Teamwork Experience Research Articles

Role, function and challenges of multidisciplinary centres for rare diseases exemplified for neurofibromatosis type 1 syndrome.

PurposeNeurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) syndrome is a common rare/orphan disease that manifests itself early in the paediatric age. It imposes a considerable burden upon patients as well as on caregivers. Decisions regarding optimal care often rely on several medical instances working together as a team.MethodsThe authors reviewed the literature and supplied a description of their own clinical work at the NF1 centres.ResultsThe experience of a multidisciplinary teamwork of three NF centres was summarized in order to enhance awareness for possible multidisciplinary ways of delivery of health and health-related aspects of care to NF1 patients. Both population-focused research centres and family-focused centres were reviewed.ConclusionsChronic rare diseases that start in the paediatric age mandate long-term follow-up most often by several disciplines. NF1 syndrome is an example of a multidisciplinary centre in order to enhance the quality of care.

Preparing Business Students for a Distributed Workforce and Global Business Environment: Gaining Virtual Leadership Skills in an Authentic Context

There is an increased demand for a skilled workforce that is prepared for work in today’s digital economy, which is often done in virtual teams. Thus, while many students today have little or no experience working in this mode, they are often placed in virtual teams early in their careers. We argue that that if students have the opportunity to acquire virtual leadership skills in an authentic setting in their undergraduate program, they will be more prepared when they are placed in virtual teams and virtual leadership roles in the workplace. An instructional strategy was implemented in a large online undergraduate business course to provide students with the experience of working in virtual teams in an authentic setting and the findings of the study highlight the importance of organization, technology management, communication, managing student perceptions, and coaching when using this strategy to teach virtual leadership and virtual team skills.

Exploring interdisciplinary teamwork to support effective ward rounds.

This paper aims to explore if health professionals share understanding of teamwork that supports collaborative ward rounds. A purpose-designed survey was conducted in two acute medical and two rehabilitation wards from a metropolitan teaching hospital. Medical officers, nurses and allied health professionals participated. To understand characteristics that support collaborative ward rounds, questions developed from literature and industry experience asked: what are the enablers and challenges to teamwork; and what are clinicians' experiences of positive teamwork? Descriptive and thematic analyses were applied to the dimensions of effective teamwork as a framework for deductive coding. Seventy-seven clinicians participated (93% response rate). Findings aligned with dimensions of teamwork framework. There was no meaningful difference between clinicians or specialty. Enablers to teamwork were: effective communication, shared understanding of patient goals, and colleague's roles. Challenges were ineffective communication, individual personalities, lack of understanding about roles and responsibilities, and organisational structure. Additional challenges included: time; uncoordinated treatment planning; and leadership. Positive teamwork was influenced by leadership and team dynamics. Ward rounds benefit from a foundation of collaborative teamwork. Different dimensions of teamwork present during ward rounds support clinicians' shared understanding of roles, expectations and communication. Rounds such as structured rounding, aim to improve teamwork. Inverting this concept to first develop effective collaboration will support team adaptability and resilience. This enables teams to transition between the multiple rounding processes undertaken in a single ward. The emphasis becomes high-quality teamwork rather than a single rounding process.

Managing Leader and Member Influence in Organizations: The Impact of Exploring a Team Influence Experience Scale (TIES)

Based on results of previous studies surfacing an expanded view of influence as encapsulating two domains rather than the traditional view of one distinct domain originating with leaders, a scale to measure influence is systematically developed and evaluated quantitatively. The scale is developed based on previous qualitative data from team members’ experience of influence in the team environment that surfaced characteristics of influence experienced and distributed between leader and members. The scales impact is measured with job satisfaction (JS), psychological job control (PJC) and satisfaction with life (SWL). Based on analysis from a sample of 524 respondents, results demonstrate that the impact on dependent variables is strongest when both leader and member influence constructs are combined. The significance of this study from a managerial perspective is that incorporating assessment of leader, member, and combined influence could be effective as an intervention tool for coaching both leaders and members of teams to improve their effectiveness and experience of working in teams.

