The success of any healthcare team is highly determined by the social interaction among team members (Bates, Sharratt and King 58; Furukawa 93). Team members have to move in the same direction in line with the shared vision, commitment and ethics while interacting with one another in the healthcare sector (Banks 2129). Some team members work closely with the team managers; hence, making the team successful in its endeavors. However, there are other members who derail the attainment of success in the healthcare setting by engaging in activities that do not promote the dynamics of a cohesive team. Thus, the manager should put in place strategies that will help to keep all team members on track and ensure that there is the integration of the difficult members in the established culture of the team.
As a team manager in the healthcare sector, my work is to ensure that all team members adhere to the set precautions. The precautions play a crucial role in improving the service provider as well as enhancing safety in the delivery of healthcare services. In the healthcare setting where I work, nurses have failed to use protective gloves on many occasions. Allegedly, there is one nurse who carries the gloves to her home in order to punish the other team members. This practice puts the caregivers at risk of contracting communicable diseases.
According to Raver (14801), solving such a case requires acknowledgment of the existence of the problem. After the problem was reported for the first time, it was taken lightly. However, after occurring repeatedly, it was considered to be a health risk and negligence. In this step, I involved all the team members and reminded them of the importance of using the gloves and the consequences of not using them. I then cautioned the concerned nurse against her behavior and the risk it had on the patients and other health professionals. In this case, it was important to relate the behavior, results and feelings. I explained to her how the patients feel when their lives are threatened due to selfish behavior. The nurse then realized how she has been putting the lives of many nurses and patients in danger. Other team members were also involved so that they could understand the implications of their negligence. I requested the nurse to change the behavior and follow the safety standard so as to improve the delivery of care services to the patients. We agreed with the group members how the results will be measured to determine their adherence to set standards.
It is important to make members of a team accountable for their actions (Behfar and Brett 12010). According to Ellis and Abbott (352), making difficult team members accountable for their mistakes makes them understand what is likely to happen to the patients if they do not follow the laid down work procedures. In this case, I considered it good for the team member to know how the entire process of correcting the bad behavior will be done to ensure that she was working according to the set standards. I then enquired if she required any assistance or clarification of the expectations from her behavior. Since I saw the possibility of the member not improving soon, I changed their responsibility and created a personal work relationship so that I could closely monitor the actions entire team and rectify them where necessary. Thus, working closely with them enabled the nurses to adopt a work culture that enhanced safety. Also, their social interaction was improved and the nurse stopped carrying the gloves.
Works Cited
Banks, John. “Improving Healthcare Services for Men”. BMJ 3.2 (2009): 2129. Print.
Bates, Jason, Martin Sharratt, and John King. “Successful Outsourcing: Improving Quality of Life Through Integrated Support Services”. Healthcare Management Forum 27.1 (2014): 58-67. Print.
Behfar, Friedman, and Susan Brett. “Managing Co-Occurring Team Challenges: How Simultaneous Process Challenges Influence Team Process”. Academy of Management Proceedings 2013.1 (2013): 12010. Print.
Ellis, Peter, and Jane Abbott. “How to Lead and Manage Difficult Members of The Team”. Journal of Cardiac Nursing 6.7 (2011): 352-354. Print.
Furukawa, Chitose. “Dynamics of a Critical Problem-Solving Project Team and Creativity in a Multiple Project Environment”. Team Performance Management 22.1/2 (2016): 92-110. Print.
Raver, Ehrhart.”Difficult Team Members: Implications for Trust, Conflict, Effectiveness, and Leadership”. Academy of Management Proceedings 2013.1 (2013): 14801. Print.