Nurses may be members of teams as well as leaders.
Understanding how groups and teams function (or do not) is essential to contribute to the organization, be successful in your position, and to garner satisfaction from your work.
What You Know Now • A group is an aggregate of individuals who interact and mutually influence each other. • Groups may be classified as real or task, formal or informal, permanent or temporary. • A team is a group of individuals with complementary skills, a common purpose and performance goals,
and a set of methods for which they hold themselves accountable. • Assessment of problems should precede team-building activities. • Team-building now includes a focus on meeting goals and accomplishing tasks as well as improving
interpersonal relationships. • Team-building activities are more likely to be successful if skills are reinforced on the job. • Managing teams depends on the task, group size and composition, productivity and cohesiveness,
development and growth, and the extent of shared governance in the organization. • The nurse manager’s communication skills affect the team’s productivity and performance. • Managing meetings involves preparing thoroughly, facilitating participation, and completing the
group’s work.