Transforming Healthcare Management: The Essence of Collective Leadership in Saving Lives
In an operating room, a medical professional might have a moment of concern during a surgery. Traditionally, they might hesitate to speak up due to hospital hierarchies. But a shift is happening in healthcare leadership that would make that hesitation unthinkable. The old deference to hierarchical leadership is being replaced by a new mindset where peers put aside status, roles, and egos to work together like a team of leaders. This collective efforts aim to enhance each other's performances and complete critical tasks. And according to Dr. Laura Dannels, Chief Talent Officer of Wellstar Health System, this transition from hierarchical leadership to peer-to-peer teams can make a significant impact, as research indicates that psychological safety and trust are crucial for better patient care.
I refer to this transformation as "teamship," a concept I explore in my new book, "Never Lead Alone." Teamship is the ultimate competitive edge, driven by two forces: co-elevation behaviors and modern collaboration practices. Co-elevation is a commitment among team members to uplift each other, moving beyond traditional silos to create value through interdependencies and ensuring no one fails. Incorporating new collaborative processes and tools empowers bolder innovations and faster decision-making.
Research shows that teams adopting teamship see impressive results, such as a 79% increase in candor, a 46% increase in collaboration, and a 44% increase in accountability. However, only 15% of teams currently achieve this performance level. The difference between mediocre and extraordinary teams is not more leadership; it's the adoption of teamship.
Making Culture Change a Daily Priority
The transition to teamship is not just a theoretical concept; it's implemented through specific high-return practices that transform abstract cultural goals into concrete daily assignments. These practices include "Stress Testing" exercises, where teams collaborate to discover hidden risks, and "Sprint Reviews," which create peer-to-peer accountability. The common factor in all these practices is courageous candor and inclusivity, encouraging all voices to be heard while mitigating risk, fueling innovation, and accelerating decision-making.
The Healthcare Imperative
Healthcare faces unique challenges that make the shift to teamship especially critical. With enormous staff-to-leadership ratios on the frontlines of healthcare, shared leadership – a model where healthcare professionals at all levels make decisions within their scope of practice and expertise – is essential. This method fosters mutual accountability, where all team members share responsibility for the outcomes of their decisions and actions.
Building Resilient Healthcare Teams
Crucially, teamship addresses one of healthcare's most pressing challenges: burnout. According to Dannels, healthcare leaders and providers have some of the highest burnout rates. The solution lies in what she calls "community," explaining that "our 'energy' is impacted by those who are on our 'teams,' so community is incredibly important for any resilience work."
Breaking Down Silos for Better Care
Healthcare organizations that adopt teamship are seeing another crucial benefit: better integrated care. As Dannels explains, "To provide better healthcare, any given doctor needs broader information in order to make a well-informed diagnosis and provide a solution." This integration of perspectives and information is vital for modern healthcare delivery.
The Path Forward
Embracing teamship in healthcare requires more than just structural changes; it demands new behaviors, practices, and mindsets. But making this shift does not have to be overwhelming. Through simple, targeted practices that any team can adopt, organizations can begin this transition immediately.
As healthcare continues to face unprecedented challenges, the choice becomes clear: adhere to traditional hierarchical models or embrace teamship as the path to better healthcare delivery. The future of healthcare belongs to organizations that never lead alone.
Enrichment Data:
Implementing peer-to-peer teamwork and co-elevation behaviors in healthcare leadership can significantly improve patient outcomes and reduce burnout rates by fostering a collaborative and supportive environment. Here are the key ways this can be achieved:
- Enhanced Communication and Collaboration
- Peer Feedback: Encouraging peer feedback allows nurses to share insights and constructive criticism, enhancing clinical skills and confidence. This approach improves patient care by ensuring that all team members are aware of each other's strengths and weaknesses, leading to more effective teamwork.
- Continuous Improvement Culture
- Shared Responsibility: Peer feedback fosters a culture of continuous improvement, teamwork, and shared responsibility. When nurses feel valued and empowered to contribute, they are more likely to strive for excellence and own their mistakes, leading to better patient outcomes.
- Reduced Burnout
- Supportive Environment: Peer-to-peer support and collaboration can reduce burnout by creating a sense of camaraderie and shared responsibility. When nurses know they can rely on their colleagues for honest and supportive feedback, they feel less isolated and more motivated, which can mitigate burnout.
- Improved Team Performance
- Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration: In healthcare, cross-disciplinary teams involving clinicians, engineers, data scientists, and IT professionals can drive innovation and improve patient outcomes. Leaders must foster collaboration by establishing shared goals, implementing collaboration platforms, and encouraging innovative problem-solving.
- Effective Communication
- Bridging Language Gaps: Leaders must ensure effective communication across diverse expertise by simplifying technical jargon for clinical staff and educating technical team members on clinical workflows. This bridges language and knowledge gaps, enhancing overall team performance and reducing misunderstandings.
- Health Literacy Enhancement
- Patient-Centered Care: Improving health literacy among patients is crucial for effective healthcare decision-making. When patients have a better understanding of health information, they are more satisfied with their care and more likely to adhere to treatment plans, leading to better health outcomes.
- Leadership Techniques
- Transformational Leadership: Inspirational leadership that articulates a compelling vision for the team’s work can motivate nurses to strive for excellence. Inclusive leadership that creates a culture of trust and respect where all team members feel valued and heard can also reduce burnout and improve collaboration.
By implementing these strategies, healthcare organizations can create a supportive and collaborative environment that enhances patient outcomes and reduces burnout rates among healthcare professionals.
In the context of improving team performance in healthcare, Dr. Laura Dannels emphasizes the importance of peer-to-peer accountability, stating that shared responsibility among team members is crucial for better patient care. This shift towards mutual accountability can help reduce the high burnout rates among healthcare leaders and providers, as highlighted by Dannel's concept of "community" as a crucial factor in resilience.
Adopting teamship in healthcare also facilitates better integrated care, as each team member contributes their unique perspective and information, ensuring a well-informed diagnosis and treatment plan. This collaborative approach is crucial in addressing modern healthcare delivery needs.
To achieve these results, healthcare organizations can implement practices such as stress testing exercises and sprint reviews, which foster courageous candor, inclusivity, and accountability among team members. By encouraging open communication and shared responsibility, these practices can help build resilient healthcare teams and reduce burnout.
Additionally, embracing teamship requires new behaviors, practices, and mindsets. While implementing these changes might seem daunting, healthcare organizations can begin the transition by adopting simple, targeted practices that promote collaboration and co-elevation behaviors among their teams.
In conclusion, adhering to traditional hierarchical models in healthcare is no longer sufficient in today's complex and evolving environment. Embracing teamship as the path to better healthcare delivery is not only beneficial for patients but also for healthcare professionals, promoting a collaborative and supportive environment that reduces burnout and improves overall team performance.
