Search results
21 – 30 of over 23000Explores some of the advantages and disadvantages of teamwork, suggesting that in present day companies teamwork is a must for the co‐ordination of departments. Examines four team…
Abstract
Explores some of the advantages and disadvantages of teamwork, suggesting that in present day companies teamwork is a must for the co‐ordination of departments. Examines four team leadership styles ‐ dictatorial, compromise, integrative teamwork and synergistic teamwork. Outlines the advantages and disadvantages of each. Concludes that synergistic teamwork, wherein the team creates something new and greater than the addition of individual team members’ resources, offers the best percentage outcome.
Details
Keywords
Mandus Frykman, Ulrica von Thiele Schwarz, Åsa Muntlin Athlin, Henna Hasson and Pamela Mazzocato
The purpose of this paper is to uncover the mechanisms influencing the sustainability of behavior changes following the implementation of teamwork.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to uncover the mechanisms influencing the sustainability of behavior changes following the implementation of teamwork.
Design/methodology/approach
Realistic evaluation was combined with a framework (DCOM®) based on applied behavior analysis to study the sustainability of behavior changes two and a half years after the initial implementation of teamwork at an emergency department. The DCOM® framework was used to categorize the mechanisms of behavior change interventions (BCIs) into the four categories of direction, competence, opportunity, and motivation. Non-participant observation and interview data were used.
Findings
The teamwork behaviors were not sustained. A substantial fallback in managerial activities in combination with a complex context contributed to reduced direction, opportunity, and motivation. Reduced direction made staff members unclear about how and why they should work in teams. Deterioration of opportunity was evident from the lack of problem-solving resources resulting in accumulated barriers to teamwork. Motivation in terms of management support and feedback was reduced.
Practical implications
The implementation of complex organizational changes in complex healthcare contexts requires continuous adaption and managerial activities well beyond the initial implementation period.
Originality/value
By integrating the DCOM® framework with realistic evaluation, this study responds to the call for theoretically based research on behavioral mechanisms that can explain how BCIs interact with context and how this interaction influences sustainability.
Details
Keywords
Christofer Rydenfält, Per Odenrick and Per Anders Larsson
The purpose of this paper is to explore how organizational design could support teamwork and to identify organizational design principles that promote successful teamwork.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore how organizational design could support teamwork and to identify organizational design principles that promote successful teamwork.
Design/methodology/approach
Since traditional team training sessions take resources away from production, the alternative approach pursued here explores the promotion of teamwork by means of organizational design. A wide and pragmatic definition of teamwork is applied: a team is considered to be a group of people that are set to work together on a task, and teamwork is then what they do in relation to their task. The input – process – output model of teamwork provides structure to the investigation.
Findings
Six teamwork enablers from the healthcare team literature – cohesion, collaboration, communication, conflict resolution, coordination, and leadership – are discussed, and the organizational design measures required to implement them are identified. Three organizational principles are argued to facilitate the teamwork enablers: team stability, occasions for communication, and a participative and adaptive approach to leadership.
Research limitations/implications
The findings could be used as a foundation for intervention studies to improve team performance or as a framework for evaluation of existing organizations.
Practical implications
By implementing these organizational principles, it is possible to achieve many of the organizational traits associated with good teamwork. Thus, thoughtful organization for teamwork can be used as an alternative or complement to the traditional team training approach.
Originality/value
With regards to the vast literature on team training, this paper offers an alternative perspective on how to improve team performance in healthcare.
Details
Keywords
Marie McHugh and Hadyn Bennett
In an attempt to address the turbulence which characterises their operating environment, many public sector organisations have been seduced by the concept of teamworking. Often…
Abstract
In an attempt to address the turbulence which characterises their operating environment, many public sector organisations have been seduced by the concept of teamworking. Often this is perceived as offering an organisational solution to the problems presented by government demands for enhanced levels of performance, efficiency and effectiveness. This paper explores the difficulties experienced by one Next Steps agency in its attempt to introduce teamworking within a bureaucratic maze. More specifically, it highlights fundamental incompatibilities between the teamworking concept and the traditional bureaucracy, which has resulted in the existence of a number of potent “trip wires”. It is argued that these trip wires can only be disarmed and the full benefits of teamworking realised by dismantling the bureaucracy.
