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Ten principles of good interdisciplinary team work
Susan A Nancarrow1, Andrew Booth, Steven Ariss
1Southern Cross University, Military Road, East Lismore, 2480, Australia. susan.nancarrow@scu.edu.au.
Human Resources for Health
|May 14, 2013
Summary
Effective interdisciplinary team work requires ten key characteristics, including strong leadership, clear communication, and mutual role understanding. This framework outlines essential competencies for high-performing healthcare teams.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Team Dynamics
- Organizational Psychology
Background:
- Interdisciplinary team work is increasingly common in healthcare settings.
- Policies encourage collaboration and challenge traditional professional roles.
- Previous research focused on team processes and outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify attributes of effective interdisciplinary teams.
- To develop a framework for high-performing teams.
- To propose competency statements for interdisciplinary teams.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of interdisciplinary team work literature.
- Qualitative content analysis of perceptions from 253 UK healthcare staff.
- Merged data from literature and staff perceptions.
Main Results:
- Identified ten characteristics of effective interdisciplinary teams.
- Key characteristics include leadership, communication, resources, skill mix, team climate, individual attributes, vision clarity, and role understanding.
- Developed a framework for interdisciplinary team competencies.
Conclusions:
- Effective interdisciplinary teams demonstrate specific competencies.
- Proposed competency statements guide the development of high-functioning teams.
- Findings support the enhancement of team collaboration in healthcare.
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