Team-based work redesign: the role of the manager when you are not on the team

From visioning through implementation, there is consensus and agreement that redesigning work is best accomplished by unleashing the potential of employees through team-based efforts. The reality of changing the work at the bedside means asking the nurses and other staff at the point of service to participate in shaping the future work. But what about the role of the manager when asked to implement the changes yet not asked to serve on the team? What role do managers play when the changes all have been designed, and they are asked to lead the charge of implementation? This article takes a look at the lessons learned from a multihospital, integrated, not-for-profit health care organization that has completed a 3-year, system-wide redesign effort that was team based. The organization used the methodology of large group intervention to include thousands of people in the redesign. The wide-sweeping process changes in all areas of the organization affected managers in every discipline.