Development Of Teamwork Research Articles

Early Risk Factors for Nonadherence in Pediatric Type 1 Diabetes: A Review of the Recent Literature

Nonadherence to different aspects of the diabetes regimen is common. Problems early in the course of illness predict later difficulties with nonadherence; conversely, good management early on protects against later complications. Screening for early risk factors at the time of diabetes diagnosis is therefore critical for promoting the health of children with type 1 diabetes. The purpose of this paper is to review and synthesize the recent empirical literature on early risk factors for nonadherence in type 1 diabetes, with a focus on three specific adherence behaviors: insulin administration, blood glucose monitoring, and clinic attendance. Risk factors are considered within several broad categories: sociodemographic barriers that limit access to care; child and parent factors that affect adherence both directly and indirectly via their impact on the development of family teamwork; and family interactions with their health-care providers. We integrate the different findings into a "simple model" that can be used to develop efficient screening protocols that can in turn guide efforts at preventive intervention.

Improvisational theatre as team development intervention for climate for work group innovation

Orientation: Changes in business environments have resulted in a need for the development of innovative teams. Improvisational theatre as a technique could contribute to the understanding of how individuals can work together and be innovative.Research purpose and motivation: This study evaluates the influence of a team development intervention utilising improvisational theatre exercises on innovative work group climate.Research design, approach and method: A quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group design was employed with an experimental group and a control group from a healthcare managerial division.Main findings: Repeated-measures ANOVA results indicated that for innovative work group climate as a whole, as well as for three of its factors, namely participative safety, vision, and task orientation, the experimental group’s scores improved significantly (p < 0.05). Support for innovation did not show significant differences.Practical/Managerial implications: This research has shown that improvisational theatre is a team development tool that can be used to assist work teams in creating a climate for innovation.Contribution/value-add: This study extends the body of knowledge in the field of team building and highlights the contribution that improvisational theatre can make toward the development of work teams.

The future of education and training in dental technology: designing a dental curriculum that facilitates teamwork across the oral health professions

Teamwork is essential for the provision of contemporary, high quality oral health care. Teamwork skills need to be taught and learnt and therefore ought to be one of the core competencies in all dental education programmes: dentistry, oral health therapy, dental technology and dental assisting. Currently, lack of opportunities for collaborative learning and practice within educational establishments, and in the practising professions, hamper the development of effective teamwork. For students across oral health care, learning 'together' requires positive action for teamwork skills to be developed. Interprofessional curricula need to be formally developed, based on evidence from the wider education literature that demonstrates how to maximise the engagements needed for teamwork in practice. Rigorous study of interprofessional education within dentistry and oral health is in its infancy. Anecdotal evidence indicates that dental technology students who experience an interprofessional curriculum are better prepared for collaborative practice. Formalised interprofessional education is posited as an effective strategy to improve interactions among oral health professionals leading to improved patient care. This paper reviews the extant literature and describes the approach currently being trialled at Griffith University.

Exploration of the Structure of Teamwork Competency and Development of the Teamwork Competency Scale among College Students

Exploration of the Structure of Teamwork Competency and Development of the Teamwork Competency Scale among College Students

Interdisciplinary communication in general medical and surgical wards using two different models of nursing care delivery

To compare two models of care on nurses' perception of interdisciplinary communication in general medical and surgical wards. Effective interdisciplinary collaboration remains the cornerstone of efficient and successful functioning of health care teams and contributes substantially to patient safety. In May 2007, participants were recruited from a tertiary teaching hospital in Australia. The multifaceted Shared Care in Nursing (SCN) model of nursing care involved team work, leadership and professional development. In the Patient Allocation (PA) model one nurse was responsible for the care of a discrete group of patients. Differences in interdisciplinary communication were assessed at the 6-month follow-up. Completed questionnaires were returned by 125 participants. At the 6-month follow-up, there was a significant reduction in scores in the SCN group in the subscales relating to communication openness (P = 0.03) and communication accuracy (P = 0.02) when compared with baseline values. There were no significant differences in the two groups at the 6-month follow-up in any of the other subscales. There is a need for effective training programmes to assist nurses in working together within a nursing team and an interdisciplinary ward team. The SCN and the PA models of care have been found by nurses to support most aspects of interdisciplinary and intradisciplinary communication. The applicability of both models of care to wards with a varying skill mix of nurses is suggested. Further studies of larger samples with varying compositions of skill mix and varying models of care are required. Nurse managers can use varying models of care to support interdisciplinary communication and enhance patient safety.

