Team Building and Communication in High-Reliability Health Care

Introduction

Research in areas of employee communication suggests that successful communication strategies must include a decisive effort to connect management's vision with employees at every level. If the vision of management and the overall vision of the organization are not communicated to employees, there may be a breakdown in the development of goals and employee satisfaction, as employees will feel they have no connection to the ideals and standards of management — and therefore to the work they contribute to the organization. Kleinbeck et al. conclude that the better the communication between leaders and employees, the better the organizational structure and function (Kleinbeck, Quast, Thierry, & Hacker, 1990, p. 136). Without this connection, empowerment is not likely to be present and employee satisfaction will likely suffer (Dew, 1997, p. 6).

Differences in centralized versus decentralized communication strategies can often result in mixed messaging to key constituents, which can have a sustained impact on the reputation of supervisors and collaborators within the organization. Mintzberg (1979) notes that managers individually carry in their heads a rich, dynamic map of their policy domains that they are continually updating. However, these maps are informal and largely undocumented, and are not communicated well to subordinates or colleagues who might be able to use the information to the organization's advantage (Ozen & Ulengin, 2004, p. 6).

Delivery methods and issues of inconsistency can also be measured in terms of overall employee satisfaction. Employee satisfaction and goal attainment often depend on consistency of communication, as perceptions of inconsistency can create unintended results including employee confusion and dissatisfaction:

"If the receiver's integration process results in a perception of consistency, then, happily, the outcome is actualization of the intended communication goal and possible positive affect. If, however, the perception of the receiver is that there is inconsistency, the outcome is goal failure, confusion, and possible undesired negative affect. Positive and negative evaluations often feed back to the firm and may influence subsequent efforts." (Schumann, Dyer, & Petkus, 1996, p. 54)

The value of creating communications perceived as congruent with both the vision of the organization and the agent's view of the processes for achieving it is essential to communication structure, effectiveness, cohesive reliability, and increased competitive advantage.

References

Awadzi Calloway, J., & Awadzi, W. (2005). Trust communication, and leadership challenges in virtual teams. The Consortium Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 12(2), 25–32.

Atkinson, A. S. (2004). Chapter 27: Ethics and the corporate communicator. In S. M. Oliver (Ed.), A handbook of corporate communication and strategic public relations: Pure and applied (pp. 427–435). New York: Routledge.

Bielski, L. (2005). What makes a good leader? The go-to "guy" with vision and passion will top the org chart — and lead change management. ABA Banking Journal, 97(12), 21.

Crossman, J. M. (2003). The multi-audience memo and the international business interview. Business Communication Quarterly, 66(4), 72.

Dew, J. R. (1997). Empowerment and democracy in the workplace: Applying adult education theory and practice for cultivating empowerment. Westport, CT: Quorum Books.

Forman, J. (2005). Educating European corporate communication professionals for senior management positions: A collaboration between UCLA's Anderson School of Management and the University of Lugano. Business Communication Quarterly, 68(2), 209.

Green, T. B., & Knippen, J. T. (1999). Breaking the barrier to upward communication: Strategies and skills for employees, managers, and HR specialists. Westport, CT: Quorum Books.

Grundy, T., & Brown, L. (2004). Strategic project management. London: Thomson Learning.

Hatton, L., & Raymond, B. (1994). Developing small business effectiveness in the context of congruence. Journal of Small Business Management, 32(3), 76.

Jameson, D. A. (2004). Conceptualizing the writer-reader relationship in business prose. The Journal of Business Communication, 41(3), 227.

Kleinbeck, U., Quast, H., Thierry, H., & Hacker, H. (Eds.). (1990). Work motivation. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Massey, J. E. (2001). Managing organizational legitimacy: Communication strategies for organizations in crisis. The Journal of Business Communication, 38(2), 153.

Nord, M. (1996). The consulting mindset: A foundation for teaching problem solving and communication skills. Business Communication Quarterly, 59(1), 103.

Ozen, U., & Ulengin, F. (2004). Exploring the differences of managers' mental models. Journal of Transnational Management, 5–27.

Pelletier, L. A. (2005, May). The impact of information technology on patient safety. AORN Journal, 81(5), 1087–1088.

Roebuck, D. B., Sightler, K. W., & Brush, C. C. (1995). Organizational size, company type and position effects on the perceived importance of oral and written communication skills. Journal of Managerial Issues, 7(1), 99.

Rooksby, E. (2002). E-mail and ethics: Style and ethical relations in computer-mediated communication. London: Routledge.

Schumann, D. W., Dyer, B., & Petkus, E. (1996). The vulnerability of integrated marketing communication: The potential for boomerang effects. In E. Thorson & J. Moore (Eds.), Synergy of persuasive voices (pp. 51–61). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

van der Heijden, B., & Verbaan, I. W. H. (2005). Team leaders' motivational behavior and its influence upon team performance: A study on self-perceptions and team members' perceptions in a South African multinational. Journal of Transnational Management, 11(2), 31–51.

Xuan, P., & Lesser, V. (2002, July). Multi-agent policies: From centralized ones to decentralized ones. AAMAS, 1(15), 1.