Question

all references have to be from the year 2012 to present

You are now in the third week of working on the Practicum Change Project. So far, you have refined your change project and chosen a change theory to organize your approach to the project.

Now, let’s begin work on week 3 of the Practicum Change Project!

This week your instructor has assigned you to seek input on the possible change from stakeholders, attend a multidisciplinary team meeting, and interview a leader from another clinical discipline.

I attended a meeting within the Respiratory Department and interviewed the leader from that department

Part I: Observation

Attend a multidisciplinary team meeting. Observe the communication skills used by the team leader and the group process. Consider the following questions as you observe the meeting:

•           Who served as the team leader? What leadership style did you observe?

•           How well did the team work together?

•           Was there group conflict? If so, how was it resolved?

•           Were there any outcomes from the group meeting?

•           Did you see evidence-based care or decisions during your observation?

•           How was nursing involved in the multidisciplinary group?

Part II: Interview

Interview a leader at least one level above your current or immediate past position from another clinical discipline (pharmacy, respiratory, case management, social work, medicine—not nursing). Ask the following questions:

•           How would you describe your leadership style?

•           What communication skills do you use?

•           What conflicts have you had to manage in the last 3 months?

•           What techniques and strategies do you use to work together to promote multidisciplinary teamwork?

Part III: Discussion

•           Identify ways in which you collaborated with other professionals regarding your activities.

•           Think about the stakeholders impacted by the change. How can the change theory you have chosen influence the success of a change project?

•           How can the multidisciplinary team of leaders impact the change project?

•           What is the best way to communicate the change within the agency? Support your response with references from the professional nursing literature (All must be dated between 2012-2017)

Answer

Collaborative and Communication Strategies

Contents

Introduction. 2

Part I: Observation. 2

Part II: Interview.. 3

Part III: Discussion. 3

References. 5

Introduction

Part I: Observation

After attending a multidisciplinary meeting in the respiratory department, I took note of some of the communication skills that both the head of the department, Mr. Montgomery, and the group used in the process. As a department, Mr. Montgomery felt that they needed to invest in regular training in order to ensure that they continued to provide the best care to all patients. This, he felt, was especially important for respiratory nurses as they form the basis of respiratory care. After laying down his opinion on how best to improve the department and how the improvement could be achieved, he let the group members give their opinions and thoughts as well. Only after everyone had given their opinion did he initiate a vote on what the best course of action would be thus demonstrating great teamwork and a democratic leadership style (Colbert et al., 2012).

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In the process of expressing their opinions, a conflict emerged between two group members, each of whom believed that their approach was superior to the other.  To resolve the conflict, Mr. Montgomery educated them on the pros and cons of each idea which then prompted the vote as to which would idea would work better. This approach elicited a decision that came from an evidence-based point of view as the group members had the pros and cons of both ideas. From the group meeting, the department as a whole felt that Mr. Montgomery was right as training would not only improve the respiratory department but would ensure that the faculty is always up to par with the emerging medical needs of every patient.

Part II: Interview

Following the meeting with the respiratory department, I decided to interview the head of department, Mr. Montgomery, to get more insight on his leadership style, communication skills and most of all, his techniques and strategies. He said that his leadership style was both democratic and transactional. He explained that by respecting the opinions of everyone in his department and making decisions as a whole based on the best course of action goes a long way in ensuring departmental progress. Moreover, rewarding good and punishing mistakes also keeps everyone in check, thus the transactional leadership style (Hurduzeu, 2015).

According to Mr. Montgomery, every leader faces conflicts every once in a while. The key to resolving those conflicts, he said, was to listen to the conflicting sides, employ empathy and respect the opinions of both sides among other communication skills (McCabe & Timmins, 2013). Last but not least, he mentioned that he invests in compulsory team building exercise every so often to promote multidisciplinary teamwork and encourages both positive and negative feedback to know how to improve the same.

Part III: Discussion

I exchanged notes with all the other professionals after partaking in the group discussion and the interview. By doing this, we were able to collaborate in finding what can be learned from each side. In the respiratory department, investing in training activities of the faculty members was a welcome change to the stakeholders as they realized that it was for the greater good. By working together towards one common goal based on the change theory of my choice, the multidisciplinary team of leaders would be the driving force behind what would soon be a greatly improved department. In conclusion, several studies have shown that the best way with which to communicate change within any agency is in person (Appelbaum et al., 2012).

References

Appelbaum, S. H., Habashy, S., Malo, J. L., &Shafiq, H. (2012). Back to the future: revisiting Kotter’s 1996 change model. Journal of Management Development, 31(8), 764-782.

Colbert, A.E., Judge, T.A., Choi, D. and Wang, G. (2012). Assessing the trait theory of leadership using self and observer ratings of personality: The mediating role of contributions to group success. The Leadership Quarterly,23(4), 670-685.

Hurduzeu, R.E. (2015). The impact of leadership on organizational performance. SEA-Practical Application of Science, 7, 289-294.

McCabe, C., & Timmins, F. (2013). Communication skills for nursing practice. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.