Adapting Team‐Based Learning Concepts Into an Effective Anatomy Revision Session

INTRODUCTIONTowards exams, students want to get the most out of revising, but some study methods may be ineffective and boring. Using quizzes for retrieval practice is a valuable technique, and peer learning can help with understanding topics in a new way. We adapted aspects of the team‐based learning method into an engaging revision session; e.g. students undertaking a test individually then as a team, thereby incorporating retrieval practice and peer learning. Including many questions in a short timeframe was designed to reveal knowledge gaps and keep the session enjoyable.AIMThis study sought to explore students’ experience of teamwork during a broad‐ranging, fastpaced anatomy revision session.METHODSThe revision session formed the final anatomy “laboratory” session before end‐of‐year exams for the 2019 cohort of Stage 1 postgraduate students (n=274) in the Sydney Medical Program (University of Sydney). Students were allocated to one of three classes, and were asked to form teams of 6 – 7 students. Multiple choice questions (MCQs) were presented in three rounds of 10 questions, with 30 seconds per question. Students attempted each round of 10 MCQs first by themselves, then immediately completed the same MCQs as a team. Correct answers were then explained to all students. Four extended matching questions (EMQs) providing anatomically‐themed clinical scenarios were also presented for team discussion only. All teams revealed their answers simultaneously, before solutions were explained. Paper‐based surveys were distributed at the end of the session, asking students to rate the usefulness of the MCQs and teamwork on a five‐point Likert‐type scale; freeform comments were also requested. Data were analysed with descriptive statistics. Ethics approval was obtained via the University of Sydney Human Research Ethics Committee.RESULTSFrom the 191 students who attended (70% of cohort), 518 individual sets of MCQ responses could be compared with team responses across all rounds. Most (83.2%) responses were higher in their team scores than individual scores. Only 3.7% of responses were lower in team rather than individual scores (13.1% achieved the same score). The mean rate of improvement from individual to team score was 157.7%. Surveys were returned by 157 students (82.2%). Of these, 72.6% “strongly agreed” (a further 21.0% “agreed”) that the MCQs helped identify knowledge gaps. Regarding working as a team following individual work, almost all strongly agreed (79.0%) or agreed (15.9%) that it had been beneficial to their learning process. Written feedback reflected these feelings, with students also complimenting the range of questions, though a few felt they were too difficult, especially for the short time allowed. More EMQs were requested.DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONStudents responded positively to this team‐based revision. Although fast‐paced, most students coped with the short timeframes, and appreciated being exposed to multiple high‐quality questions (and, importantly, answers). Through collaboration in their small teams, students benefitted from peer learning, and at the same time enjoyed the teamwork and camaraderie in the otherwise tense build‐up to exams.

Engaging Students With Critical Analysis Of Literature

BackgroundLiterature reviews are common assessment tasks designed to encourage engagement with current research literature, however these frequently fail to excite students. In 2017, we devised an alternate assessment with nuanced features for a newly created 3rd year advanced physiology subject (HBS3AHP; N=109 students) at La Trobe University. We established a fictional review journal, with teachers taking on roles of journal editors. Student teams engaged in deep critical analysis of two related recent research papers. Teams wrote a review comparing the methodology, results and conclusions of these two papers – including justifications of their opinions and submitted it to the editors. Students were required to include a graphical abstract with their critique – an emerging requirement in some journals, and not a skill that our students have practiced before. The assessment task was explained to students early in semester. Students formed teams and elected their research topic from a list provided. Individual students then summarised the key features / findings of two provided papers for that topic. Feedback and a small proportion of marks (10%) were awarded at this point. Teams then collaborated to produce their critical analysis report, drawing on the comparisons made by the individual team members. The task was well scaffolded throughout (including with comprehensive guide, exemplars provided and frequent consultation periods with staff).AimIt was hoped that requiring a deeper analysis of literature papers than is traditionally required in a review of a single paper, plus the additional role play of journal manuscript submission, would make the task more engaging for students.MethodsAn extensive evaluation project was undertaken in 2019, with full human research ethics approval. A voluntary paper‐based questionnaire was conducted during class time in the last week of semester (response rate 46%). Students were also invited to participate in focus group interviews (7% response rate). Members of the teaching team provided observational feedback on both the level of student engagement and academic quality of the completed work.ResultsStudents generally understood the new authentic tasks and appreciated the opportunity to practice post‐graduate skills. Popular aspects were the guidance and support offered, including access to helpful staff, and the opportunity to engage at a particularly fine‐grained level with the latest research in their chosen topic area. As expected, dynamics of the different groups played a major role in whether students reported favourably or unfavourably on their teamwork experience. Staff reported that students were more deeply involved in the process of analysing research and believed the academic standard was improved compared to previous cohorts.Future directionsThe team are currently trialling the same assessment task at the University of Denver with students undertaking the F2019 subject, BIOL 3250 (N=33 students). At the end of this course we will be using the same evaluation instruments to further inform our ongoing evaluation of this assessment task.

