Teamwork and Collaborative Leadership Lesson

To achieve and maintain high-performing healthcare teams, technical skills are not enough. Non-technical skills such as leadership, situational awareness, decision making, task management, and communication are essential (29). High-functioning teams display “a set of social and cognitive skills that support high quality, safe, effective and efficient interprofessional care within the complex healthcare system” (30). Experts have identified social factors as communication and teamwork skills and cognitive factors as personal behaviors and analytic skills (31).

In a high-functioning team, all members use clear language, organize and convey information in a logical and practical manner, ensure understanding, and confirm their own understanding when receiving information from someone else (31). They also volunteer relevant information, focus on the patient's care preferences when conflict arises, and value and seek team input (31). The personal behaviors that team members display are compassion, integrity, and honesty. They regularly engage in critical self-appraisal and welcome feedback on performance. They identify when stress may pose a risk to others and themselves and they recognize fatigue and take appropriate actions to negate risk (31).

High-functioning teams also possess and apply analytical skills (31). They gather and analyze information to support awareness of risk of errors in the workplace. They identify pragmatic and reasonable solutions available to their team and they re-evaluate their decisions and processes. They are willing and able to change course when significant problems are encountered. These teams encourage active dialogue about situational awareness and discuss and anticipate risks for the team in the future (31).