The process of forming a productive team is crucial for ensuring the efficiency of organizational activities. Of special importance is the procedure of team organization in healthcare, where additions to the usual productivity can significantly enhance the well-being of the patients. Not only do such adjustments improve the quality of healthcare, but they also allow the medical institution to distribute its resources in the most efficient way (Manges et al., 2017). Nevertheless, it is crucial to consider the specific guidelines that can help the leaders improve the team formation process. The current paper focuses on team development steps, strengths and limitations of the leader, team members’ characteristics, and the first meeting as the critical factors for forming a scheduling team for a nursing unit.
To create a strong group, it is necessary to follow the team development stages to achieve the most beneficial results. A highly effective model for this process is the Tuckman Model of Group Development (TMGD), which identifies five distinct steps in team formation (Manges et al., 2017). Following this model, I would begin forming my scheduling team by clarifying the task and the team needed for it, as well as creating ground rules for performance. The second phase would be Storming, where it is vital to employ conflict-resolution methods to ensure group stability and battle the occurring crises (Manges et al., 2017). After that, the Norming step involves the open exchange of information and the establishment of an appropriate level of team cohesion, resulting in the creation of strong group norms (Manges et al., 2017). Following this stage, the team can become more efficient in problem-solving and adapting to the given tasks. Finally, in the Outperforming phase, the group begins to exceed performance targets, sustaining the necessary productivity with little involvement from the leader.
Given the discussed steps, it would be essential for me to consider how to overcome interpersonal conflicts that emerge during the Storming phase. During this process, the team is highly reliant on the leader’s decisions, and the future relationships between the members depend on the leader’s capacity to resolve internal friction and resistance (Manges et al., 2017). Properly addressing these issues and relieving the effects of the negative emotions will be my responsibility in this stage, meaning that I should develop my personal competencies.
I believe that my communicative skills are a significant strength that could aid me in this endeavor. Freely interacting with the team members and supporting them can tremendously promote the efficiency of each individual, contributing to the increase of the overall team productivity (Stoller, 2021). As I am naturally a very open and communicative person, I will be able to accommodate my group members. After that, I am knowledgeable about the goal-setting process, and I can create appropriate goals for the scheduling team to complete. Finally, I can easily establish trust with people, which is integral for securing my authority as an effective leader. However, there are several critical skill gaps that I would have to address, namely resolving interpersonal conflicts and ensuring group cohesion. These tasks are especially important for forming a successful and productive team but can be difficult to tackle without extensive knowledge on the subject. Therefore, it would be necessary for me to learn various methods to address these issues.
Selecting team members that will substantially contribute to the productivity of the group requires the use of particular guidelines. First of all, I would have to find employees proficient in scheduling activities or project management, capable of efficiently organizing their work tasks, and working with large amounts of information. Experience in the nursing setting would be highly beneficial for the candidates. Additionally, I would need individuals who are diligent in their work and can successfully complete dare sign munts by a given deadline. These proficiencies are especially valuable for a member of a scheduling team (Ellis, 2021). In this regard, having employees that possess these competencies is imperative for forming a productive group.
The importance of the first team meeting is difficult to underestimate. Considering that first meetings set a specific standard for future tasks and establish how cohesive the team will be in the future, I would be required to organize it properly. As such, a useful strategy is to let team members feel comfortable and create a safe space where are the individuals do not feel overburdened (Stoller, 2021). In addition, outlining the group rules and norms is also highly advantageous during the first meeting, as it allows setting the necessary expectations (Stoller, 2021). After that, as team members are highly dependent on the leader at first, it would be required for me to take the initiative, presenting myself as a knowledgeable leader. Therefore, for my first meeting, I would follow a more informal approach, first letting the team members get acquainted with each other and then introducing the guiding principles for our future work. Finally, I would establish the goals for the future and make sure to consider the group members’ feedback, assessing their impressions of the assignments.
References
Ellis, P. (2021). Leadership, management and team working in nursing. SAGE.
Manges, K., Scott-Cawiezell, J., & Ward, M. M. (2017). Maximizing team performance: The critical role of the nurse leader. Nursing Forum, 52(1), 21–29. Web.
Stoller, J. K. (2021). Building teams in health care. Chest, 159(6), 2392–2398. Web.