Team building in the medical field is essential to ensure high-quality patient care and efficient healthcare delivery. Given the complexity and high stakes nature of medical environments, fostering strong collaborative relationships among healthcare professionals - like doctors, nurses, PAs, technicians and administrative staff is crucial.
Let’s get into the origins of team building:
The roots of team building can be traced back to Elton Mayo, an Australian psychologist and industrial researcher who in the 1900s showed considerable increase in production following improved team interactions in a Western Electric company, Hawthorn Works. The support, trust and team pride was given credit for it. The study then became known as the Hawthorn Study.
Now a few textbook definitions:
A widely accepted definition is:
Team building is an ongoing process that helps a work group evolve into a cohesive unit.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines team building as the process of encouraging members of a group to work well together, for example by having them take part in activities or games.
About developing a team:
Teams go through stages of development. A useful framework was derived by Bruce Tuckman, Psychological researcher that showed stages of team development through Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing.
Team building vs team bonding:
We have often heard of the term team bonding. While one is needed for the other, there is a fine difference between them.
Team bonding | Team building |
Has to do with relationships within the team. | Has to do with relationships within the team AND the work objective. |
The goal is to get to know each other and be more comfortable. | The goal is to develop relationships to make the team work efficiently towards the goal. |
Uses unstructured ways to enhance relationships. Events may be out of work space like outings, parties and sports. | Uses a more structured way to build relationships and often involve workshops, team behaviors, values, and norms. |
What is expected?
The key objectives in a team are to:
Improve communication - Expressing oneself and the way team members share information, ideas and commands.
Build trust - One has to feel safe within the team to express their opinions and rely on each other.
Increase collaboration - Working as a team and sharing responsibilities can make tasks easier and reduce burnout among healthcare professionals.
Identify strengths and weaknesses of the team - The ultimate goal is to achieve the objectives set as a team, and for this each individual has to recognise their skills and areas for improvement to better allocate roles.
Boosting the team - Fostering a positive work environment where team members feel valued and motivated.
Team building in the medical world should focus on improving communication, trust and coordination which are vital for handling emergencies, managing patient care plans and reducing medical errors. By enhancing teamwork, healthcare providers can ensure that they work seamlessly together leading to better patient outcomes, increased job satisfaction and a more supportive workplace culture.
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References
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