Innovating to Optimize Team Success: Implementing Key Factors Contributing to Learner Groups Forming into Teams

Background: The predominant instructional pedagogy in the Master of Biomedical Science (MBS) program is team-based learning (TBL). For the past four years, two experienced educators have placed learners into groups based on characteristics gleaned (identified) from their applications, to maximize cognitive diversity within the team and facilitate their learning from each other.

Through the educational process of using TBL has been well described in medical education, there has been little written on the deliberate support of learners to move from group formation to dynamic teams.(1) In much of the published literature, the words “group” and “team” were used interchangeably, blurring the lines to a very important distinction. Does simply working together constitute a team? Can learners work together but continue to be considered a “group” working to achieve the learning objectives? This author, writes from the perspective of the associate director of MBS academic enhancements, a psychologist and a certified coach. There are clear differences between groups and teams, such as: independence versus interdependence; common characteristics versus common goals-tasks; not knowing vs. knowing member weaknesses; and consensus building versus open to divergent thinking in decision-making.(2) Making these distinctions clearer will help educators understand the factors affecting team formation and functioning and provide support to learner development.

The author designed a curriculum to intentionally integrate four factors, contributing to team formation: a) trust; b) team identity; c) authentic communication – care and candor; and d) individual-awareness/team-efficacy in the context of team conversations (3), productivity and managing differences.(4)

Methods: In July 2019, the first of three workshops in the Optimizing Team Success Series was held for 48 graduate students who were recently matriculated. Students had been placed into one of nine TBL groups. The workshop set a foundation of understanding of self and others’ personality styles. It provided rudimentary (or foundational) understanding of team formation. Each TBL group was asked to identify and commit to their guiding principles (shared individually and in their TBL groups), select their team’s nickname, and actively respond to the question: How they would know they had moved from being just a group into an effectively functioning team? Each group-team shared their responses with the other groups.

Results: 31 of the 48 participants completed a post workshop evaluation, 80.65% reported the workshop was very helpful more specifically: in understanding the participants development as a person (83.88%), understanding others (93.55%), recognizing the “Achilles Heel” of self and others (87.09%), and designing and committing to guiding principles with TBL members (83.37%). Only a small number of participants felt the activity was not beneficial to their growth.

Implications: Faculty who use TBL should understand and proactively use strategies supporting intentional team formation. Learners would gain a greater self and team efficacy, more intentional productive team interactions, improved communication, and managing of differences. Long-term implications can include personal and professional career enhancement, productivity and positivity in roles within multidisciplinary teams.

 

References:

(1) Reimschisel T Herring AL Huang J Minor TJ. A systematic review of the published literature on team-based learning in health professions education. Med Teach. 2017 Dec;39(12):1227-1237
(2) Britton, JJ. From the One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching. Mississauge, Ontario: Jossey-Bass, 2013.
(3) Thompson BM Haidet P Borges NJ Carchedi LR Roman BJ Townsend MH Butler AP Swanson DB Anderson MP Leving RE. Team cohesiveness, team size and team performance in team-based learning teams. Med Educ. 2015 Apr;49(4):379-85
(4) Lencioni, P. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2002.

 

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