Teamwork is considered a major force that influences the interrelationships between individuals of the same group. Teamwork strongly controls how members of a group react and perform hence team dynamics are very important and at the same time vastly complex. It should be understood that team dynamics may exert a positive as well as a negative effect on the performance of a group. In a positive stance, team dynamics may generate bonded discussion with the members of the group. In addition, each member of a team that is positively influenced by teamwork feels that he belongs to the team and thus enjoys his presence and interaction in the team. More importantly, a team that carries a positive dynamical situation shows a greater level of motivation, as well as commitment to stick with the group, no matter what unfolds in the future. On the other hand, a team that is influenced by negative team dynamics has members who generally feel that they have been excluded from the majority of the members of the group. A negatively influenced team also has a less chance of having at least two individuals being included in every decision-making process, hence this group is usually observed to have subgroups or factions. A team that has negative interactions between its members also shows that the flow of information across the team is not complete, wherein only a few members are knowledgeable of the details and even the simple facts of issues that are related to the team. Such condition often results in miscommunications and as time goes by, misunderstandings ensue and oftentimes, the performance of the members of the team tends to be unsatisfactory.
Team dynamics involves the establishment of friendships or bonds between members of a group. Aside from the oral communications that occur between individuals of a team, there are also other forms of communication that influence the performance of a team. Nonverbal communication refers to the communication process that is associated with the transfer and receipt of messages that are not connected to the employment of words. The messages conferred by one individual to another are often associated with body language, as well as movements, posture, dressing or clothing, facial expressions, and even hairstyles. Nonverbal communication is thus strongly prejudiced by visual messages which serve as symbols of specific meanings to the listener. Other forms of paralanguage of nonverbal communication include the features of the voice of the speaker as well as the style of speaking. It should be noted that any characteristics related to tension as well as the rhythm of voice of the speaker’s voice may also influence a listener as to the manner of understanding the message that has been received.
In specific workplaces such as the critical care unit, nonverbal communications serve an important role in the interrelations among the members of the team. It is well known that the employees at a workplace such as the critical care unit need to work together and cooperate in order to achieve the status of a proactive and competent team (Hynes et al., 2008). Team dynamics, in the form of cooperation and harmony, are thus closely related to the trust and confidence of each team member to himself and to his co-workers, and these factors are often swayed by both verbal and nonverbal communications among individuals in the workplace. It should be noted that even if the right phrases and words were expressed by an individual, the actual message of the spoken words and sentences are often modified by the accompanying nonverbal signals that the listener sees in the speaker. These nonverbal signs may or may not be consciously being expressed yet it is a fact that these nonverbal signs often change the message that is sent out to the listener.
Leadership is strongly associated with taking risks by following one’s personal conviction, amidst conventional concepts and tough opposition. It is often misconceived as a form of charisma or the equivalent of management, yet these two factors play a role in the practice of leadership. Management pertains to handling complex organizations and making certain that particular things are working smoothly, that daily obstacle are resolved, and that the organization’s functions remain stable and uninterrupted. Leadership, on the other hand, is associated with having a goal and inspiring individuals to reach that particular goal. It is related to modifications of different factors, including internal and external forces, as well as the incorporation of new techniques in order to achieve such a goal. In the case of the critical care unit, the physician leads the critical care team in taking care of the patient (Wright et al., 2007).
Ethical leadership is important in the critical care unit because change is not beneficial at all if this specific profession or medical specialization is affected. Ethical leadership is challenging because it entails the incorporation of changes in the organization or profession for improvement of the patient as well as the delivery of healthcare to the patient, yet the leader should be aware that it also requires the preservation of the personal health and well-being of all members of the critical care unit concerned. Hence, ethics is important in the critical care unit because it is critical that leaders help their team members in the medical team in coping with any of the changes that will be introduced, as well as assisting them to envision that such changes will lead all of them towards their vision or goal (Kemp, 2007).
A competent ethical leader in the critical care unit should show concern regarding the practices, communities, professional associations, and the public policies that are related to their unit (Proenca, 2007). In addition, the visions and goals that an ethical leader possesses should because always be at the systems level and this is not the same as how medical fields are run, which are actually at the physician-patient level. Such a new concept of leadership, also known as the balcony perspective, is currently being introduced and tested in the medical field.
