After reading this chapter, you will be able to:
· Identify the key elements of a team
· Identify the five stages of group development
· Explain principles and guidelines needed for an effective team
· There are five general team principles and guidelines you should know
Team building is critical to the development and success of any agency or organization. No single individual or organization can accomplish the task of improving health and reducing risk among Asian communities. It takes a group of multidisciplinary people with different backgrounds to accomplish this goal. This group of people is the base of our team and their roles and responsibilities need to be defined so the group’s tasks can be carried out effectively and efficiently. Although specific team building strategies may vary for different goals and objectives, the principles of a successful team building remain the same.Every team should have a well-defined structure. Who needs to be involved and what will they do? The core team members of this project include:
a. HAAP staff
b. Lay health advisors from local community
c. Medical professionals from hospitals and clinics
d. Community women
Goals are important because they keep members focused on the team’s objectives. All team members should know the goals.
Each member of the team should have clearly defined roles and responsibilities
in order to facilitate cooperation and increase efficiency.
These can be assigned during group meetings or can be implied based the
role of the individual or organization. For
example:
a. HAAP sponsors health promotion events, promotes BCCCP, and assists with scheduling clients.
b. Doctors are responsible for examining patients and providing for their health needs.
c. LHAs are responsible for facilitating appointment arrangements, educating patients, and perhaps
translating.
d. Patients are responsible for
helping manage their health and keeping appointments.
Although the team leader is held accountable for establishing and monitoring
team performance, all team members are responsible for its success. As a team
member, one must be a full participant actively contributing to the program and
at the same time observing team dynamics and intervening when some team members
are not performing their tasks.
There are operational principles and guidelines to accomplish specific tasks, and general principles and guidelines for the team to function effectively and smoothly. Operational principles and guidelines should be developed by task force members and passed to all members of the team. General principles and guidelines are more generic to a successful team which are usually related to what we call team and people skills. We will focus on these next.
Each individual has different needs, values, and communication styles. Conflicts and problems happen because of differences among people. To avoid conflicts and solve problems in a team environment, each member should cooperate, compromise, and seek consensus.
Each team member should
recognize the 'people' aspects of issues and the need for positive relationships.
Be sensitive and responsive to the community and people and achieve good
results through interaction and working in a cooperative manner.
Once we accept difference among people, we should treat everyone equally. When problems occur, solve it without finger pointing. Focus criticism on the problem, not the personality! However, always review the process why why problems occurred and fix them.
Once the team builds up a positive relationship, its dynamics should affect every member. Through positive enforcement and encouragement, team member can help each other pull through the task.
Proper communication of ideas naturally has a very important role in conflict management and problem solving. Please refer back to chapter seven for more information.
In order to build a strong and efficient team, each member should help to build a positive team spirit, have the willingness and ability to work with each other, recognize the interests and goals of the team before personal ones, and be able to compromise in order to reach agreement for the benefit of the team.
