Teamwork is critical to success in the healthcare industry. By working in concert with others, professionals can amplify the impact of their own work and deliver better results for the company they serve.
However, not all teams are created equal. There are many considerations to take into account when trying to build and nurture the ideal team. Here are four key elements that make high-performing teams so effective and some tips you can use to replicate their success within your own organization.
4 Secrets Behind Exceptional Teams
1. Communication
All teamwork begins with good communication. Team members who can be candid with one another and discuss sensitive issues without fear of censure will always have an advantage over those who cannot. Frank’s discussions about professional challenges often lead to unconventional but extremely effective solutions.
You can foster open communication by including team-building exercises as part of your company’s onboarding training for new employees. The goal should be to get all of your team members comfortable with each other before the real work begins. They can then use this shared rapport to exchange ideas and develop new strategies in the future.
2. Diversity
Members of a great team must be able to balance each other’s strengths and weaknesses. The best way to ensure that this happens is to include people with different abilities and points of view. The more diverse your team is, the more likely it is that they will have someone with the skills and mindset needed to tackle any task you set in front of them.
To create these balanced teams, assess your staff’s competencies and look for areas where they excel. Ensure that each team has a mix of skills available within their ranks. If possible, aim for social diversity as well. A team with people of different genders, races, sexual orientations, personalities, and other social characteristics is better equipped to discover new insights through collaboration than a homogenous group would be.
3. Shared Goals
Teams cannot work together unless they are united by a shared vision. Everyone on the team must understand what they are striving for and how the group plans to accomplish those tasks. They can use this shared understanding to develop a plan of action that everyone can contribute to.
Give your teams a basic set of expectations to work with, but let them set their own specific goals according to internal consensus. This increases engagement within the team and allows the group to approach challenges in whichever way they feel is most effective.
4. Continuous Learning
There is always something new to learn in the healthcare industry, especially in the context of team efforts. The best team members readily acknowledge that there are many gaps in their professional experience and actively look for opportunities to bridge those gaps.
Fostering an appetite for learning in your staff will encourage them to become more well-rounded and improve their ability to contribute to their team’s efforts. Be sure to make plenty of training courses available to interested workers, including specialized courses like managed care training programs. You should also offer your teams plenty of feedback on their performance so they can learn from past mistakes and adapt their strategies to compensate.
Unlock Your Teams’ Potential Today
Forming a great team starts with quality training programs. The Brooks Group’s many healthcare account management training courses are perfect for giving your staff the foundational skills they need to contribute to group efforts. Contact us today for more details on any of our training courses or to commission a custom course using our instructional design consulting services.