Crew Resource Management within interprofessional teamwork development

This paper presents the case for a practical approach for developing the workforce, to safeguard patients and to improve the quality of the patient pathway across health, social care and beyond. Central to this is the inclusion of Crew Resource Management (CRM) (RAeS, 1999) skills learned from the aviation industry, to enhance interprofessional teamwork development and collaborative practice. To address this, we have developed a model for interprofessional teamwork development, focusing on improvement and patient safety which encompasses the entire system involved with the patient pathway. This model includes a transformative cycle of improvement and the processes and interprofessional leadership and membership skills required to achieve an open inclusive culture, providing interprofessional teams with the skills and tools to drive improvement for patient safety and increased satisfaction with services.

Developing team skills with self‐ and peer assessment

PurposeSelf‐ and peer assessment has proved effective in promoting the development of teamwork and other professional skills in undergraduate students. However, in previous research approximately 30 percent of students reported that its use produced no perceived improvement in their teamwork experience. It was hypothesised that a significant number of these students were probably members of a team that would have functioned well without self‐ and peer assessment and hence the process did not improve their teamwork experience. This paper aims to report the testing of this hypothesis.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reviews some of the literature on self‐ and peer assessment, outlines the online self‐ and peer assessment tool SPARKPLUS, and analyses the results of a post‐subject survey of students in a large multi‐disciplinary engineering design subject.FindingsIt was found that students who were neutral as to whether self‐ and peer assessment improved their teamwork experience cannot be assumed to be members of well‐functioning teams.Originality/valueTo increase the benefits for all students it is recommended that self‐ and peer assessment focuses on collaborative peer learning, not just assessment of team contributions. Furthermore, it is recommended that feedback sessions be focused on learning not just assessment outcomes and graduate attribute development should be recorded and tracked by linking development to categories required for professional accreditation.

The role of doctors in provision of support for primary health care clinics in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

SA Fam Pract 2009;51(5):408-412 Background: Most primary health care (PHC) services in South Africa are provided by registered nurses working in clinics. Workload and scope of practice of these nurses have increased in recent years, exacerbated by widespread staff shortages. However, PHC nurses often receive little support and supervision, particularly in relation to clinical practice. Doctors working at district level are usually hospital based, but in many cases they do undertake clinic visits. These visits have the potential to improve quality of care, increase continuity and provide support for PHC nurses. In this study the visits undertaken by doctors to PHC clinics are described. The interactions between visiting doctors and PHC nurses are also explored, including perceptions and experiences of the current role and activities of visiting doctors, and ways in which this role could be developed. Methods: The study was conducted in three districts of northern KwaZulu-Natal between June and September 2007. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to collect data. Fifty-eight randomly selected PHC clinics were visited, and interviews were conducted with clinic managers to obtain quantitative data. Focus group discussions (FGDs) were held with doctors and nurses in each district. The doctors' FGDs included doctors based in district hospitals who had experience of visiting clinics, and medical managers. Nurses currently working in PHC services were included in the nurses' FGDs. Results: Fifty of the 58 clinics reported having regular visits from a doctor. On average, doctors spent three hours at the clinic. Activities during visits were mainly clinical: 49 clinics reported that doctors saw patients on chronic medication and 45 clinics reported that doctors attended to patients referred by the nurses. Twelve clinics reported that doctors spent time teaching staff during the visit. Thirty-two clinics reported that the doctor had attended all scheduled visits over the previous three months. During focus group discussions, both doctors and nurses stated that doctors' visits were generally helpful, but both groups felt strongly that the time spent in the clinic during visits was too short, and that the doctor visiting the clinic changed too frequently. This disrupted the development of meaningful relationships between the visiting doctor and clinic staff. The current role of the visiting doctor was mainly clinical, with up to 30 patients booked for each visit. Some concern was expressed about the care given to patients on chronic medication given the time pressures. Doctors felt that a lack of essential equipment and drugs at the clinic limited the value of the visits, and that patients frequently were referred inappropriately. Nurses expressed concern that doctors often arrived late and were unwilling to help with the heavy patient workload at the clinic. Additional roles identified for doctors included an increased role in teaching, development of teamwork and communication, as well as an increased administrative role. Conclusions: Doctors' visits are not being utilised to their full potential. Additional support for PHC nurses could be provided by doctors if clear roles and activities were set out for clinic visits. These should include skills training for clinic nurses, development of clear referral criteria, and improved communication and feedback. Doctors should spend more time at the clinic during visits and work at the same clinic for a longer period. Expanding the doctors' role would improve teamwork within districts, leading to improvements in the work environment and quality of care. However, this requires commitment of district hospital managers to support doctors in their role and ensure that clinic visits are given priority.

