Unit 6: Lesson 3: Building Effective Teams

Lesson 3: Building Effective Teams

Lesson 4: Building Effective Teams

Creating an effective team within a health science setting requires thought, preparation, and maintenance. Effective teams practice communication and activities that strengthen their relationships with each other and joint commitment toward their goal. There is a reason why human resources experts discuss building teams – it is a process that is often performed in steps, like a house being built.

In many ways, building an effective team is about encouraging the characteristics of effective teams. For example, we identified communication as an essential characteristic of effective health science teams. Creating an effective team, then, requires teams to communicate. Leaders have to speak in a variety of positive ways with team members and encourage that same communication between team members. This might be done through holding team meetings, one-on-one communication, using praise when a job is well done, and encouraging team members to discuss differences of opinion respectfully.

Leaders can also help build effective teams by creating ground rules for the team and communicating those rules clearly to team members. These ground rules may be specific procedural rules, such as all team members must be on time for meetings, or they may be more general, such as all team members should communicate any concerns they have with the team's leader.

As trust is an essential aspect of effective teams, leaders and team members must encourage and build this trust between team members whenever possible. Leaders can watch how team members work together, accomplish tasks, and build on the existing strengths in these interactions. This may include the different ways that team members communicate or the ways that they approach tasks and problems.

Healthcare leaders can also build trust by making all team members feel valuable. This can be done by acknowledging each team member's accomplishments and encouraging team members to share their ideas and concerns. When possible, leaders should aim for consensus or the agreement of all team members on decisions. This may not always be possible, but leaders can encourage team members to discuss and compromise to reach a consensus.

Teams are also built through the delegation of tasks and problem-solving. When leaders do too much, or one team member dominates the group, it can create a situation where team members are not as involved or committed to achieving the goal. Instead, each team member should have some responsibilities (according to their experience and skills) that make each individual a vital part of reaching the overall goal. This can help team members establish a more substantial commitment to achieving the goal and help all team members feel that they are an essential part of the process.

Although team building is essential when problems arise, such as conflicts, confusion, or a growing apathy in the team, leaders must also remember that team building is a process that must be consistently maintained. Team building can sometimes be an intentional activity, with specific tasks designed to strengthen the team. However, team building can also happen in the day-to-day activities of a health science team during their communications, interactions, and cooperation.