Why Teams???

The majority of processes and systems in organizations cross boundaries of disciplines and departments. Even simple tasks often depend on the actions of other people, availability of resources, space, and issues of time. Changing and improving functions and processes requires the input of all involved. JCAHO (and the educated consumer) will assess, up front, whether you are "complying to survive" or taking action to improve what you are doing.

INVOLVEMENT = COMMITMENT!

When workers are involved in idea generation, problem solving and planning, they become more committed to assuring the success of the change. Team participation gives employees a sense of belonging, more control and ownership of their work. This results in increased efficiency, higher quality, and improved morale.

It has been shown that teams outperform individuals when:

The task is complex
Creativity is needed
More efficient use of resources is required
Fast learning is necessary
The implementation of a plan requires the cooperation of others
The task or process is cross functional

We must rely more on increased participation from those involved in the work as it is discovered that more traditional methods of problem solving, decision making, communication, and implementation are not fast or flexible enough to respond to the challenges of the times.

How Can StarLife Services and Resources Help?

The effectiveness of team organization and team work involves people issues and process issues and is based on many things including:

Building an environment that supports team and community.
Selection and training of team members and team leaders
Learning the skills involved in team development
Identifying and addressing obstacles to team work
Using agreed upon strategies for decision making and problem solving
The people within your organization will need the strategies and training for successful, effective empowered work teams.

Services include:

Assessment or your organization for current level of staff empowerment
Establishing an organizational structure to build community
Management, team leader, and team member training in team development, including process issues and people issues
Person centered care training
Leadership skills training
Developing an organizational Quality Improvement program.