The Importance of Teams
Marleana Reed
HCS/325
June 17, 2013
Dr. Marie Gagnon

The Importance of Teams
If positioned properly within the health care industry great advantage and consumer preference is gained to bolster organizational sovereignty. To do so requires a dynamic plan to incorporate competitive systems, and a workforce of concentrated efforts to overshadow all others. “No Man Is an Island.” (John Donne,) This profound statement can serve as thought provoking cohortative where teamwork is cornerstone to the administration of duties, and project management. This paper details the functionality of processes, for effective teamwork. The Collaborative efforts of teams, benefit any organization, and lead to more successes than not. Teaming serves an additional purpose, whereas participants share experiences, learn to accept and appreciate the contributions of others, while gaining a sense of camaraderie. The organizations goal is to stage teams of workgroups throughout its structure for seamless networking among disciplines. These social interactions promote strengths and talents as significant to individuals as the framework of the team itself. As such, encouragement of individuals in team processes is as much a benefit to the participant as for the organization. Successful team members place into the forefront, the objective, in lieu of a self-serving approach to task, working diligently to accomplish the shared goal. The core values of the organization will be intrinsically molded into the skills set of each individual and extrinsically displayed in the performance and service provision expected of each. As the organization places itself in position to become autonomous within the industry, consumerism will unleash for the organization a stellar reputation.
Teamwork for Improved Customer Service: Organization of resources, for the accomplishment of a specific task is an approach often used as challenges arise. Employees have coupled or teamed to discuss, and take action as goals, and objectives are assigned. Employees are expected to be a functional part of a performing team. There are a variety of aspects of teams important to identify. It is important to understand the rationale behind developing teams, and what factors play a part in creating not only an effective team but also an effective team member. Working from the objectives gleaned in a comprehensive plan of action, the need arises to identify what processes must be taken to complete tasks, and as complement, evaluation of the experiences of employees, best suited to gain the preferred outcome, and to capitalize on the strengths of qualified persons.
The Budgeted Proposal: As solution to the organizations need for competencies within the infrastructure, this functional education program will prepare employees to use resources effectively while asking the right questions, and to think swiftly and critically to avoid poor quality in service. The current budgeted amount of $20,000 will serve to assist the organization in building a comprehensive education program, expected to enhance experience, promote decision-making competency, and foster critical thinking within structures, in addition to assisting the organization in maintaining competitive edge over rivals. The budgeted amount will be sufficient to develop programming to focus on interpersonal skill, while educating the employee in offering rational solution to a caller’s questions. “The goal for any organization, however, is not just to achieve competitive advantage, but to make it sustainable.” (Lombardi, Schermerhorn, & Kramer, 2007, 8.1) Each employee will engage in a four-week training session to re-establish objectives, re-iterate the organizations mission while focusing on high performance work practices. In addition, a comprehensive overview will assist employees to learn to function in leadership roles and to lend personal experience and motivation to team members, while guiding a project in the direction expected for success.
A Purposeful Approach to Health Care: The curriculum will aid in developing not only the core values of the organization, but also enhance the personal investment made by employees in providing quality information and care to consumers in a timely manner. The curriculum can serve to identify for employee, the importance of inter-professional relationships important for success. The organizations call center must perform and function in a manner that patients respect and appreciate. Cohesion and competency are a must when providing services to patients, and critical to avoiding negative outcomes, and patient demise. The team approach is depicted for employees in a manner that aligns each individual role to that of a team of surgeons relying upon one another in an open heart surgery performed on a frightened three-year-old child. As parents are stricken with the fear of losing their child, each surgeon will shoulder the weight of successfully accomplishing individual task, but with a team approach at the forefront. Each surgeon shoulders the anguish of the child’s parents, as each approaches the operating room to perform a procedure. As such, the call center will need to align its organizational structure to that of a well-oiled racing team, such as those who compete for the America’s Cup. The pursuit of excellence is the guiding principle of sport sailing clubs striving to achieve mastership, as this prestigious race unfolds across the seas.
