LD7 STRATEGIES FOR BUILDING EFFECTIVE TEAMS

You have been assigned to work on a team to support a new quality improvement initiative at your nursing practice. The initiative is designed to support and improve patient care, and the team is tasked with leading the initiative. The team is comprised of the best and the brightest the nursing practice has to offer, selecting only the leaders of each department. However, after the first team meeting, you discover the team dynamics might lead to more argument than action.

If this concern manifests this early in the planning process of a quality improvement initiative, is this team the most effective for this task? What strategy might work best to ensure that the right team is composed for the task ahead?

Working in teams provides an important benefit to addressing a problem. A team can provide nuanced ideas and strategies that might be missed by working individually. Teams help to lessen the load on an individual, as well as provide different perspectives to spark ideas. However, working in teams is not without its challenges.

A mix of personalities, experiences, and styles can make or break a team, so what are the best ways to build an effective team? What strategies can be utilized to minimize any adverse effects of working in teams?

For this Discussion, consider what makes an effective team. What strategies might you use to build an effective team? Who might need to be included in a team? Consider the use of teams for quality improvement, and analyze what would make an effective team for a quality improvement initiative.
Review the Learning Resources for this week, and consider the potential impact and role of teams in quality improvement.
Reflect on potential strategies for building effective teams in promoting quality improvement initiatives for nursing practice and/or healthcare organizations.
Consider the type of stakeholders that might comprise these teams and potential challenges for “earning a seat at the table” of such a quality improvement team.

Post a brief explanation of a strategy you might recommend for building effective teams to support a quality improvement initiative in your healthcare organization or nursing practice. Be specific. Briefly describe the stakeholders you would recommend to make up this quality improvement team, and explain why. Be sure to define the roles of the members making up the quality improvement team. Then, explain any potential challenges or considerations you should keep in mind that may affect who might “earn a seat at the table” to comprise this team. Be specific and provide examples.

Resources
Nash, D. B., Joshi, M. S., Ransom, E. R., & Ransom, S. B. (Eds.). (2019). The healthcare quality book: Vision, strategy, and tools (4th ed.). Health Administration Press.

Chapter 10, “Safety Science and High Reliability Organizing” (pp. 253–278)

Chapter 12, “Creating Alignment: Quality Measures and Leadership” (pp. 301–327)

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2017). Forming a comprehensive unit-based safety program team: Facilitator guide. Links to an external site.https://www.ahrq.gov/hai/tools/mvp/modules/cusp/forming-cusp-team-fac-guide.html

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2017). Learn about the comprehensive unit-based safety program for perinatal safety: Facilitator guide Links to an external site.. https://www.ahrq.gov/hai/tools/perinatal-care/modules/teamwork/learn-about-cusp-fac-guide.html

Institute for Healthcare Improvement. (n.d.). Science of improvement: Forming the team Links to an external site.. http://www.ihi.org/resources/Pages/HowtoImprove/ScienceofImprovementFormingtheTeam.aspx

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration. (n. d.). Improvement teams Links to an external site.. https://www.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/quality/toolbox/508pdfs/improvementteams.pdf