1.1 Describe theories of team development.
Just like many other care organization, Westerfield Care home does organize work around teams. To make this possible, Tuckmanâs, model of team development is usually used. According to the Tuckmanâs model, team usually go through several stages before it become successful. The first stage is forming. This is the stage in which members of the team are brought together. At this stage, members are positive about the team work but are also anxious due to the uncertain environment in which they are surrounded by new people (Egolf, 2022).
The second stage is storming stage. At this stage, the initial excitement fades and the reality and weight of completing the project or tasks start to settle in. It also at this stage that some conflict starts to arise. Mostly the conflict is about team leadership or how to complete a particular project or tasks (Egolf, 2022). This stage is critical in Westerfield care home, as it largely determine the success of the team. The manager usually intervenes to ensure that team navigate through this process successfully otherwise the conflict threaten the survival of the team.
The third stage is norming. This is the stage in which disagreement and conflict are over and the team find a way of working together. At this stage, the harmony and team cohesiveness improved significantly. The fourth stage is forming in which the team start working on the attainment of the common goals. At this stage, each member feels confident and motivate to work on the common goal (Egolf, 2022). The final stage is the adjourning. This occurs after the team has achieved in common goal. In the case of Westerfield care home, it is at this stage that the team is disbanded and members goes back to their respective role within the care home
1.2 Suggest strategies to overcome common team work challenges
Team work is not without its own challenges. A lot of challenges do arise when two or more people are working together as team. These challenges range from conflicts, to internal competition, miscommunication, non-participation by some members among others. There are several strategies to overcome these challenges which include:
Clear roles and responsibilities definition
To enhance team work, each member need to understand their roles and responsibilities clearly. The members must know what is expected from them in a accomplishing the teams goals and objectives. Accordingly, clear definition of roles and responsibilities help to dealing with conflict in the group. Each member understands and appreciates the contribution of their colleagues which leads to cohesion and strong team spirit. Again, this approach ensures equitable distribution of high profile tasks rather than settling them on a particular individual from time to time. Individuals also learn to value and respect each otherâs contributions to the common objective. Hence, this strategy can help to resolve conflict, mistrust, and internal competition in care organizations such as Westerfield Care Home.
Inclusivity
Teams bring people from diverse backgrounds, levels, and profession together. For instance, a team at Westerfield Care Home can consist of nurses, physicians, managers, and executives. In such a group, a sense of exclusion can arise which will make it hard for the team to operate and realize the set objectives. The best way to deal with such problem is through enhanced inclusion. According to Chung et al. (2020), inclusion has two aspects belongingness and uniqueness. Every member want feel as part of the team and involved in its process and decisions. This aspect calls for recognition of their uniqueness and differences. If the members do not feel as insiders, they will likely withdraw their contributions which can result in a conflict and rebellion. Such an experience can hinder the realization of the teamâs objectives. Thus, inclusivity is a crucial aspect for ensuring cooperation and collaboration within the healthcare organizational teams.
Enhanced communication
Communication is epic in overcoming teamwork challenges in any organization. With effective communication team members can cooperate and collaborate with each other which harness the team spirit. Accordingly, communication enhance understanding in the group. Members can see the role of each other in performing the task ahead and accomplishing the teamâs goals (Zajac et al., 2021). Good communication also strengthen loyalty and sense of purpose (Breuer et al., 2020). This way, it creates a positive environment and eliminate mistrust among the members. Effective communication also resolves the misunderstanding and conflict in the team. Hence, enhancing communication in the Westerfield Care Home can be an effective strategy for overcoming the team work challenges in the organization.
Collaboration
The role of a team is to bring different expertise and skills together to solve a particular problem or accomplish a shared goal. It involves both shared and individualized tasks. For health care organisations such as Westerfield Care Home, teams and teamwork is crucial. These organizations cannot achieve their objectives and goals without effective workplace teams. In this essence, collaboration is critical in harnessing teamwork. Scoular et al. (2020) defines collaboration as the ability of a member to contribute in a team effectively. It involves building of shared understanding, contribution, and regulation to ensure each member has a sense of purpose and belongingness (Hu et al., 2022). With collaboration, team members can communicate with each other, participate in the team, negotiate and share roles and responsibilities, and recognize the contribution of others. A collaborative team also ensures the retention of shared understanding, efficient resolving of differences, and understanding and adaption to other membersâ behaviour and contribution (Scoular et al., 2020). This way, the team has low internal competition, conflicts, and misunderstanding which harness it effectiveness and performance.
1.3 Evaluate the impact of leadership styles on a team