Promotin

g Team
Effective
ness
Nursing Management &
Leadership (FN 4406)

Ayesha Medagedara,
Lecturer (Probationary),
Department of Fundamental Nursing
 Lesson Outcomes

At the end of this session students will be able to

• Differentiate group and team
• Discuss the characteristics of different types of groups
• Explain “five stage group development model”
• Describe team building and team leading
• Appreciate nurse manager’s role as a team leader
• Discuss the guidelines for conducting meetings
 Introduction

• Most often nursing occurs in a team environment

• Work groups that share common objectives function in a harmonious,
coordinated, purposeful manner as teams.
• High-performance teams require expert leadership skills
• Nurse managers must skillfully orchestrate the activity and interactions of
interdisciplinary teams as well as conventional nursing workgroups
• Understanding the nature of groups and how groups are transformed into teams
is essential for the nurse to be effective
 Group

• A group is an aggregate of individuals who

interact and mutually influence each other

• Two or more employees who interact with

each other in such a manner that the
behavior and/or performance of a member is
influenced by the behavior and/or
performance of other members
 Group

• A group is defined as two or more individuals:

- Interacting and interdependent
- Who may or may not have come together to achieve a particular objective/ goal
- May work simultaneously or independent of one another
• Both formal and informal groups exists in an organization
 Formal Groups

• Formal Groups are clusters of individuals designated temporarily or permanently by an

organization to perform specified organizational tasks
• Formal groups may be structured laterally, vertically, or diagonally
• Task groups and Committees may be structured in all these ways whereas Command
groups are generally structured vertically
• Group Members may include:
- Individuals from a single workgroup
- Individuals from different work groups
- Individuals from different job levels
 Formal Groups

• Real (Command group) accomplish tasks in organizations and are recognized as a legitimate
organizational entity
- Its members are interdependent, share a set of norms, and generally differentiate roles and
duties among themselves
- Organized to achieve ongoing organizational goals, and are collectively held responsible for
measurable outcomes
- The group’s manager has line authority in relation to group members individually and collectively
- The group assignments are usually routine and designed to fulfill the specific mission of an agency
or organization
- The regularly assigned staff who work together under the direction of a single manager constitute
a command group
 Formal Groups

• A task group is composed of several persons who work together, with or without
a designated leader, and are charged with accomplishing specific time-limited
assignments
Ex: A group of nurses selected by their colleagues to plan an orientation program
for new staff constitutes a task group

• Usually, a several task groups exist within a service area

and may include representatives from several disciplines
Ex: Nurse, physician, dietician, social worker
 Formal Groups

• Committee is formed to deal with a specific issue involving several service areas
• A committee responsible for monitoring and improving patient safety or
developing procedures to adhere to patient privacy regulations
• Some of these committees are mandated by accrediting and regulatory bodies
Ex: Committees for education, standards, disasters, and patient care evaluation
Committee designed to formulate a new policy on substance abuse
Informal Groups

• Informal Groups evolve

naturally from social
interactions
• Not defined by an
organizational structure
Ex: Individuals who regularly
eat lunch together
 Informal Groups

• Friendship Groups: Established by members having something in common, such

as age, gender, political beliefs, desire to play the same sport, or ethnic
background

• Interest Groups: Individuals who may not be members of the same command or
task group may affiliate to achieve some mutual objective
Five Stages
Group
Developmen
t Model
Five Stages Group Development
Model

Tuckman’s Stages of Group

Development
Teams
• Teams are real groups in which individuals must work
cooperatively with each other in order to achieve some
overreaching goals
• Teams have command or line authority to perform
tasks and membership is based on the specific skills
required to accomplish the tasks
• Similar to groups, teams may include individuals from
single workgroup or individuals at similar job levels
from more than one workgroup, individuals from
different work groups and different job levels in the
organization
• They may have a short life span or exist indefinitely
Teams
• Not all work groups however are teams
• Groups of individuals who perform their tasks independently of each other are not teams
• Competing groups, in which members compete for resources to perform their tasks or
compete for recognition also are not teams
• A group becomes a team when the individuals must apply group process skills to achieve
specific results
• They must exchange ideas, coordinate work activities and develop an understanding of
other team members’ roles in order to perform effectively
• Members appreciate the talents and contributions of each on the team and find ways to
capitalize on them
Teams
• Most work teams have a leader who maintains the integrity of the team’s function and
guides the team’s activities, performance, and development
• Teams may be self-directed, that is led jointly by team members who decide together
about work objectives and activities on an ongoing basis
Team Building
• Team Building focuses on both task and relationship aspects of a group’s functioning and
is intended to increase efficiency and productivity
• The group’s work and problem-solving procedures, member-member relations, and
leaderships are analyzed, and exercise are prescribed to help members modify their
patterns of interaction or process of decision making
Team
Building
• Team Building Involves:
- Gathering data through individual interviews, questionnaires, and/ or
group meetings about the team and its functioning
- Diagnosing the team's strengths and areas in need of development
- Holding semi-structured retreat sessions, usually directed by an
experienced facilitator, aimed at addressing priority team problems
Team Leading
• Effective team leaders must understand the on concepts and theories that explain how teams' function. So, they
can meet the challenges inherent in this complex leadership role.
• Adjusting to the complexities of caregiving settings, negotiating development through group stages, facilitating
effective communication, and maintaining patient safety is work to be guided by the team leader. In fact, one of
the most important factors in overcoming these challenges and rising to the opportunities is having a competent
team leader.

