Observing the Healthcare Body

How to build a successful team

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Think about it: Even a simple, everyday task like tying your shoes involves a complex symphony of muscles, tendons, bones – each movement orchestrated over a network of neurons, electric signals and messages. Even more remarkable is that this mix of thought and movement is coordinated to accomplish a single goal – the ultimate symbol of teamwork. Through daily interaction with patients, imaging and therapy, professionals are well aware of the intricacies of the human body. Yet, there is still much to learn. All too often, techs, therapists and physicians act as separate units, blind to how their duties affect the overall function of the department.

Building a successful team depends on each member focusing on specific roles and tasks. Some team members will direct and orchestrate, but it's just as necessary to be the arms and legs of a team, sacrificing personal gains for the good of the group.

At the Top

Like the brain controls movements of the body, leaders must direct a team. Natural leaders often exhibit specific traits, and these leaders can be chosen based on a variety of qualities For example, some are chosen because of their popularity among the team, ability to influence people in a positive way or organizational skills. Regardless, the most important factor is to be sure the cream of the crop eventually rises to the top. "If one member tends to be liked by everyone on a team and always acts as a natural leader, have him or her take the team leader role," says Kenneth Gray, RT(R)(CV)(CT), director of Radiology at Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago.

The view from the top can be dizzying, says Gray. The leader carries the responsibility of picking the right members for the team to succeed, assessing immediately the employee's hard and soft skills so that the team consists of members with varied talents and roles. Skills such as technical background, communication ability, motivations and likes and dislikes should be taken into account when choosing team members. Evaluations of the employees' skills can go into their personnel file for later use when a new team needs to be formed. Having the information about employees at arm's length can save time when choosing the right members because there will be less duplication in terms of member's skills and motivations, which is also a key ingredient to a successful team.

It's important to have a variety of personalities for team balance, says Hellen Davis, CLU, president and CEO of Indaba, Inc., a Valley Forge, Pa.-based, management, consulting and training corporation. "You need a couple of naysayers on the team to say, "Slow down. We really need to rethink this issue,'" she says.

Once you choose the right mix of members, set ground rules in order to avoid conflict. Take on the role of the director and define the scope of the project, outline the responsibilities of each member and communicate with them in writing to avoid conflict. Davis says verbal communication is OK, but major decisions should be outlined on paper to avoid confusion.

Accountability needs to be addressed as well: How will the leader measure the team members on an individual basis and as a part of the team? The authority levels of each member need to be determined so members know who has authority over whom and what resources they can use. For example, if a person is dying from thirst and has a broken arm, he will give priority to his thirst and walk as far as he is capable in order to get replenished, forgoing the pain in his arm. Thus, the team needs to take priority over individual members. "If responsibility, authority and accountability are set up-front, the team will be more successful than most others who do not do that," says Davis. Not only do members need to understand and agree with their roles they need to rotate them to keep the team efficient at sharing information.

It's important to rotate the leader's position at a meeting so that members can educate their co-workers about their specialized portion of team activities. "Rotating the responsibility of the roles at a team meeting is a key to building a successful team," says Davis. For instance, someone who is more technically knowledgeable can take the lead in a meeting that deals with technical aspects, whereas someone who deals with customer satisfaction can take the lead at a subsequent meeting dealing with that issue. Davis adds that it's imperative for members to understand and value their positions in a team, even when rotating duties and filling unenviable roles. Members must focus on the good of the team first. They must remember that each member is important in a team effort. The team body depends on cooperation from all members. Without cooperation the whole body is in jeopardy. For example, when a patient receives a heart transplant and the surrounding tissue does not accept the transplant, the body as a whole cannot function. "Ultimately in healthcare, people's lives are at stake," says Davis. "If you don't communicate as a team, you are putting people's lives at risk."

Just as the brain takes care of the body's needs, the leader should take care of the team members' physiological and psychological safety. Leaders should make sure that the employees are working reasonable hours to avoid exhaustion at work. Communication and lively atmosphere should be encouraged for the optimal health of the team body.

Taking care of all the team members results in better patient care, because employees are more aware of the common goal. "Teambuilding lets the group build meaning and passion from the mundane to life threatening," says Pamela Brill, EDD, licensed psychologist and author of the upcoming book, The Winner's Way, A Proven Method for Turning Any Situation into a Personal Best (McGraw Hill, 2004).

How the team communicates also plays an important role in teambuilding success. The brain communicates simultaneously to all the organs and body parts, but in a team, communication is the most important way of sharing information. "We talk to others the way we communicate with ourselves," says Brill. "By learning to reprogram how you use words, you can move from debilitating yourself and others to motivating yourself and others." All the members must work as a body and encourage each other's efforts as the project or task gets accomplished.

Another aspect of successful teambuilding relies on the team members sharing values. Honesty, integrity, teamwork, accountability and communication, if nurtured, can lead to a culture that is both respectful and trusting, says Brill. The key is to have the members come up with values for the whole group so that it's not what the administration wants, but what the members want for themselves. The values will unite the team members into a cohesive body.

Playing Solo

Many careers require people to work alone. These people may not be used to working in a team setting. But just as you wouldn't want to lift a heavy weight with one hand, team tasks are best shared among members. "Even the leading radiologist with the best equipment and reading rooms will not be able to get the job done effectively if they don't embrace their support staff, administrative staff, colleagues and interns as team members, whose contributions are just as important as their own," says Brill. Solo players need to understand that a change in their day-to-day mindset needs to occur if they are to participate on a team. Understanding that teamwork results in payoff, in terms of better product, better patient care, better technology, or better pay, can motivate reluctant solo players to join the team."

Sometimes solo players are simply afraid of working with others because they do not know how a team operates. In such cases it is best to familiarize yourself with a team environment by becoming an assistant coach for little league baseball or soccer, says Davis. Another way to find out about team participation is by asking a senior employee to act as a mentor. Asking the mentor to give tips about how to behave in a team setting can serve as an opportunity to let him know that you are interested in volunteering for the next company team.

Changing Posture

We've all experienced back pain at some point in our lives. Something so simple as a strained muscle can result in total body pain. Correcting the back ailment takes time, exercise and dedication. Similarly, when deciding to implement a team culture in a company or hospital, the culture cannot form in a matter of days; instead they must take a slower approach at correcting the problem. Sometimes a team workshop can help a team take shape. "If a workshop is knowledge based and has goals, it will accomplish teambuilding. If it doesn't it's a waste of the company's money," says Davis. Looking at the return for investment is the bottom-line when deciding whether or not a team should go through a workshop.

— Olga Dvornikova is the editorial intern at RT Image magazine. Questions and comments can be directed to odvornikova@rt-image.com.