Manage_a_Team_Within_Health_and_Social_Care

Manage a team within a health and social care setting | |Unit 510 |1. Develop goals and plans. This begins with a clearly defined mission that describes the | | |specific purpose for the team’s existence. In addition, the team sets goals on a regular basis and| | |is effective at developing and implementing plans. The team members are clear about goals and | | |priorities, and consistently act in ways that support the team’s overall mission and goals. | | | | | |2. Enhance communication among members. This means members that freely share information, are open| | |and honest with each other, listen to each other, and provide each other with both positive and | | |constructive feedback. The team also employs a specific process to facilitate the dissemination of| | |information on a regular basis (e.g., informational meetings). | | | | | |3. Develop and maintain positive relationships among members. Teams have members that respect, | | |support, cooperate with, and trust each other. Such teams proactively work to build positive | | |relationships by providing opportunities for social interaction, by giving assignments that put | | |staff into contact with individuals they don’t normally interact with, and by providing | | |cross-training opportunities. | | | | | |4. Solve problems and make decisions on a timely basis. A team is effective at identifying and | | |resolving problems, as well as making successful group decisions. In addition, the team involves | | |all members in the problem-solving and decision-making process. | | | | | |5. Successfully manage conflict. An effective team will be skilled in identifying and resolving | | |conflicts in a timely and mutually beneficial fashion. High-performing teams also minimize the | | |occurrence of conflict by implementing communication and conflict resolution training, by | | |incorporating ongoing team-building activities, and by encouraging the active participation of all| | |team members. | | | | | |6. Facilitate productive meetings. An effective, productive, well-managed meetings that | | |efficiently use team members’ time. Every meeting is focused, timely, and necessary, and is used | | |to solve problems, make decisions, disseminate information, and enhance | | |team member skills. | | | | | |7. Clarify roles for team members. All members who know their responsibility and authority, | | |understand the roles that are played by others, and use everyone’s skills and abilities. Team | | |members are also clear about the connection between team goals and their day-to-day activities. | | | | | |8. Operate in a productive manner. An HPWT has the resources and skills needed for success, is | | |able to complete its work in a timely fashion, and utilizes quality and productivity measures to | | |evaluate overall efficiency (how well team processes are operating) and effectiveness (the quality| | |of the team’s products and services). | | | | | |9. Exhibit effective team leadership. Leaders that define team goals and priorities, facilitate | | |collaboration among team members, manage team performance, and generate opportunities for success.| | |Successful team leaders encourage active participation, clarify priorities on a continuous basis, | | |and work to create a supportive team environment. | | | | | |10. Provide development opportunities for team members. Teams that provides ongoing development | | |opportunities for team members in technical, interpersonal, and team-building areas. This includes| | |the application of a variety of developmental interventions such as classroom training, coaching | | |and mentoring, development assignments, feedback-based activities, and self-directed learning. |New teams usually have a clear task focus in the early going, and there is usually a clear | | |understanding of the short term goals. The new team members are also generally technically | | |competent and there usually is a challenge in the project that will draw on their capabilities. | | | | | |Experience has shown that, while the early activities are clearly focused on task and ‘work’ | | |issues, relationship problems do develop as they do in any human system. By the time these | | |interpersonal issues surface the team may be well along in its activities. The issues may become | | |very difficult to work out later . There is a significant payoff if a new team takes a short time | | |at the beginning of its life to examine collaboratively how it is going to work together. There | | |are also the same challenges that are faced by a established team as described below in 1.3. | | | | | |1.3 | | | | | | | | |Lack of Diverse Skills and Interests | | | | | |If a team consists of members with similar skills and interests, the purpose of the team may not | | |be achieved. Consider the scope of the project before selecting team members to determine which | | |skills and interests best serve the team. Choose team members who have a range of different skill | | |sets and interests. | | | | | | | | |Poor Communication | | | | | |When individuals work as part of a team, communication during all phases of the project is a key | | |component. If a team member treats his role as an independent one, communication suffers. If the | | |team leader doesn't communicate with the team members, the project flow suffers. Hold team | | |meetings to discuss the progress of the project. Ask team members about their successes and | | |challenges to gauge the level of communication. | | | | | | | | |Lack of Leadership | | | | | |Teams need leaders to offer a sense of purpose and direction. Lack of effective leadership | | |challenges effective team development. Without a strong leader to guide the team and hold members | | |accountable, the team may lose morale and momentum. Commit yourself to monitoring the team's | | |performance and offering support as needed. If you can't be present during team meetings, appoint | | |a team leader. Introduce the leader and his role to the team to prevent competition for the role | | |from other team members. | | | | | | | | |Role Confusion | | | | | |Even though a team works together to achieve a goal, each person needs to know his specific role | | |within the team. Otherwise, role confusion results. When team members lack an understanding of | | |their specific roles or choose not to follow through with their roles, the team cannot develop as | | |a cohesive and well-functioning unit. As a small business owner, develop specific, well-defined | | |roles for each team member. Explain each role, in detail, to each team member to avoid confusion. | | |Monitor team members to make sure they adhere to their assigned role. | | | | | | | | |Conflict | | | | | |Conflict within a team is inevitable. How team members deal with conflict is critical to team | | |development. Invest time in training for yourself and your employees in conflict resolution | | |skills. With the skills to effectively resolve conflict, your team can work together to stay on | | |track without your constant intervention. | | | | | | | | |Poor Work Environment | | | | | |A team needs a specific place to meet. It needs to be quiet and conducive to effective teamwork. | | |If the team is virtual, the members need to agree on a set of virtual tools -- communication, file| | |sharing, project and task monitoring -- to help the team work together to accomplish goals. Not | | |having a designated place or online management tools as part of team development can hinder | | |progress. | | | | | |1.4 | | | | | |Communicate thoroughly with everyone working on your team. Set objectives and goals, along with | | |rules for communicating and respecting one another. Listen to each member of your team, and try to| | |ensure that each member is doing so. This will keep communication fair and will avoid divisions on| | |the team. Take advantage of downtime so that team members can relax and break the tension and get | | |to know one another better. Having breaks between tasks will help avoid burnout or creative | | |droughts. | | |Treat every member of your team equally, and balance time with each one. Avoid giving special | | |treatment or attention to one person on the team. Show consistency when working with the team by | | |completing all tasks assigned to you. Offer to help if possible to demonstrate teamwork, and | | |encourage others in your group to do the same. | | |Ask team members for advice and opinions, and have open discussions about issues. Open | | |communication will allow your teammates to build trust and help streamline the work. |