From Teamwork to Team Science
As I prepared for this issue on team science, I found myself asking the simple, yet complex question, "Why can't we all just get along?" I quickly reflected that the question may be simple and straightforward, but the answer is not. Getting along with others is so complex and multifaceted that the science of teams or team science has emerged to enrich our intuitive and artful ways of getting along with others and to better understand how to work effectively in teams so that positive outcomes result from our interactions.
From the stone ages to getting along in kindergarten to the provision of health care, we have known intuitively that working together results in better outcomes. Outcomes can be achieved that are sustainable, supported by the participants, and ultimately valued by others. Much teamwork has been achieved with selected leadership or personal knowledge and of course intuition and not driven by the science of teamwork. Gaining a more sophisticated level of knowledge about teamwork in health care has never been more important. As the health care system evolves to meet the expectations of the Affordable Care Act, new ways of relating, standards for optimal performance, and interdisciplinary collaboration across the continuum are needed to use resources effectively, avoid redundancy, and achieve synergistic outcomes.
Recently, the evidence and supporting science for teamwork were introduced and now available to support our intuition, knowledge, and personal experiences. The concept of team science was first recognized in 2006 at a conference sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, The Science of Team Science: Assessing the Value of Interdisciplinary Research.1
In less than 10 years, team science has identified a rich kaleidoscope of variables that support our previous notions of the complex nature of teamwork as well as the inclusion of multiple disciplines to explicate the essences of teamwork. The disciplines of translational research, organizational behavior, social psychology, health psychology, communications, evaluation science, technology, business, military, and management have contributed to the emerging body of team science.2
Some of the variables and areas of interest in team science include the following:
* Antecedent conditions or circumstances that facilitate or obstruct effective teamwork
* Formation of a team
* Selection of members
* Collaborative processes
* Context (social, political, economic, organizational, and technology factors and influences)
* Learning strategies
* Outcomes of teamwork
* Translation of team research into practical applications
* Practical tools to improve effectiveness and efficiency
* Number of publications from the team
* Amount of grant funding
* Presence of complexity, social network analysis, and use of technology to analyze teams
* Obstacles to team processes
In this issue, the authors share their experiences with effective teamwork from numerous perspectives. The evidence for effective teamwork, as well as the challenges of determining what questions are specific to evidence-driven teamwork, is presented to continue the advancement of team science in health care. To be sure, many of the authors offer new evidence for effective practices that can be further tested and integrated into our knowledge about team science.
A wide array of articles includes team effectiveness in complex systems, principles of successful partnerships, interdisciplinary exemplars of effective teams, competencies for nurse managers in advancing excellence in teams, using traditional strategic planning in a shared governance model to increase engagement and advancing care coordination, and shifting care location using team strategies.
It has been a delight to work with each of our authors in this issue. Thanks to each one of you for the great work and willingness to share results and insights. As always, I learn so much from the authors and hope that all of our readers have a similar experience.
-Kathy Malloch, PhD, MBA, RN, FAAN
Guest Editor
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