NURS 6221 Week 10: Developing Cohesive Teams

NURS 6221: Managing Human Resources | Week 10

The nursing profession is arguably one of the more fast-paced and demanding professions in today’s job market. This can be especially true for nurses working in hospitals. Consider the following scenario:

Kyoko, a nurse manager for a surgical neurologic unit, noticed increased levels of frustration as her nurses began their shifts. Many commented that they wanted to do a good job but felt that their workloads prohibited them from doing so. In an effort to reduce her staff’s overwhelming feelings of stress, Kyoko searched nursing literature to find an effective leadership solution. In an issue ofNursing Management, Kyoko read about the “huddle up” strategy. The next day, Kyoko called her nurses together to inform them that at the start of their 12-hour shifts, they would all “huddle up” to discuss workloads, patient conditions, and any general questions they might need addressed. Before long, Kyoko saw a dramatic improvement in her staff. Not only did the nurses seem more confident and relaxed, but the increase in camaraderie and team cohesiveness was felt by all staff members. This 5–10 minute leadership strategy brought her unit back on the right track.

This week, you explore how nurse managers create, develop, and lead effective teams within their units, departments, and health care settings.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

• Analyze leadership strategies used to build effective teams
• Analyze difficulties that work environments might pose to older workers
• Evaluate strategies for engaging and retaining older workers

Discussion: Creating, Developing, and Leading Effective Teams

Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.

—Henry Ford

A critical skill for all nurse managers is the ability to create, develop, and lead effective teams. When people are part of an effective and well-functioning team, they are more productive and have a stronger commitment to the organization. Nurse managers have a responsibility to create teams that fulfill functional needs within their units or departments. These can include leadership teams, ad hoc project teams, or primary work teams.

As a nurse manager, there is a variety of ways that you can enhance team functioning. The first step is developing the structural elements of the team and then designing the team with the appropriate membership. Just as you must critically examine each application during the employment process, so will you critically examine the skills and attributes of each employee before appointing him or her to a collective team.

In this week’s Discussion, you lay the groundwork for creating and developing a team for your unit, department, or health care setting. You also identify leadership strategies that you could employ to increase the team’s organizational effectiveness.

To prepare

• Review Chapter 5, “The Art of Effectively Facilitating Processes” from the course text, From Management to Leadership: Strategies for Transforming Health Care. Carefully examine the section, “Essential Elements of a Team” to identify the six steps of creating an effective team.
• Consider a team you might create for your current organization or one with which you are familiar. For example, is there a project to be accomplished or a problem to be solved? Perhaps there is a need for a leadership team within your unit or department?
• Identify the purpose or goal for your team. Then, reflect on the following questions:
  • What type of team would you create (leadership, ad hoc, or primary work team) to accomplish this purpose or goal? What are the benefits or disadvantages of creating this type of team?
  • What staff members would you want on this team? Why? How could their skill sets and positions make them effective team members?
• Explore this week’s Learning Resources to identify leadership strategies you might employ before, during, and after the team-building phase. For example, what leadership strategies might influence synergy among team members while also increasing the effectiveness of the team?

By Day 3 NURS 6221 Week 10: Developing Cohesive Teams

Post a description of the team you would create, including the purpose or goal the team would serve, the team type, and the specific skills each member would contribute as well as their job positions. Describe at least two leadership strategies you could implement to help this team effectively achieve its purpose or goal.

Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.

By Day 6

Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days using one or more of the following approaches:

• Critically appraise a colleague’s team description. Provide an additional leadership strategy he or she could use to further improve the effectiveness of the team.
• Find a colleague who would like to implement a team similar to one that has been implemented in your workplace. Share an insight into how your organization benefited from this type of team and the leadership strategies management employed to support the work of the team.NURS 6221 Week 10: Developing Cohesive Teams