TEAMWORK IN ISRAELI ARAB-BEDOUIN SCHOOL-BASED MANAGEMENT

ABSTRACT Throughout the western world a leading example of the educational reforms that have been implemented in the late twentieth and twenty-first century is School-Based Management (SBM), a system designed to improve educational outcome through staff teamwork and self-governance. This research set out to examine the efficacy of teamwork in ten SBM-designated Arab-Bedouin elementary schools in Israel. Two explicit issues were examined: (1) What impact did SBM have on the development of teamwork among the schools’ staff? (2) Does the Arab-Bedouin social-cultural context influence implementation of teamwork in SBM schools? The research method consisted of a questionnaire to which 361 teachers/school principals replied, and a semi-structured interview with 30 of the respondents. Results of this study demonstrate that true teamwork does not exist in the schools studied, despite their SBM official status, primarily because the concept of teamwork clashes with the social/cultural norms of traditional Arab-Bedouin society and thus exacerbates conflicts among staff, which then impedes implementation of SBM. In conclusion, this research recommends that for SBM to enable traditional Arab-Bedouin society to benefit from managing its own schools, broad educational changes such as this must be introduced gradually, in a customised, culturally sensitive manner.

From Professional Silos to Interprofessional Education

The Institute of Medicine called for the integration of interprofessional education (IPE) into health professions curricula, in order to improve health care quality. In response, we developed, implemented, and evaluated a campus wide IPE program, shifting from traditional educational silos to greater collaboration. Students (155) and faculty (30) from 6 academic programs (nursing, medicine, public health, allied health, dentistry, and pharmacy) engaged with a university hospital partner to deliver this program. The content addressed principles of IPE, teamwork development and 2 common quality care problems: hospital-acquired infections and communication errors. Pre-/post-surveys, the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale, and the Interprofessional Education Perception Scale, were used for descriptive assessment of student learning. Students demonstrated increased understanding of health care quality and interprofessional teamwork principles and reported positive attitudes toward shared learning. While responses to the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale grew more positive after the program, scores on the Interprofessional Education Perception Scale were more homogeneous. Both students and faculty highly evaluated the experience. This program was a first step in preparing individuals for collaborative learning, fostering awareness and enthusiasm for IPE among students and faculty, and demonstrating the feasibility of overcoming common barriers to IPE such as schedule coordination and faculty buy-in.

Interview

Steve has a passion for leadership development and coaching that has taken him from heading clinical psychology services into a variety of roles in both provider and commissioning organisations in health and social care. He currently leads on leadership and teamwork development for the South West Development Centre and runs his own successful consultancy (www.steveonyett.co.uk) offering solution focused coaching, facilitation, research and training. He is also a Leadership Development Associate with the King's Fund and Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of the West of England.Steve has published widely and recently led a national survey of home treatment teams and the ‘Developing Effective Local Leadership for Social Inclusion’ initiative as part of the National Social Inclusion Programme. He is passionate about approaches to development that strengthen the fabric of relationships within complex systems. This sense of wonder in the random beauty of systems is also manifest in a passion for self‐indulgent jazz improvisations, and cycling, running or walking in beautiful places.

New product performance through multifunctional teamwork: An analysis of the development process towards quality excellence

In this paper the influence of autonomous multifunctional teamwork for new product development is analysed according to different approaches for process activities execution (sequential versus overlapped) on new product performance (development time, development cost and product quality). Such analysis is performed on a sample of engineering consulting firms in spain. Results indicate that both autonomous multifunctional teams and execution of activities under an overlapping approach is positively related with shorter development times and higher product quality. This study emphasises the importance of new product development teams for product success in terms of development time and cost and product quality. Process activities execution with an overlapped approach can be recommended when getting to the market in a fast way with a higher quality product as the main goal.

Dynamic Design of Compensation System Based on Diversified Project Features–Taking the Project Manager as an Example

With the development and extensive application of project team work under the matrix organizational structure, the traditional compensation system based on the job-evaluation method has been greatly challenged. The job-evaluation method is designed to compliment functional or divisional structure in a static or at least stationary context, which is often ineffective and even counterproductive in the quick changing environments. This paper is an attempt to design a dynamic compensation model by setting a “project adjusting index” based on the key diversified project features. The objective is to primarily rationalize the firm’s pay structure, and to make project employee could be paid according to their contributions to the organization on the norm of equity.

Developing emotional intelligence as a means to increase team performance

The development of work teams continue to be an area receiving attention in academic fields. Team work, has, over the past few years, become integral component of many workplaces. One area which is emerging as a key indicator of team task performance is emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is the ability to accurately appraise and express emotion in oneself and others. Recent research indicates that the combined emotional intelligence of team members will influence team task performance and that emotional intelligence can be increased with training. This paper concludes that training in emotional intelligence should be considered for all work places where quality team task performance is important.