• LaFasto & Larson (2001) note “Your purpose as a leader is to add value to your team’s effort”
• The team leader’s primary job is to stay focused on the results that the team has been charged to produce
• As tasks are shared, different points of view are expressed during planning, or conflicting feelings are shared about
group events, and the leader must react appropriately. The challenge will be to interpret and react while keeping
the ultimate goal of the team in mind. The best leaders will consistently monitor the progress toward the goal and
plan actions accordingly. The leader must “keep an eye on the prize” and rally team members to do the same.
Skills to assist the leader to stay focused on the goal
includes:

• Define the goal often to the team and ask the team to do the same
• Provide visual reminders of the goal
• Explain how tasks or assignments will contribute to the accomplishment of the goal, and
ask members to do the same
• Keep the goal alive by discussing it frequently and in different ways
• Use frequent examples of how all contributions are moving toward the goal
• Share examples of reports/stories/literature of how others reached similar goals
• Help all to understand how/why difficult tasks may be the key to creating the change
• Value team members and trust them
Team Leading
• Team leaders must also invite the active participation of all team members and make it
clear that all members’ input is valued
• Team leaders should be honest when providing feedback to members
• Ground rules must call for the expectation of honest communication delivered in a
respectful manner
• The leader must set the tone and example for communicating honestly and respectfully
and must calmly and respectfully confront others not observing this rule
• In most circumstances, the leader should expect, acknowledge, and reward collaboration
over competition
• Providing guidance in using a methodical and clear problem-solving method is essential
 • A balance between tending to the need for technical knowledge
and expertise and tending to interpersonal group process needs
must be met
• There will be times that team effectiveness is blocked because a
deeper level of knowledge is needed or times when progress is
impeded because team members are not working well together

Team
• The good team leader will constantly monitor the team’s progress
toward its goals and provide the skill and support that are needed
to help the team progress

Leading • This may take the form of exposing the team to new information,
or it may require mediating a disagreement between team
members who are not working well together
• Providing effective leadership will require diligent monitoring and
holding high expectations of team members
• Encouraging task assignments that have high expectations but are
doable will stretch the team’s ability
Team Leading
• A leader who is fair and impartial, shows no favoritism and facilitates inclusiveness will create a
team that is willing to take greater and greater risks
• Building confidence will create more motivation for positive action. A good leader says “thank
you” in as many verbal and non-verbal ways as can be imagined
• Effective leaders are mindful of the need for good technical expertise
• Teams need to have the necessary knowledge, experience, and background necessary to reach
the goal
• Hard work goes a long way toward success, but without the right knowledge in the right areas
effective problem-solving is unlikely
• A team leader who recognizes that a team has knowledge deficits will search for assistance
• Possible solutions include adding more knowledgeable team members or providing the team with
strong consultation to assist members with building the competence needed
Team Leading
• The team leader must consistently communicate the priorities to be met and help
envision how the step-by-step priorities fit within the big picture of goal attainment
• The team leader must apply management skills to facilitate effectiveness and
productivity
• Nonperformers must be managed in a positive way. The leader must communicate
concerns to non-performers and provide clear descriptions of expected performance
• Non-performers must be made aware of expected timelines and the rewards and
consequences that will be applied for improved or continued lack of performance. Lack
of response by nonperformers will create a deterioration of team morale and will soon
affect team productivity
• Non-performers will likely appreciate guidance toward better performance or will
welcome the opportunity to acknowledge they would prefer not to be part of the team
Team Leading
• Team leaders who guide their team to stay focused on the goal, stay in a collaborative
rather than competitive mode, maintain confidence, provide or build the necessary
technical knowledge for goal attainment, set priorities, and manage performance will
find themselves in constant demand for service
• They will also be appreciated by their team members and will make a lasting contribution
to the safe and effective care of health-care consumers
Nurse Manager as Team Leader
• Influencing group processes toward the attainment of organizational objectives is the
direct responsibility of the nurse manager
• The nurse manager can do a great deal to foster effective individual and group
performance by promoting the benefits of group membership and increasing
interdependence
• By publicizing group accomplishments, creating opportunities for group members to
demonstrate new skills, and supporting group social activities, the manager can increase
the perceived value of group membership
• Managers communication style affects the group cohesiveness
Guidelines for conducting
Meetings
• Meetings are vital to the conduct of organizational works
• Should be held principally for problem-solving, decision
making and enhancing working relationships
• Socializing, giving or clarifying information, or soliciting
suggestions must be thoroughly justified
• Should be conducted efficiently and should
result in relevant meaningful outcomes
• Should not damage interpersonal relations,
frustrations and inconclusiveness
Preparation
• The first key to a successful meeting is thorough preparation
• Preparation includes:
- Clearly define the purpose of meeting
- Prepare an agenda and distribute
- Determine who should attend
- Make assignments
- Distribute relevant materials
- Arrange for recordings of minutes
- Select the appropriate time and place
 • The behavior of each member may positive,
negative, or neutral in relation to the group’s goals
• Group members should:

Member - Be prepared for the meeting, having read pertinent

materials ahead of time

Behavior - Ask for clarifications as needed

- Offer suggestions and ideas as appropriate
- Offer suggestions and ideas as appropriate
- Encourage others to contribute their ideas and
opinions
- Offer constructive criticism as appropriate
- Assist with implementations as agreed