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Uncoordinated Teams

Teams in the Balance: Exploring the delicate balance of team members' efforts

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Learning Objectives

As a result of participating in this activity, learners will:

  1. Collaborate as a team to complete a simple task, observing the effects their contributions.
  2. Discover an effective strategy to help their team succeed.
  3. Implement that strategy through careful self and situation monitoring.

Description

  1. Assemble students into teams of 5-6 using some method to ensure diversity/interprofessionalism on each team.
  2. Provide each team with a lightweight rod, such as an unfolding, lightweight tent pole. All team members extend the index finger of both hands, and the pole is balanced on them at a height of approximately 45-55” from the floor. Team members are instructed that their task is to collaboratively lower the pole to the floor. All team members must remain in contact with the pole just as they are currently, until the pole is within 2” of the floor. They may then, and only then, remove their hands.
  3. If the pole is dropped or team members become disconnected, the activity must be reset at the original height, with the team starting again.
  4. The activity may have the risk elevated by placing a time limit on it, prohibiting conversation, and/or done blindfolded.

Recommendations

You can increase the likelihood of this demonstration succeeding by holding the rod in the middle while team embers take their positions. Once everyone is in place, as you explain the activity, keep slight downward pressure on the rod. The initial result once you start the task is that the rod will actually go up as members attempt to keep their fingers connected to the rod. This is sometimes referred to as a “helium stick” for that reason.

Size

Small Group

Equipment

Minimal Equipment - Lightweight tent poles.

Time

One Hour

Modifications

Lesson

Team Membership

In their individual attempt to be supportive of the team task, and wishing to be fully contributing, team members may lose sight of how their contribution may actually be working against team success. Intention to help does not always mean that team members are contributing to success.

Debrief Questions

  1. What went well?
  2. What were the challenges for team members in completing this simple task?
  3. How did you balance your own responsibilities (keeping your finger on the pole) with the task assigned, especially given that they sometimes seemed to be in opposition to one another?

Clinical Application

  1. How do team members on a healthcare team determine whether it is time for them to contribute to what is going on, or not?
  2. When two or more providers have the same or similar skill sets, how does the team determine who will provide the service?

Bloom's Taxonomy

Analyze/Apply
Evaluate/Create

TeamSTEPPS domain

Communication
Leadership
Mutual Support

IPEC Competency

VE 3, 4 & 5
RR 6
CC 1, 4-6
TT 5, 8 & 10

Lesson

Communication and Leadership

Some tasks are simple, but require leaders to encourage rather than command to achieve success. In this variation, teams designate one leader and are prompted to pay specific attention to the instructions they receive.

Debrief Questions

  1. What went well?
  2. What were the challenges for team members in completing this simple task?
  3. How did you balance your own responsibilities (keeping your finger on the pole) with the task assigned, especially given that they sometimes seemed to be in opposition to one another?

Clinical Application

  1. How do team members on a healthcare team determine whether it is time for them to contribute to what is going on, or not?
  2. When two or more providers have the same or similar skill sets, how does the team determine who will provide the service?

Bloom's Taxonomy

Analyze/Apply
Evaluate/Create

TeamSTEPPS domain

Communication
Leadership

IPEC Competency

RR 6
CC 1, 4-6
TT 5, 8 & 10

Lesson

Situation Monitoring/Mutual Support

Striking a balance between your own efforts and the team’s needs can be challenging. Finding ways to support others as they complete a task to which you may not be able to contribute or help is not easy. In this version, the task is completed with no speaking unless the team is in the midst of resetting the pole after a failed attempt

Debrief Questions

  1. Rather than this task allowing you speak to another team member to provide support, you would have needed to compensate for their work by changing your own behaviors. What did you do when you saw other team members struggle with this task?
  2. If you had difficulty with this task, what would have been helpful to you in terms of what other team members did or did not do?

Clinical Application

In patient care, there must be a delicate balance among team members. That balance can be elusive because you can’t identify an imbalance until something is going wrong.

  1. List factors you need to monitor in order to help your team succeed.
  2. What kinds of self-management issues present themselves when working on teams?

Bloom's Taxonomy

Analyze/Apply
Evaluate/Create

TeamSTEPPS domain

Communication
Mutual Support
Situation Monitoring

IPEC Competency

VE 3-5
RR 6
CC 1, 4-6
TT 5, 8 & 10

Summary

Team members must constantly evaluate the effects of their contributions to team success, knowing when to give more, and when to pull back. This simple activity reminds players of the attention needed by team members.

Contact

For more information about how to utilize games, low-fidelity simulation, and interactive learning to teach concepts of teamwork and collaboration, contact Better.Teams@rosalindfranklin.edu

Related Tags

accountability, collaboration, common goal, communication, conflict, consequence, debrief, low barrier, low resource, mutual support, outcomes, situation monitoring, team function, team membership, teams and teamwork