Care Team Cohesion
Based on my professional experience, working as both a medication administration technician (MAT) and pharmacy technician entails a variety of responsibilities that require collaboration with various healthcare teams. For example, being employed as a medication administration technician required a high degree of reliance on others to complete tasks. The core of the job entailed providing care for highly susceptible patients and their families, necessitating seamless cooperation with other healthcare professionals to ensure precise and timely administration of medications or medical procedures. Therefore, in this role, it was customary for me to synchronize my shift schedule with my colleague on the same floor to exchange patient information that would enable us to deliver optimal and secure care to our senior patients. This approach fostered a highly efficient and productive work atmosphere. Additionally, my time as a pharmacy technician was marked by positive interactions and a collaborative atmosphere among team members. A strong sense of respect and cooperation consistently facilitated our pharmaceutical team's ability to rely on each other. Together, we successfully achieved numerous team objectives, and the work atmosphere ultimately contributed to my job satisfaction.
Likewise, at the Good Samaritan Society working as a medicine administration technician promoted a sense of shared dedication among colleagues through the establishment of a strong interdependence on common objectives. Due to our shared objective of establishing a space that promotes enhanced welfare, our team adopted a cohesive strategy, resulting in increased cooperation in problem-solving and communication (Colquitt et al., 2021). Furthermore, the work environment was characterized by strong goal interdependence. This resulted in a stable atmosphere in which our team felt secure and remained committed in our roles.
Organizational behavior and social processes 1/2
Social processes are pivotal in unlocking a fully understanding of how organizations operate. Additionally, the influence of social processes extends beyond communication, but also into teamwork, collaboration, conflict resolution and other power dynamics (Scandura, 2021). They are of the utmost importance because developing strong interpersonal relationships and cohesive teams hinges on successfully implemented social processes. One of the most basic and essential ways social processes help organizations is by offering the means for enhanced communication. Organizations with social processes in place for feedback will help create an environment where collaborative ideas and information can be exchanged (Colquitt et al., 2021). This will create opportunities for organizations to gauge if teams are on the same page and help prevent miscommunication or misunderstanding of important projects. Furthermore, social processes will help an organization mold organizational culture by offering ways for the company to reinforce the mission and values (Colquitt et al., 2021). Social interactions will pave the way for the company to give all team members a sense of purpose with a shared vision. However, organizations must keep in mind that the Hawthorne effect may be a factor that influences these processes. Team members need to feel that leadership appreciates them and that they will receive attention for the hard work they put in when striving to meet the organization’s goals. Leadership who pays attention to their team will create an environment where more members respond positively and perform better. Thus, organizational behavior will be positively impacted. Furthermore, leaders can leverage social processes to better work performance in other ways as well. By implementing a theory y model leadership can help transform the work environment by “...[allowing] discretion and participation and [encourage] creativity on the job” (Scandura, 2021, p.13). In return, team members will feel empowered to make autonomous decisions that enable more open communication as well as increase intrinsic motivation. This type of approach will create a cohesive collaborative work environment that increases team member’s well-being and makes the organization more effective.
In examining social processes one of the first things leaders should consider is the intricate and complex influence of personality and emotion. Personality is believed to be “...relatively stable over the life course” (Scandura, 2021, p.31). Leaders must be able to recognize differences in personalities because “...it is linked to organizational behavior” (Scandura, 2021, p.31). Additionally, personality directly correlates with team work habits and how members will interact with one another (Scandura, 2021). Key factors that could directly affect these social processes could range from self-development to major life events. For example, if an employee is recently married they may return to work with supportive congratulatory team members which would help create an emotionally positive workplace culture. Leadership should keep in mind that having a diverse team means that “...everyone has something to offer and it takes all types of people for teams and organizations to be effective” (Scandura, 2021, p.34). In addition, leaders must be on the lookout for high-mach behavior that could sabotage the positive organizational culture and lead to bullying (Scandura, 2021). Therefore, leaders who are versed in the Big Five theory on personality will be well equipped to lead a diverse team successfully. This is because leaders can utilize the Big Five inventories to help predict performance (Scandura, 2021).
Furthermore, once personality is taken into account leaders must learn to navigate the range of attitudes and perceptions held by organization team members. Social processes such as collaboration or workplace culture will directly be affected by the team’s attitudes and perceptions. Some team members may be self-monitoring, but this may not be a good thing if it results in time clock fraud (Scandura, 2021). Additionally, team members with a negative cognitive belief may be more likely to engage in an intentional behavior such as surfing the web while working which may reinforce affective feelings such as discontentment. Thus, leaders must maintain awareness of the attitudes of those they help lead. Some ways in which leaders can best improve attitude and perception amongst team members is by maintaining a fair and equitable work environment, promoting social networks, offering individualized benefits, and setting achievable goals (Scandura, 2021). These social processes, like offering organizational support prior to the beginning of employment, if implemented correctly can create an immediate foundation for organizational success.
