Collaborative and Communication Strategies
You are now in the third week of working on the Practicum Change Project( relationship based care). So far, you have refined your change project and chosen a change theory to organize your approach to the project.
Now, let’s begin work on week 3 of the Practicum Change Project!
This week your instructor has assigned you to seek input on the possible change from stakeholders, attend a multidisciplinary team meeting, and interview a leader from another clinical discipline.
Part I: Observation
Attend a multidisciplinary team meeting. Observe the communication skills used by the team leader and the group process. Consider the following questions as you observe the meeting:
•Who served as the team leader? What leadership style did you observe?
•How well did the team work together?
•Was there group conflict? If so, how was it resolved?
•Were there any outcomes from the group meeting?
•Did you see evidence-based care or decisions during your observation?
•How was nursing involved in the multidisciplinary group?
Part II: Interview
Interview a leader at least one level above your current or immediate past position from another clinical discipline (pharmacy, respiratory, case management, social work, medicine—not nursing). Ask the following questions:
•How would you describe your leadership style?
•What communication skills do you use?
•What conflicts have you had to manage in the last 3 months?
•What techniques and strategies do you use to work together to promote multidisciplinary teamwork?
Part III: Discussion
•Identify ways in which you collaborated with other professionals regarding your activities.
•Think about the stakeholders impacted by the change. How can the change theory you have chosen influence the success of a change project?
•How can the multidisciplinary team of leaders impact the change project?
•What is the best way to communicate the change within the agency?
Support your response with references from the professional nursing literature.
Readings
•Course Text: Effective Leadership and Management in Nursing (8th ed.)
◦Chapter 8, “Thinking Critically, Making Decisions, Solving Problems”
In Chapter 8, the authors look at the various stages of critical thinking and the creative process and how they should be used in problem solving. They also examine how to analyze a problem to determine which strategies should be employed and how to problem-solve in groups.
◦Chapter 9, “Communicating Effectively”
In Chapter 9, the authors look at the various communication techniques leaders use to get their points across to a wide range of audiences. The chapter helps explain some of the complexities leaders face when trying to communicate a similar message to colleagues at, above, and below their professional level, as well as to people of different cultural backgrounds.
◦Chapter 11, “Building and Managing Teams”
This chapter examines nursing leadership when working with teams. It reviews several common challenges teams face and how leaders can encourage cooperation in order for the team to be successful. This chapter provides leadership strategies for forming an effective team, managing meetings, planning tasks, and completing these tasks.
◦Chapter 12, “Handling Conflict”
Chapter 12 begins with an observation that not all conflict is negative—rather, if handled properly, conflict can lead to an interchange of ideas that can produce positive and unexpected results. The chapter also provides a self-examination that asks you to look at personal obstacles that hinder positive conflict. Conflict management rules and strategies are also addressed in this chapter.
•Losa Iglesias, M., & Becerro De Bengoa Vallejo, R. (2012). Conflict resolution styles in the nursing profession. Contemporary Nurse: A Journal For The Australian Nursing Profession, 43(1), 73-80
•Report: Institute of Medicine Shaping the Future for Health (2000). Crossing the quality chasm: A new health system for the 21st century. Retrieved from https://www.iom.edu/~/media/Files/Report%20Files/2001/Crossing-the-Quality-Chasm/Quality%20Chasm%202001%20%20report%20brief.ashx