A Comparison of Industries: An organization using comparison to evaluate internal efficiency and effective use of resources can improve the processes within offering employees a tool to measure output and productivity. Making comparison analysis of the efficiency in teams and contributions to goals identifying any gaps in similar objectives between two health care providers is significant. Comparisons of the functions within other systems which are effective, helps to place greater focus and attention where needed to reshape systems less effective. Ensuring collaboration in healthcare settings is important. Understanding teamwork as a process and as an outcome will assist in putting into perspective, the approach necessary to attain goals in the shared experience. As each healthcare team functions, the dynamic of teamwork, “is the ongoing process of interaction between team members as they work together to provide care.” (Clements, Dault, & Priest, 2007, p. 28). The collaborative is measured in terms of efficacy and efficiency for the patient, and organization, to experience high-quality results. Team building should be a structured process mostly done by simply defining the goals of a group, monitoring the group, and correcting or rewarding, also adjusting to redefine goals when necessary. Similarly, According to Clements, Dault, and Priest (2007) ‘intra-organizational knowledge transfer to help organizations share what they know about the results of research, demonstration site activities and learning projects with ongoing measure of collaborative practice.” (p. 32).
Resolve of Challenges: It is critical to examine obstacles and apply effective methods of redesign to overcome each. The determination of resources, functions, approaches or control measures used in restructuring internal disciplines are important. Problem resolution processes are important concepts within organizations as each assist in containing poor performance, and poorly communicated goals and objectives. Conflict resolution should take place through forums where employees believe their concerns are important and meaningful. The greatest obstacle to change is witnessed in the environmental culture of healthcare. The team effort is sabotaged by an employee’s reluctance to forego tightly held or traditional ways of providing care. This type of barrier is limiting and can interfere with the direction and growth of an organization. Working collaboratively to accomplish goals increases the chance of driving projects in the direction of success.
Applying the Lesson: In evaluating the successes of other industries, we take from our assessment the processes and key indicators identified as effective, and purposeful for the success attained within infrastructures. Combining administrative tools coupled with human resources is by far the most effective way to ensure a solid team-based approach. Partnering management with employee to accomplish goals, and developing strong educational components within curricula, based on the mission, and goals set by the organization will prove to be a useful approach to maintaining efficient internal structures. Application of tasks should take place with the understanding that “effective teamwork rarely happens where there is no collaboration,” (Clements, Dault, & Priest, 2007, p. 28). This method is essential to achieving success. According to Baker, Gustafson, Beaubien, Salas, & Barach (2005) “Teamwork characteristically mandates an adjustment on the part of team members to one another, either sequentially or simultaneously, in an effort to accomplish team goals.” (p. 13) Teams that can adapt and respond to changing conditions are most often effective in completion of tasks. Understanding the impact of teamwork on team members and the benefit of team members for teamwork is an essential collective. Central to each objective is patient care and satisfaction. Dynamic and practical planning, definition of employee goals, and core values are significant features in the development of an autonomous organizational structure.
Learning From Resources: In summary, critical to the success of teams within organizations are the cross-functional activities shared to accomplish objectives. A shared interest in goals unlocks an important door to health care collaboration. Organizations providing quality training and educational programming are better positioned to offer the quality of care employees prefer to provide, and most important expected by patients. “Funding for inter-professional collaboration supports a transition to, an ongoing review of collaborative practice.” (Clements, Dault, & Priest, 2007, p. 32). In doing so, the organization can expect to gain favor from consumers as employees build upon individual skills, and reputation for the organization. Team success is important for patient outcomes and as organizations develop strategies to function at the highest level, the use of comparative tools and resources can improve the shared approach to long-term sustainability. Of greatest importance is the ability of employees to forego individual autonomy for the benefit of the shared goal. The curricula will focus on teams as an asset for the organization and teams as a prerequisite for the patient, depending heavily on each member to work cohesively.

References
Baker, D. P., Gustafson, S., Beaubien, J., Salas, E., & Barach, P. (2005). Medical teamwork and patient safety: The evidence-based relation. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Clements, D., Dault, M., & Priest, A. (2007, January). Effective Teamwork in Healthcare: Research and Reality. Longwood, 34(7), 26-34. Retrieved from: http://www.longwoods.com/content/18669
Lombardi, D. J., Schermerhorn, J. R., & Kramer, B. (2007). Health care managemen making major choices:Performing strategic analysis and making decisions. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.