References
Colquitt, J., LePine, J. A., & Wesson, M. J. (2021). Organizational Behavior: Improving Performance and Commitment in the Workplace.
McGraw-Hill Education.
Scandura, T. (2021). Essentials of organizational behavior: An evidence-based approach (3rd ed.). SAGE
Motives of Human Behavior Affecting Team Performance
When thinking of team performance one should also consider the science of personality which is based in socioanalytic theory. Hogan’s taxonomy of needs generalizes three innate biological needs of people as: Acceptance and Approval, Status, Power, and Control of Resources , and lastly, Predictably and Order (Latham, 2012).
These generalizations correspond with three motives of human behavior, respectively: Getting Along, Getting Ahead and Finding Meaning (Hogan, 2014).
The need for acceptance and approval corresponds with the motive of getting along. The need for status, power, and control of resources corresponds with the motive of getting ahead. Finally, the need for predictability and order corresponds with the motive of finding meaning. All in all, how strongly each of these needs and motives present themselves in individuals differently. Leaders should consider each of these when improving team performance.
Therefore, an effective leader is one who is able to know the team as well as themselves in order to reach the common goal. The end result will be higher team performance.
References
Hogan, R. (2011). The ambiguities of effectiveness. Hogan Assessment Systems. Retrieved from https://learn.ou.edu/content/enforced/2248875-36920.201610/AmbiguitiesOfEffectiveness_HoganSIOP07.pdf
Latham, G. (2012). Work Motivation: History, Theory, Research, and Practice. Foundations For Organizational Science
Organizational behavior and social processes 2/2
Naturally, leadership is a position that requires one to possess the ability to influence others. This makes power a key component of the leadership process. In order for leaders to get teams to cohesively collaborate on what needs to be done and agree on how to do it there must be clear directions on achieving organizational goals (Scandura, 2021). Leaders should strive to maintain legitimate power rather than that which is coercive or purely rewards-based. Social processes leaders can implement to help maintain power include strategies such as proactive influence tactics. Culturally, preferences on which influence strategies to use will vary; however, the objective is the same: to achieve commitment from team members, rather than compliance or, worse, resistance. Leaders who are viewed as experts can use rational persuasion with the most success. On the other hand, followers or team members may use apprising; an influence strategy meant to convince the other person that compliance will lead to career advancement. Most importantly, however, is that leaders should keep in mind the three “lines” of power. Leaders who offer things the team needs (“lines of supply”), and are in the loop on what dilemmas could affect the group goals (“lines of information”), and have support for innovation (“lines of support”) will ultimately have social processes in place to maintain and improve their structural power within the organization (Scandura, 2021, p.160).
Ultimately, leadership must understand ways in which social processes can be implemented to help motivate and retain employees. One researched method of evaluating motivation of teams is for leaders to take note of the McLelland’s need theory. McLelland suggested that three core aspects must be considered in regards to motivation. They are: “the drive to succeed at high levels (nAch), the need to influence others to do what you want (nPow), and the need for close personal relationships (nAff)” (Scandura, 2021, p.180). The other theory which may provide insight into employee motivation is known as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Maslow’s theory understands the different reasons people may be motivated. Each of these offers clear insight into why team members may be motivated one way or another. However, leaders who can use these insights to integrate social processes that will comprehensively address the various interpersonal dynamics that are seen in communication, recognition or professional growth will benefit the most in successfully motivating employees.
In addition, leaders must utilize the social processes that will help benefit them in leading teams. Leaders should implement team building exercises because ultimately “...trust among team members is…more important than trust in the team leader…” (Scandura, 2021, p.238). Specifically, leaders could improve team leadership by having regular meetings, and checking in with each member on progress towards projects. In doing so, leaders will create the opportunity for each person to have their thoughts and concerns heard and this will bolster effective communication. Furthermore, leaders should utilize performance reviews to help lead teams with constructive feedback. These social processes will help create guidance, hear concerns, and measure progress towards goals.
Moreover, leaders should implement clear social processes that streamline communication and direct organizational culture that creates citizenship behavior (Colquitt et al., 2021). Leadership must implement clear, intentional social processes that will allow the organization to thrive. By creating channels and schedules to have clear communication, information can be shared regularly and improvements can be made as needed. Furthermore, team building exercises and goal setting meetings can help leaders direct teams into cohesive and effective groups (Colquitt et al., 2021). Ideally, communication will be more clear and shared objectives will form with members. In addition to this positive culture leaders will be able to utilize the aforementioned social processes to encourage and create citizenship behavior- something that should be the ultimate goal. Leaders who are effective at having implemented these social processes and overcoming objective obstacles will foster team members who voluntarily take positive action to benefit the organization and its mission (Colquitt et al., 2021).
Integrity. Empathy. Leadership.
Faye Lain©Copyright 2024. All rights reserved.
Alaina F Molle
alainamolle@gmail.com
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