Improving students’ teamwork experience: Evaluating a project management application.

Improving students’ teamwork experience: Evaluating a project management application.

A quasi-experiment assessing the six-months effects of a nurse care coordination program on patient care experiences and clinician teamwork in community health centers

BackgroundRecognition that coordination among healthcare providers is associated with better quality of care and lower costs has increased interest in interventions designed to improve care coordination. One intervention is to add care coordination to nurses’ role in a formal way. Little is known about effects of this approach, which tends to be pursued by small organizations and those in lower-resource settings. We assessed effects of this approach on care experiences of high-risk patients (those most in need of care coordination) and clinician teamwork during the first 6 months of use.MethodsWe conducted a quasi-experimental study using a clustered, controlled pre-post design. Changes in staff and patient experiences at six community health center practice locations that introduced the added-role approach for high-risk patients were compared to changes in six locations without the program in the same health system. In the pre-period (6 months before intervention training) and post-period (about 6 months after intervention launch, following 3 months of training), we surveyed clinical staff (N = 171) and program-qualifying patients (3007 pre-period; 2101 post-period, including 113 who were enrolled during the program’s first 6 months). Difference-in-differences models examined study outcomes: patient reports about care experiences and clinician-reported teamwork. We assessed frequency of patient office visits to validate access and implementation, and contextual factors (training, resources, and compatibility with other work) that might explain results.ResultsPatient care experiences across all high-risk patients did not improve significantly (p > 0.05). They improved somewhat for program enrollees, 5% above baseline reports (p = 0.07). Staff-perceived teamwork did not change significantly (p = 0.12). Office visits increased significantly for enrolled patients (p < 0.001), affirming program implementation (greater accessing of care). Contextual factors were not reported as problematic, except that 41% of nurses reported incompatibility between care coordination and other job demands. Over 75% of nurses reported adequate training and resources.ConclusionsThere were some positive effects of adding care coordination to nurses’ role within 6 months of implementation, suggesting value in this improvement strategy. Addressing compatibility between coordination and other job demands is important when implementing this approach to coordination.

Preparing future business professionals for a globalized workplace through intercultural virtual collaboration

PurposeUniversities have increasingly been adopting intercultural virtual collaboration (IVC) to connect and develop the intercultural competence of students from different locations. However, the design and implementation of IVC have proved to be challenging, and thus there is a need for sharing positive experiences. This paper explores students’ overall impressions toward their participation in an IVC project involving a Spanish and Dutch university and discusses the on-going improvement process inherent to such practice.Design/methodology/approachThis article presents (a) the results obtained from a content analysis of students’ feedback collected through a satisfaction survey, and (b) the observations of participating teachers on the challenges encountered during the implementation of the intercultural virtual collaborative project.FindingsThe analysis shows the potential of IVC to develop different aspects of students’ intercultural competence, especially intercultural teamwork, awareness and skills. Students appreciated the experience of working in intercultural teams, “the real-life application” of the project and the opportunity to gain cultural knowledge. At the institutional level, the biggest challenge related to aligning participating institutions’ courses, schedules, and grading systems. At the classroom level, it is argued that interaction between students should happen gradually. The discussion also approaches how partnerships between universities and companies could contribute to making training in intercultural virtual collaboration more authentic.Originality/valueGiven its impact on the development of students’ intercultural competence, the intercultural virtual collaborative project has been recognized as a best-practice in both universities, being officially incorporated into the curriculum of the participating institutions and replicated to other subject areas.

Exploring early interprofessional socialization: a pilot study of student’s experiences in medical history taking

ABSTRACTTraditional hierarchies and structures in healthcare, as well as traditional professional socialization practices, continue to create barriers to effective interprofessional collaboration. Nevertheless, some studies indicate that early socialization with other health professionals can build bridges and improve understanding of each other’s roles and contributions to patient care. This pilot study aimed to gain insights into the nursing and medical students’ experiences of interprofessional medical history taking during a collective learning activity. A descriptive case study was conducted using modified interviews based on the speed-dating (SD) technique to explore participants’ reasons for the choice of profession (SD1) and experiences of interprofessional history taking (SD2). Data were digitally captured using audio-recordings. An inductive-deductive approach to qualitative content analysis of transcribed responses was undertaken. Eighteen students (medicine n = 6; nursing n = 12) participated. Two main categories with sub-themes emerged from the inductive SD1 analysis: (a) reasons for choosing a career and (b) knowledge about professions. The SD2 deductive analysis identified three major categories with sub-themes: (a) breaking down barriers, (b) interprofessional role learning – interprofessional collaboration and (c) dual-identity development. Our findings showed that early interprofessional socialization of students supported their learning about the complementary roles of doctors and nurses and enabled them to gain early experiences of interprofessional teamwork.

