions about the
consequences of interpersonal risks in their
work environment
Created by mutual respect and trust among
team members
Describes a climate that fosters productive
discussion and non-punitive action
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Qualities of
Effective Team Members
Proactive
Motivated
Take responsibility for ones actions,
decisions, and behavior
Seize initiatives to do whatever is necessary
to get the job done consistent with correct
principles
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Qualities of
Effective Team Leaders
Will organize, facilitate, and manage the
entire team
Must understand how various learning styles,
cultural diversity, and personality differences
play into the dynamics of teamwork
Have good communication skills, conflict
resolution skills, and leadership skills
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Qualities of
Effective Team Leaders
Focus the team on outcome improvement
Track reports
Recognize contributing members
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Guidelines for Meetings
Set a time frame for the meetings and stick
to it
Review the progress
Help group members feel comfortable with
one another
Establish ground rules
Get a report from each member
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Guidelines for Meetings
Sustain the flow of the meetings
Manage the discussion
Work to avoid groupthink
Close the meetings by summarizing
accomplishments
Identify a time frame for future meetings
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Avoiding Groupthink
Occurs when the desire for harmony and
consensus overrides members rational
efforts to appraise the situation
The consequences of groupthink are that
teams may limit themselves to one possible
solution and fail to conduct a
comprehensive analysis of a problem
Team leaders can help avoid groupthink
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Symptoms of Groupthink
The illusion of invulnerability
Collective rationalization
Belief in the inherent morality of the team
Stereotyping others
Pressures to conform
The use of mindguards
Self-censorship
Illusion of unanimity