Details
Keywords
Taghrid Saleh Suifan, Salah Alhyari and Rateb J. Sweis
Teamwork is important for firms’ innovation and effectiveness, but often within-team conflicts arise. Prior literature reported inconsistent associations between conflict and team…
Abstract
Purpose
Teamwork is important for firms’ innovation and effectiveness, but often within-team conflicts arise. Prior literature reported inconsistent associations between conflict and team outcomes. This study aims to clarify these relationships and examine if team reflexivity improves outcomes and weakens intragroup conflict tendencies.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected through a survey questionnaire of 288 team members working on projects at 41 different high-tech firms in Jordan. The authors then built a model of intragroup conflict effects and used structural equation modeling to test for both direct and indirect effects.
Findings
Indirect effects of intragroup conflict were significantly associated with teamwork quality. Teamwork quality was also significantly related to improved team outcomes, and team reflexivity moderated this relationship. Furthermore, it was found that the direct effect of intragroup conflict was not significantly related to either teamwork quality or effectiveness. Finally, results supported the idea that some conflict is required for teams to remain viable, self-critical and innovative.
Research limitations/implications
This is a cross-sectional study conducted in a single country and business industry, which limits the generalizability of results.
Practical implications
Team leaders should use reflexivity to create a sense of openness for collaborative interaction to improve group performance and member satisfaction.
Originality/value
This study provides a verified model to determine the circumstances in which conflict benefits team innovation and effectiveness. A central study contribution is that reflexivity reduces the negative impact of intragroup conflict.
Details
Keywords
Anjali Dutta and Santosh Rangnekar
Collaboration and preference for teamwork play a fundamental role in strengthening practical completion of team tasks. An organizational culture should facilitate learning systems…
Abstract
Purpose
Collaboration and preference for teamwork play a fundamental role in strengthening practical completion of team tasks. An organizational culture should facilitate learning systems where knowledge creation occurs through socialization. The purpose of this study is to develop a moderated mediation model, investigating the conditional indirect effect of co-worker support on the relationship between preference for teamwork and communities of practice.
Design/methodology/approach
Questionnaire survey was conducted via Google Forms to collect data from 210 employees working in the private and public sector in India. Hayes PROCESS macro models were used for analyzing the mediation of personal interaction and moderation of co-worker support.
Findings
This study showed evidence regarding the mediating role of personal interaction on the relationship between preference for teamwork and communities of practice. Co-worker support moderated the relationship between personal interaction and communities of practice. It also moderated the conditional indirect effect.
Practical implications
The results approve the substantial role of preference for teamwork in influencing personal interaction and communities of practice. The mediating role of personal interaction on preference for teamwork and communities of practice can lead to creation and sustenance of communities of practice. Furthermore, the moderating role of co-worker support as a conditional indirect effect shows that social support and exchange can lead to social learning.
Originality/value
Theoretical explanations and analytical approaches provide insights into the relationship between the preference for teamwork and communities of practice through a conditional indirect effect, a one of its kind of a study.
Details
Keywords
Omar Al-Araidah, Nader Al Theeb, Mariam Bader and Nabeel Mandahawi
The purpose of this paper is to present the deficiencies in teamwork skills at Jordan hospitals as seen by team members. The study aims to identify training needs to improve…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present the deficiencies in teamwork skills at Jordan hospitals as seen by team members. The study aims to identify training needs to improve teamwork-related soft skills of caregivers to enhance staff satisfaction and improve quality of care. Moreover, the paper provides a methodology to identify the training needs in any healthcare workplace by repeating the same questionnaire.
Design/methodology/approach
A self-administrated questionnaire was designed to study deficiencies in teamwork and team leadership at Jordan hospitals as seen by team members. Surveyed care providers included physicians, nursing and anesthesiologists operating in emergency departments, surgical operating rooms and intensive care units from various hospitals.
Findings
With a response rate of 78.8 percent, statistical analysis of collected data of opposing staff members revealed low levels of satisfaction (40.7-48 percent opposing), lack of awareness on the impact of teamwork on quality of care (15.6-22.1 percent opposing), low levels of involvement of top management (27.1-57.3 percent opposing), lack of training (52.5-69.8 percent opposing), lack of leadership skills (29.8-60 percent opposing), lack of communication (22.3-62.1 percent opposing), lack of employee involvement (37.6-50.8 percent opposing) and lack of collaboration among team members (28.6-50 percent opposing). Among the many, results illustrate the need for improving leadership skills of team leaders, improving communication and involving team members in decision making.
