Running head: CITY CENTER HOSPITAL CASE STUDY: TEAM BONDING AND RELATIONSHIP DEVELOPMENT

Running head: CITY CENTER HOSPITAL CASE STUDY: TEAM BONDING AND RELATIONSHIP DEVELOPMENT

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CITY CENTER HOSPITAL CASE STUDY: TEAM BONDING AND RELATIONSHIP DEVELOPMENT

City Center Hospital Case Study: Team Bonding And Relationship Development
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Introduction

Interprofessional hostility is increasingly becoming a persistent problem at CCH (City Center Hospital). Over time, CCH has confronted infighting between nurses and physicians or between the managers and subordinates, hindering collaboration. As a result, managers at CCH must implement team bonding and relationship development activities to eliminate the discord between the team members and the leaders.

Intervention: Team Bonding and Relationship Development Activities

Team bonding and relationship development activities are at the core of addressing the infighting and aggression among employees at the facility. One critical solution for CCH is the quarterly retreats to allow interprofessional team members to socialize and build friendships (Zovio Inc., 2020a). During the retreats (sabbaticals), interprofessional teams and their leaders should share fun moments, such as hiking, swimming, and playing together (Patel, O’Brien, Dulay, Earnest, & Shunk, 2018). Such actions will remedy the infighting and improve the team members’ emotional wellness. Strategically, the leaders should also use the retreats as opportunities to develop awareness among the team on the importance of collaboration and to work synergistically toward organizational needs.

The proposed retreats should happen during the weekends. In addition, the hospital leaders should choose venues that will provide fun and relaxation experiences to the team, promoting happiness and social satisfaction, as Regan, Laschinger, and Wong (2016) recommend. For example, serene beaches, game parks, marine parks, and retreats in forests provide the right environment for the team to have fun and enjoy themselves. Such places also eliminate the work monotony and improve work-life balance, allowing the team to socialize and build networks.

Effective retreats should take about 8- 12 hours on Saturdays or Sundays, the most ideal and convenient days to have fun. Because it is impractical for all team members to go for retreats simultaneously, the managers should develop an effective schedule that allows 2-3 groups of 6-8 members to go for a retreat at a time (Patel et al., 2018). Strategically, the leaders should ensure that the interprofessional clinical teams going for a retreat have diverse people based on their specializations. For example, these teams should have physicians, nurses, and pharmacists (Zovio Inc., 2020b). In addition, each team should have a lead member (facilitator) that guides the team during the breakout retreats. Lead members are vital because they give the team direction (Patel et al., 2018). Therefore, a lead team member is crucial for successful sabbaticals.

Additionally, the hospital should finance all costs, including social lunches and fun activities during the sabbaticals. Besides having fun, the retreats should have interactive team-building exercises to build social cohesion among the team members (Regan et al., 2016). Importantly, a lead member should guide other members in interactive bonding sessions. During these sessions, members should know each other, share their views, and learn about each other’s interests (Sillero Sillero & Buil, 2021). In addition, interprofessional team members can exchange contacts and form informal groups to grow together professionally (Folkman, Tveit, & Sverdrup, 2019). As a result, such a group will allow team members to learn from each other, leading to professional growth.

Bonding and retreats are vital events that create strong bonds. For instance, effective bonding exercises through retreats will support relationship development and cultivate trust among the team members (Zovio Inc., 2020a). In addition, retreats offer learning opportunities for the members to develop socialization and communication skills (Patel et al., 2018). As a result, this will enhance proper communication and productive functioning in the team. For example, effective communication is a major contributor to infighting at CCH. Hence, effective communication skills among the team members will prevent infighting.

Conclusion

Team bonding and relationship development using treatment sessions address infighting, improve trust, and enhance staff morale. In addition, CCH should leverage interprofessional team bonding and related activities like retreats. Retreats break work monotony and allow interprofessional team members to interact. In addition, the teams can also socialize and develop communication and social skills. Ultimately, the retreats will provide avenues for knowledge sharing and communication improvement across the teams.

References

Folkman, A. K., Tveit, B., & Sverdrup, S. (2019). Leadership in interprofessional collaboration in health care. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare, 12, 97. https://doi.org/10.2147/JMDH.S189199

Patel, S., O’Brien, B. C., Dulay, M., Earnest, G., & Shunk, R. L. (2018). Team retreats for interprofessional trainees and clinic staff: accelerating the development of high-functioning teams. MedEdPORTAL, 14, 10786. https://doi.org/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.10786

Regan, S., Laschinger, H. K., & Wong, C. A. (2016). The influence of empowerment, authentic leadership, and professional practice environments on nurses’ perceived interprofessional collaboration. Journal of nursing management, 24(1), E54-E61. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.12288

Sillero Sillero, A., & Buil, N. (2021). Enhancing Interprofessional Collaboration in Perioperative Setting from the Qualitative Perspectives of Physicians and Nurses. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(20), 10775. https://doi.org/10.3390/ ijerph182010775

Zovio Inc. (2020a). Action Research: The Checking Phase

Zovio Inc. (2020b). Action Research: The Doing Phase