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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2014 Apr 13.
Published in final edited form as: Am J Manag Care. 2013 Feb 1;19(2):e64–e70.

Exhibit II.

Characteristics Associated with Work Team Effectiveness1

Characteristic Example From Opening Vignette
Task Features:

  1. Autonomy:*,#

  2. Task interdependence:*,#

  1. Care team given authority to manage patient care without constant oversight from management.

  2. Team aware of collective accountability for work outcomes.
Team Composition:

  1. Team size: Optimal size is task-dependent. Ensuring important contribution from each team member is critical.

  2. Diversity of training and expertise:*,# Generally improves team effectiveness unless impedes communication or development of shared values.

  3. Multiple team affiliations: May reduce commitment to any one team.

  1. PCP ensures that all members contribute meaningfully to team’s clinical goals.

  2. Team includes mixture of generalists and specialists.

  3. Opthalmologist’s affiliation with multiple clinical teams limits commitment to any one team.
Team leadership:* Team leadership quality positively associated with team effectiveness. Team leader (PCP) clarifies objectives, expectations, and individual roles to team members and facilitates improvement through consistent feedback and education.
Team Processes:

  1. Development of core norms of conduct*

  2. Communication:*,# Standardized terminology and communication processes.

  3. High levels of participation in team’s work*,#

  4. Collaborative decision-making and shared mental models:*,#

  1. Team formulates core norms of conduct to help guide team’s actions and decisions.

  2. Weekly team meetings to discuss Mrs. Smith’s care; interim updates communicated via email.

  3. All team members have important, clearly specified team roles.

  4. Email updates from team members facilitate group decision-making.
Organizational Context:

  1. Timely and Consistent Performance feedback:*,$,#

  2. Rewards systems*,$

  3. Access to team training/coaching*,#

  4. Culture:* Organizational emphasis on teamwork and innovation.

  5. Information technology/management systems*,$

  1. Team given monthly performance reports; reports used to identify improvement needs.

  2. Yearly performance bonus for meeting performance benchmarks.

  3. Team coach works with team on weekly basis.

  4. Senior level support for multidisciplinary teamwork.

  5. All practitioners have access to electronic health record (EHR) and secure, HIPPAA-compliant email.

Note: Adapted from Lemieux-Charles and McGuire (2005) and Cohen and Bailey (1997). This table does not include an exhaustive list of variables that may influence team effectiveness.

*

Indicates evidence of an association between this variable and team effectiveness in health care settings.

$

Determinant of outcomes interdependence.

#

Higher levels associated with improved team effectiveness.

1

Citations: (9–11, 13–16, 19, 21, 23, 33, 34, 38, 41, 42, 51–53)