Originality/value
Several studies investigated relationships between teamwork skills and quality of care in many countries. To the authors’ knowledge, no local study investigated the deficiencies of teamwork skills among Jordan caregivers and its impact on quality of care. The study provides the ground for management at Jordan hospitals and to healthcare academic departments to tailor training courses to improve teamwork skills of caregivers. Data of this study are collected from the society who is working in the field of healthcare. As the results of this are produced from a real data, it is expected that applying the recommendations will impact the society positively by enhancing the patients’ satisfaction.
Details
Keywords
Peter Lau, Theresa Kwong, King Chong and Eva Wong
This paper aims to apply the inventory – Comprehensive Assessment of Team Member Effectiveness (CATME) to examine the development of teamwork skills among freshmen from the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to apply the inventory – Comprehensive Assessment of Team Member Effectiveness (CATME) to examine the development of teamwork skills among freshmen from the Chinese Mainland through a cooperative learning activity (group project) in the context of Hong Kong.
Design/methodology/approach
The questionnaire survey was conducted twice, at the beginning (pre) and end (post) of the group project; qualitative interviews were undertaken after their project completion.
Findings
It was found that, except for Category 5 (having relevant knowledge, skills and abilities), the post mean scores in all items of other four categories declined, because students’ Chinese Mainland backgrounds led to their different understanding toward teamwork, as unveiled by the qualitative interviews. However their project completion enabled them to acquire the relevant competencies, causing the rise in the mean scores of Category 5.
Research limitations/implications
Limited by the small sample size and American-driven CATME, this study did not observe the significant improvements in students’ self-reported evaluation of teamwork. There should be more applications of this instrument into the Asian and Chinese contexts for having it adapted to different national and cultural situations.
Practical implications
As a gap observed in Chinese Mainland students’ understanding to teamwork, overseas education institutions can incorporate this for curriculum development.
Originality/value
As a pioneer work in applying the CATME in the Chinese Mainland situation, this study implied a significant room for such kind of inventories mainly originated from west to incorporate the diverse national and cultural characteristics.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the literature on teamwork by focusing on the influence support systems, like industrial relations, have on teamwork. Teamwork is…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the literature on teamwork by focusing on the influence support systems, like industrial relations, have on teamwork. Teamwork is conceptualized through three dimensions; technical, governmental and normative.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on a case study approach in a single company with available data over a long period of time.
Findings
Industrial relations conceptualized as local representation and partnership had a strong influence on all three dimensions of teamwork; technical, governmental and normative. Especially important is the union's involvement in the introduction of teamwork, shaping the arrangement and interpretation of it.
Research limitations/implications
The paper is based on a single company, describing a particular phenomenon. Also, the contextual environment with a strong partnership culture with cooperative industrial relations is important.
Practical implications
The practical implications emphasize the importance for members of an organization to be involved in the introductory part of new organizational development such as teamwork in order to have an influence on arrangement of teams and the interpretation of teamwork.
Social implications
The social implications are connected to industrial democracy and high level of involvement, which has consequences for the work environment in a company working along these lines.
Originality/value
There are not many available cases of semi‐autonomous teams working over a long period of time, and the paper gives an in‐depth understanding of the strength of this way of working. The main contribution is to highlight how local representation and labor‐management partnership has influenced the dimensions of teamwork.
Details
Keywords
Andrea Brooks, Suzanna Fitzpatrick and Eleanor Dunlap
Teamwork is essential for patient safety as highly functioning teams make fewer errors. In high acuity academic medical centers, care delivery is complex and ever-changing…
Abstract
Teamwork is essential for patient safety as highly functioning teams make fewer errors. In high acuity academic medical centers, care delivery is complex and ever-changing, creating a high-risk environment for safety concerns. These intricate settings demand a collaborative approach to care delivery, where structured methods of teamwork and communication are engrained in day-to-day practice. With teamwork being a critical component of patient safety and communication failures likened to preventable medical errors, hospitals are looking to bolster leadership training and improve team dynamics. TeamSTEPPS is a proven method shown to enhance teamwork, communication, leadership, and patient satisfaction. TeamSTEPPS provides an evidence-based framework to optimize patient outcomes by improving communication and teamwork skills among healthcare professionals. Current literature on teamwork and communication demonstrates that nurse practitioners are uniquely positioned to improve team performance through the use of the TeamSTEPPS framework.
Details