It has been documented that physicians generally are asked to take leadership positions accidentally. It seems that particular medical professionals are entrusted with positions that require another set of total commitment in guiding their team members to a certain goal in their profession. Research surveys have indicated that physicians accept leadership roles that are bestowed upon them because they have taken an oath that as physicians, their primary concern is patient care, yet it is also their social duty to express their ideas and emotions with regards to health issues. Such a task thus positions them in a leadership stance which both addresses health problems but also identifies factors that affect health (Wolfe, 2008). It has been expressed that acting as a physician is expected to start not after medical training but is actually highlighted as soon as they enter medical school.
Personal leadership in healthcare management has transformed from the old modes of leadership to the current versatile, flexible and collaborative version of patient care delivery. It guides the physicians to put their attention on the clinical, as well as research, teaching, and administrative issues that are related to medical fields. In addition, the critical care team leader must be able to balance his talents in theory, skills, and practice with self-reflection and ethics. The leader should be capable of engaging with the rest of his colleagues and not only identify the goal, but also support their efforts and acknowledge their achievements in their field of specialization.
One of the major responsibilities of a nurse is to provide support to a patient (Rochlin, 2007). It is thus a nurse’s duty to perform any task that will result in the augmentation of the healthcare of patients. It is unfortunate, however, that this nursing responsibility may not always be in accordance with the priorities of the healthcare facility or the physician in charge of a particular patient. Each field of medical specialization carries its own list of priorities and these may vary hence the nurse’s responsibilities may sometimes be in harmony with that of the other professionals’ goals and sometimes may not be in conformity. The disparities between the priorities of different healthcare professionals often result in ethical conflicts and personality clashes and this, in turn, affects the cost-effectiveness and quality that is delivered to the patient (guard-Wiebe, 2008). It should be understood that the occurrence of two different ideals instead of two similar ideals is random in the healthcare setting and this is also the case with other professional fields. The extreme cases of politics and conflict often end up with having to choose only one priority that will be supported and these may be the nurse’s job, care of the patient, and his personal goals. It is therefore very unfortunate to have politics in the nursing profession because there will always be a component that will suffer the consequences. Either the nurse will choose upholding his personal goals over maintaining his job or the nurse prioritizes the care of the patient over his personal goals. It is also essential that the concept of human nature be considered in such professional conflict in order to better understand the intricacies of conflict and provide clues for its resolution.
In creating a moral vision, a critical care team leader must be capable of meeting the needs of his team members, as well as recognize each member’s diverse role in the field of critical care. He must be able to acknowledge the relevance of the members of the organization or department, as well as accept any potential leaders in the group. The critical care team leader must also recognize that there are always certain underrepresented groups or members in his department and thus any barriers should be collapsed in order to have a collaborative group that functions at its maximum potential. It is also important to provide information to his team members that there are ample opportunities for them to develop, improve and enhance their skills and that there is always room for them to get involved and be active for the improvement of their unit.
References
- Hagyard-Wiebe T (2008): Should critical care nurses be ACLS-trained? Dynamics. 18(4):28-31
- Hynes P, Conlon P, O’Neill J, Lapinsky S (2008): Partners in critical care. Dynamics. 19(1):12-7.
- Kemp KA (2007): The use of interdisciplinary medical teams to improve quality and access to care. J.Interprof.Care. 21(5):557-9.
- Proenca EJ (2007): Team dynamics and team empowerment in health care organizations. Health Care Manage. Rev. 32(4):370-8.
- Rochlin I (2007): Once a nurse, always a nurse: Irma Rochlin: nurse, legislator, maverick. Interview by Sybil Shalo. Am. J. Nurs. 107(10):86-7.
- Wolfe B (2008): Implementing an ICU outreach team model. Dynamics. 19(1):24-9.
- Wright B, Lockyer J, Fidler H, Hofmeister M (2007): Roles and responsibilities of family physicians on geriatric health care teams: Health care team members’ perspectives. Can Fam Physician. 53(11):1954-5.