How can you develop collaboration and teamwork skills for healthcare professionals?

1 Assess your own strengths and weaknesses

One of the first steps to develop collaboration and teamwork skills is to identify your own strengths and weaknesses as a team member. You can use self-assessment tools, such as the Belbin Team Roles Inventory or the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, to understand your preferred style of working, communicating, and problem-solving. You can also ask for feedback from your colleagues, supervisors, or mentors, to learn how they perceive your performance and behavior. By being aware of your own strengths and weaknesses, you can leverage your assets and address your gaps, as well as appreciate the diversity of others.

2 Communicate effectively and respectfully

Effective and respectful communication is essential for successful collaboration and teamwork, as it helps to build trust and clarity between team members. To ensure effective communication, you should listen actively and empathetically, without interruption or judgement. Additionally, use clear and accurate language, avoiding jargon and slang. It is important to adapt your communication style and method to suit the audience and the situation. Open-ended questions, paraphrasing, and summarizing can help to check for understanding and avoid assumptions. Furthermore, constructive feedback should be given using the sandwich method (positive-negative-positive), while appreciation and recognition should be expressed for others' contributions and achievements.

3 Resolve conflicts constructively

Conflicts are unavoidable in any team, particularly in healthcare settings where stress, pressure, and emotions are high. However, conflicts can be advantageous for learning, innovation, and improvement if managed constructively. To resolve conflicts constructively, identify the root cause and the impact of the conflict, rather than the symptoms or personalities. Focus on the common goal and shared interests, not the positions or differences. Utilize a collaborative approach such as the interest-based relational (IBR) method to find a win-win solution. Show respect for others' opinions and feelings even if you disagree with them. Abstain from blaming, accusing, or attacking others and use "I" statements instead of "you" statements. If needed, seek help from a mediator or facilitator.

5 Evaluate and improve team performance

Finally, to develop collaboration and teamwork skills, you should regularly evaluate and improve your team performance based on feedback, data, and outcomes. This can be done by setting SMART goals and objectives, using tools such as the Team Performance Assessment or the TeamSTEPPS model to measure and analyze team processes, celebrating and rewarding achievements, identifying challenges and gaps, implementing action plans for improvement, and applying external benchmarks and standards.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?