High-Performance Teams

Team dynamics are critical in highly successful teams.

Team dynamics are critical in highly successful teams. In the workplace, it impacts creativity, productiveness, and effectiveness. Improving team dynamics in the workplace can lead to better work outcomes, workplace environment, and client satisfaction. However, improving team dynamics in high-performance teams such as advanced life support can save a person’s life. Did you know that healthcare professionals are required to learn and study the team roles and dynamics of high-performance teams? This of course is in addition to the necessary skills needed to save someone’s life such as basic life support, airway management, prevention of cardiac arrest, managing lethal rhythms, and post-cardiac arrest. The point is, that interaction among team members has a profound impact on each member as well as the overall success of the team, i.e., survival.

A shared Goal or Vision

What distinguishes high-performance teams from others? One difference is a shared goal or vision. All team members should be informed of the company’s vision. Although facility owners often have a vision for their company, most of them fail to share that vision with others. If I were to ask you what your company’s vision is, then ask one or more of your employees, I would probably get three different answers. The vision serves as a strategic plan that guides employees through challenges. It also inspires and motivates employees to work towards a shared goal. Share your vision with all team members and refer to it often. Your company’s core values should also be shared. Core values serve as the company’s cultural cornerstone. It is ingrained principles that guide the actions of the company. Sharing core values will help you to select the right players for your team. If someone doesn’t share the same vision or values, that individual is the wrong person. You should use creative ways to share these values such as vibrant colors, pictures, mnemonics, or tag lines. Examples for each core value should be provided so that employees can fully understand and visualize how to incorporate these values in the workplace. 

Clear Roles and Responsibilities

Understanding team roles is another critical component of team dynamics. A leader should be identified to organize the efforts of the group. This leader monitors the performance of team members, backs up the team, models excellent behavior, trains, coaches, and facilitates understanding. A backup leader should also be identified if the leader is not available. This means that the backup should also know the leader’s roles and has the necessary skills to complete those tasks if needed. The leader focuses on the team as a whole monitoring all moving parts. The team lead helps team members understand why they must perform a certain task, in a certain way, and at a certain time. Team members should focus on their roles. Team members must be proficient in performing the skills within their scope of practice. These individuals need to be clear about their assigned roles, knowledgeable and prepared to fulfill their role responsibilities. An organizational structure and accountability chart can aid in clear role identification. Organizational charts visualize the company structure and chain of command. Accountability charts are more specific, showing the employee’s direct report and a list of tasks that the employee is accountable. This list can be used as a tool for team members to refer to which guides them through their specific job duties. This is also a great tool for managers in that it gives the leader a checklist or follow-up guide. Whether you are a team leader or a member, you should understand your role and the role of other members. Therefore, this information should be made readily available to all high-performance team members. Every member of the team should know his or her role and responsibilities because each team member’s role is critical to the performance of the team. Cross-training is useful if an assigned team member cannot perform certain tasks. 

When roles are unclear, team performance suffers. There are a few ways to identify if team roles are unclear. The first is the same task is being performed more than once. For example, you are the team lead of the marketing department, and you receive two different marketing calendars from two members of your sales team. The next is missing essential tasks. For example, a caregiver has called into work and notified the dietary manager. The dietary manager decides that he will cover the shift. This information was not given to the HR manager who oversees caregiver schedules and payroll. As the HR manager is preparing payroll, she notices that the dietary manager has accrued an outstanding amount of overtime that he or she now must get approved by her CEO. Another way to identify that roles are unclear is that multiple tasks are assigned to team members when additional team members are available and knowledgeable of assigned tasks. For example, your Facility Manager is posting daily menus, labeling foods in the refrigerator, sorting and reordering medications, and caregiver follow-ups and training. Labeling foods and posting menus can be assigned to the Dietary Manager. Sorting and reordering medications can be assigned to the facility nurse or care coordinator. This will free up time for your manager to follow up on training needs, supplies, and job satisfaction of staff. 

Team members should clearly define all team member roles and ensure that all tasks are distributed evenly to all available team members who are aware and competent of their responsibilities. On the other hand, team members should seek out and perform clearly defined tasks appropriate to their responsibilities. If an assignment is beyond the level of expertise, it is the team member’s responsibility to ask for a new task/role or ask for assistance in completing this task. 

Knowing your Limitations

Everyone including the team leader should know his or her limitations and capabilities. Each member is responsible for evaluating resources and calling for backup when necessary. Seek advice from more experienced personnel, especially in emergencies, such as a resident’s abnormal vital signs or a resident fall. Allow more experienced team members to carry out an assigned task if this task is unfamiliar to you. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness or incompetence. It is better to have more help than needed, rather than not enough. 

Constructive Criticisms

Conflict is a valuable part of a successful team. Patrick Lencioni argues that the fear of conflict is one of the top five dysfunctions of a team. When teams trust each other, they feel comfortable expressing their true feelings as well as publicly disagreeing over important issues. This allows for meaningful discussions that lead to solutions. This also creates a safe environment for constructive criticism and corrections. Team leaders have the responsibility to intervene when another team member is doing something incorrectly. The leader should reassign the team member who is trying to function beyond his or her level. The same goes for team members. Team members should feel empowered to intervene or question in a tactful way if another team member including the team leader is about to make a mistake. Conversations should stay diplomatic and positive.

Knowledge Sharing

Communication is key to high-performance teams. Good communication builds collaboration and cooperation within the group, resulting in better outcomes for the team and clients. Communicate with your team by sharing information. The more information and data are available, the more informed your decision. This allows you to solve problems more effectively and efficiently. If goals aren’t achieved and efforts are ineffective, go back to the round table and talk as a team. The leader should encourage information sharing, using questions that stimulate curiosity. For example, “Have we missed anything?” or “What can we do to make this better?”. Ask your team for suggestions. In return, team members should be empowered to share information and suggestions for the team. Team members as well as leaders should keep an open mind and accept information that will improve their roles. 

Summarize and Reevaluate

One of the most important roles of the team leader is monitoring and reevaluating team efforts, progress, and goals. Establish goals that are SMART (specific, measurable, realistic, and time-bound). Progress and effort are easily identified with SMART goals. Examples are daily checks and weekly scorecards. These daily or weekly metrics must align with the team’s quarterly goals. In addition, the team should change their goals with each quarter to avoid disinterest and loss of motivation. Keep in mind that the quarterly goals are small goals that get your team closer to the yearly goal. Be flexible, plans may need to change based on the metrics. If your numbers are not improving, reevaluate, discuss, and alter your plans to hit your goal.

In summary, team dynamics are vital to the success of your team’s performance. To ensure the success of your team, establish a shared vision and clear roles, know team member’s limitations, provide constructive feedback, share knowledge, and reevaluate.