Ethical challenges in accessing participants at a research site.

One of the main requirements of qualitative research is to obtain access to participants. Researchers rely on gatekeepers for access to study sites and their communities of stakeholders, opportunities to communicate their studies to potential participants, and to locate meeting and interview spaces. To share the challenges the authors encountered with gatekeepers during a study and how they managed these challenges. The authors conducted a focused ethnographic study in two healthcare organisations. Their goal was to recruit, interview and observe staff from across the institutions and a range of occupational groups, to explore their experiences of teamwork and the effects their work relationships had on their job satisfaction. Managers in the organisations were enthusiastic about the study, providing much needed support to the authors. However, the authors became concerned that staff might have felt inadvertently coerced to participate in the study. This challenged the authors' notions of research ethics, prompting discussion about how to best manage aspects of the study, such as information sessions, snowball sampling and consent. Explaining the principles of research ethics to gatekeepers can prevent them inadvertently making employees feel coerced into participating. Ensuring potential participants are fully aware of their rights and the voluntary nature of the study can make them more likely to participate. Before any study begins and frequently during the study, it is important that researchers discuss with potential participants and gatekeepers ethical principles, including confidentiality, anonymity and the right to participate or withdraw from the study.

Responding to student feedback: Individualising teamwork scores based on peer assessment

Teamwork assessments often result in a single final product, for which all team members receive a single mark regardless of their contribution to the team project. In order to respond to feedback from students in terms of fair marking of the teamwork assessment, we implemented peer assessment as a recommended pedagogical intervention to individualise team marks and prevent team members from taking advantage of free riding. Team marks were individualised proportional to the average peer assessment mark each student received from their peers in the team. We analysed course evaluation data before (n = 151) and after (n = 129) the implementation of the peer assessment process from students participating in Engineering Design courses. Analysing data in light of Social Interdependence Theory (Johnson & Johnson, 2009) showed that the peer assessment process improved the cooperation of the team members which enhanced the students’ teamwork experience and their engagement with the course. While only 24% of the students appreciated teamwork aspects of the course before the peer assessment, it increased to 34% post peer assessment. Furthermore, the implementation of the peer assessment process decreased complains about free riding from 26% to 7%.

Experience of teamwork between pediatric surgical team and pediatric intensive care team in management of pediatric ICU patients

Experience of teamwork between pediatric surgical team and pediatric intensive care team in management of pediatric ICU patients

Undergraduate Project Team Satisfaction: Analysis of a Theoretically Derived Structural Model

Research and societal trends indicate the necessity and permanency of teamwork skills in the workplace thus investigating the relationship between satisfaction and students’ experiences of team and group work is essential. Taking a novel and comprehensive approach the current research study examined the effect of multiple antecedent conditions on undergraduate project team satisfaction. Specifically, a structural model was proposed and tested to examine the effects of clarity, justice, frustration, and fit on project team satisfaction. The model was able to predict 52.7% of the variance associated with project team satisfaction. Among the predictor variables clarity had the largest total (direct and indirect) effect on satisfaction. Frustration was found to have the next largest total effect. Consequently, agricultural educators are encouraged to first focus on clearly articulating the expectations associated with project teams as well as to monitor project teams for emerging frustration and to intervene as appropriate.

Student’s Attitudes Towards Cooperative Learning in Case of Second Year Civil Engineering, Arba Minch University

Education is considered as a vehicle for national, social and economic development. Developmental goals may not be achieved unless appropriate educational policies are carefully planned. Cooperative learning is a teaching approach in which students work cooperatively in small teams with individuals of different talents, abilities and background to complete a common goal. This study was set out to examine the views about cooperative learning in domain of group work of second year civil engineering students of Arba Minch University, Ethiopia. Analysis of the data yielded that student was favorable to do work on group work along with associated cooperative learning methods. The results of this study suggest that students could be developing different attitudes toward teamwork from their educational experiences. The challenge for University educators is to develop skills to facilitate positive teamwork experience among their students who will need to interact with each other in transnational teams in the workplace of the future.

Anesthesia Professionals' Perspectives of Teamwork During Robotic-Assisted Surgery.

Robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) presents unique teamwork challenges for perioperative team members, including anesthesia professionals. The purpose of this study was to explore anesthesiologists' and nurse anesthetists' teamwork experiences during RAS using an exploratory qualitative study design involving individual semistructured interviews. Study participants expressed that teamwork during RAS is both positive and challenging, and the start-up phase is the most demanding phase of RAS in terms of teamwork. Anesthesia professionals believe that both technical and nontechnical skills are necessary to provide excellent patient care and maintain patient safety during RAS. Furthermore, they believe that a more concentrated focus on nontechnical skills than is traditional is an essential component of teamwork.

The role of inner values to teamwork during design for social innovation

Professionals can increase their performance by improved actions but true change occurs when the underlying ‘inner values’ change. Applying a design process while working in teams during social innovation projects also requires certain ‘inner values’. Schön (1983) suggested reflection as a way to improve professional practice by challenging and changing the underlying value system. Various literature identifies different inner values, which are considered important for teamwork during design for social innovation (DfSI), however this is not systematic, evidence-based research. This paper presents such a study conducted in this context.&#x0D; Firstly, this study presents a review of key literature, which leads to a list of inner values considered important by authors for DfSI. Secondly, a survey method collected quantitative and qualitative data from 29 expert design practitioners who reflected on their teamwork experience during DfSI. The survey showed that most experts apply the list of inner values from literature, yet their understanding demonstrates a variety of interpretation and application, leading to more questions than answers and revealing the complexity of DfSI. The survey also found that whilst many inner values play an important role, the trade-off between them is essential, requiring wisdom and balance by the designer.

Simulation as a Nursing Education Disrupter.

Simulation as an evidence-based pedagogy began emerging at a time when many constraints were being imposed on clinical experiences for nursing students. As research illuminated the advantages of simulation and standards were developed, educators began to recognize the limitations of the clinical setting, such as the inability to provide experiences in teamwork and delegation, and a focus on tasks. Simulations are crafted to provide an experience that matches content that is being taught in class, and debriefing techniques guide learners in a reflective process that promotes the development of clinical reasoning and judgment. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing study concluded that simulation could be substituted for 50% of clinical hours. Simulation-exposed gaps in the curriculum and its pedagogical principles are now extending to adaptations of its use in the classroom and in clinical postconferences. They are also shaping teacher-student conversations in the office and the hallways. Use of simulation for assessment is beginning to evolve. In a little more than 10 years, it has started a revolution that will continue to have a major impact on all aspects of nursing education in the future.

Do Firms That Have a Common Signing Auditor Exhibit Higher Earnings Comparability?

ABSTRACT We hypothesize that if individual auditors possess unique audit styles that they consistently apply to different audit engagements, then client firms with a common signing auditor will exhibit higher earnings comparability. Using a large sample of Chinese firms, we find that client firms report more comparable earnings when they are audited by the same individual auditor than when they are audited by (1) different audit firms, (2) the same audit firm, but different audit offices, and (3) the same audit office, but different individual auditors. The individual auditor style effect is stronger for larger audit firms, senior signing auditors, and signing auditors with more stable teamwork experience. We also document that having a common signing auditor is associated with lower analyst earnings forecast error and dispersion for client firms. This study contributes to the literature by showing that individual auditors have a significant impact on client firms' earnings comparability.

Collaborative capacity and patient-centered care in the Veterans' Health Administration Community Living Centers.

Previous research in acute care settings has shown that collaborative capacity, defined as the way providers collaborate as equal team members, can be improved by the ways in which an organization supports its staff and teams. This observational cross-sectional study examines the association between collaborative capacity and supportive organizational context, supervisory support, and person-centered care in nursing homes to determine if similar relationships exist. We adapted the Care Coordination Survey for nursing homes and administered it to clinical staff in 20 VA Community Living Centers. We used random effects models to examine the associations between supportive organizational context, supervisory support, and person-centered care with collaborative capacity outcomes including quality of staff interactions, task independence, and collaborative influence. A total of 723 Community Living Center clinical staff participated in the Care Coordination Survey resulting in a response rate of 29%. We found that teamwork and collaboration-measured as task interdependence, quality of interactions and collaborative influence-did not differ significantly between Community Living Centers but did differ significantly across occupational groups. Moreover, staff members' experiences of teamwork and collaboration were positively associated with supportive organizational context and person-centered care. Our findings suggest that elements of organizational context are important to facilitating collaborative capacity. Additionally, investing in staffing, rewards, and person-centered care may improve teamwork.