The Extent of Applying Teamwork Development Stages in the Jordanian Governmental Agencies: A Field Study on Working Managers in the Northern Governorates

The Extent of Applying Teamwork Development Stages in the Jordanian Governmental Agencies: A Field Study on Working Managers in the Northern Governorates

Procedural and interactional justice perceptions and teamwork quality

PurposeThis paper aims to understand the role of organizational justice (procedural and interactional justice) as a precursor to new product development teamwork quality and team performance; to study the moderating impact of environmental turbulence on these relationships.Design/methodology/approachThis is a survey‐based empirical study of 117 product/project managers based in Ankara and Istanbul, Turkey. A series of multiple regression analyses were used to obtain results.FindingsOnly two of the six facets of teamwork quality (coordination and balance of member contribution) are significantly associated with interactional justice; all six facets (coordination, balance of member contribution, communication, mutual support, effort and cohesion) are associated with procedural justice. Teamwork quality is significantly related to team learning and speed to market; environmental turbulence partially moderates these relationships.Research limitations/implicationsPerceived organizational justice is an important precursor to NPD teamwork quality and team performance. The components of organizational justice (procedural and interactional justice) have different effects on the facets of teamwork quality. The relationships between these precursors and team performance are moderated by environmental turbulence.Practical implicationsTo generate new products, NPD managers rely on teams that function well together and show good performance (good team learning and speedy time to market). The findings suggest that NPD managers can significantly improve NPD team performance by increasing team members' perceived level of organizational justice.Originality/valueWhile organizational justice has been previously shown to influence team performance, this relationship has not yet been examined in an NPD setting. This is valuable because of the overriding importance of well‐functioning teams in NPD.

Complexity: an alternative paradigm for teamwork development

PurposeThis paper aims to suggest an understanding of teamwork from a complexity perspective.Design/methodology/approachComplexity principles of nonlinearity, emergence, holism, and engagement are applied to conventional teamwork practice.FindingsThe complexity principles offer ways of thinking about teamwork that inspire a more genuine collaboration, especially for decision‐making teams who must be able to alter conventionally linear, cybernetic thinking patterns.Originality/valueThinking in complexity terms is an unfamiliar but necessary practice for decision‐making teams, enabling team members to think and act in collaborative ways, see the big picture, resist managing deviations that seems like errors, and develop interpersonal relationships that do so.

Leading Complex Health Care Delivery Systems

Leading Complex Health Care Delivery Systems

Promoting Regional Disaster Preparedness Among Rural Hospitals

Rural communities face substantial risks of natural disasters but rural hospitals face multiple obstacles to preparedness. The objective was to create and implement a simple and effective training and planning exercise to assist individual rural hospitals to improve disaster preparedness, as well as to enhance regional collaboration among these hospitals. The exercise was offered to rural hospitals enrolled with the Rural and Community Health Institute of the Texas A&M University System Health Science Center, and 17 participated. A 3-hour tabletop exercise emphasizing regional issues in a pandemic avian influenza scenario followed by a 1-hour debriefing was implemented in 3 geographic clusters of hospitals. Trained emergency preparedness evaluators documented observations of the exercise on a standard form. Participants were debriefed after the exercise and provided written feedback. Observations included having insufficient staff for incident command, facility constraints, the need to further develop regional cooperation, and operational and ethical challenges in a pandemic. The tabletop exercise gave evidence of being a simple and acceptable tool for rural medical planners. It lends itself well to improving medical preparedness, analysis of weak spots, development of regional teamwork, and rapid response.

Collaboration in primary care: the need to see the bigger picture

The mantras of collaboration, teamwork, interdisciplinary learning, and education have been urged on primary healthcare teams for a very long time. In the UK, Spencer1 suggests that this advocacy goes back to the Dawson Report of 1920,2 but observes: ‘Nevertheless, although the PHCT [primary healthcare team] is widely advocated as the best means for delivering health care in the community, there are problems in realising this ambition.’ 1 Two papers in this issue illustrate the continuing nature of these teamwork problems.3,4 The papers are concerned with the delivery of palliative care services, but the issues they expose are those associated with interdisciplinary teamwork rather than being uniquely related to palliative care. It is accepted that to provide high quality preventive, curative, or rehabilitation care necessitates input from a range of healthcare and other practitioners. To provide such care requires effective communication between all contributors to the care of the individual or community. The basis effective overall communication starts from good communication within a profession. Effective communication then needs to extend to members of other professions and disciplines who form the immediate working team and, subsequently, to members of other teams or organisations. Communication is fundamental to effective teamworking. Focusing on primary care, we know that teamwork can be enhanced by: co-location; facilitated practice-based education; interprofessional learning; shared record systems; shared goals, plans, and activities; and possibly through shared management systems and remuneration.5–10 Fundamental to these approaches to the development of teamwork in primary health care is the idea that education, the organisation of services, and access to resources all need to be utilised to help facilitate and stimulate teamworking. Various approaches to education of practitioners in primary care have been used to develop teamwork. Thomas and colleagues in Liverpool in the 1980s …