Teamwork effectiveness factors in healthcare and manufacturing industries

Abstract

Purpose

Teamwork is one of the most powerful tools to ensure success across any activity. The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that actively contribute to the effectiveness of teams. This research looks at two different types of teams: care delivery teams representing healthcare and improvement teams representing the manufacturing industry. The aim is to provide greater knowledge about the application of team work factors in different environments.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative interviews about teamwork factors were conducted with 17 leaders of teams from healthcare and 22 leaders from manufacturing industries. The responses were categorized into different levels according to the application of each factor. Then, the factors were analyzed to draw conclusions about the different approaches to teamwork and their application.

Findings

Most of the factors analyzed are highly applied in both sectors. However, we found significant differences between hospitals and the manufacturing industry when it comes to factors such as strategies, feedback on results, leadership, participation and communication.

Originality/value

Measuring each factor in two different sectors (healthcare and industry) has yielded noteworthy findings and the best practices for their implementation.

Citation

Jaca, C., Viles, E., Tanco, M., Mateo, R. and Santos, J. (2013), "Teamwork effectiveness factors in healthcare and manufacturing industries", Team Performance Management, Vol. 19 No. 3/4, pp. 222-236. https://doi.org/10.1108/TPM-06-2012-0017