Working in Teams to Build a Virtual Health Fair, Coursework Example

Introduction

Team projects require an evaluation of the different conditions under which the potential exists to optimize productivity and to facilitate the achievement of project-based objectives. All team members must be able to effectively contribute to the team environment and must be able to work proactively in meeting the needs of the group at a high level. This requires a number of different perspectives that will support individual members’ strengths and provide a basis for examining each contribution in order to make a difference in the team as a whole. This process requires an evaluation of different approaches and perspectives of the team and the individual contributions, as this will facilitate a successful team experience and in achieving the necessary goals and objectives.

Personal Evaluation

As a member of the team participating in the virtual health fair, I have learned that there are many opportunities to be a successful contributor to a team-based environment. I believe that this process requires individual reflection and analysis in order to be successful in meeting the needs of the team and in accomplishing the desired objectives. As a member of the team, my responsibility was to perform to the best of my ability and to make a difference within the team dynamic. It is important to evaluate my participation in the team and to determine what I have learned from this experience to bring to the table with the next team effort. Therefore, I must examine my own strengths and determine how I have contributed to date and if I have been successful in working with my fellow team members towards meeting our mutually beneficial objectives and considerations.

My personal contribution to the team appeared to be effective, as I was involved in many different aspects of the project and the overall direction and focus of the project from start to finish. This is an important reminder of my core strengths and my abilities in working with others in a manner that is mutually beneficial to all team members. I believe that my contribution was favorable and supported my understanding of my role in the team and my ability to be a successful participant. It was important for me to share my vision of how the team could be successful and to be proactive in understanding what was required to ensure that my role was optimized. I believe that I shared my vision and was able to get my point across with the other team members, while also considering other areas where I might have been able to improve in different ways to improve the team as a whole. I believe that I worked well under pressure, as each team member brought individual personality to the team environment and it was sometimes difficult to balance these personalities effectively to meet the demands of the team and its members in different ways. Nonetheless, I believe that I was successful in this regard and was able to make a much needed difference within the team environment.

Team Evaluation

My team was able to meet its objectives in a number of different ways, and each member contributed to the team experience at a high level. I believe that it is important to be effective in working towards a set of team-based goals through open lines of communication and other strategies that will strengthen the team and each member’s role. This was accomplished with the team experience and provided a strong learning curve for each team member to support the future career path. Working in a team environment creates many different types of difficult issues under a variety of circumstances; therefore, it must reflect a means of contributing in each member’s own way, using individual strengths as a guide. It was also important for the team to be effective in sharing ideas and resources in the best possible manner.

Regardless of the level of success of any team, however, there is always room for improvement, and this reflects a need to be effective in advancing objectives and in learning how to identify the tasks that will have the greatest impact on the team as a whole. Our team possessed confidence in our abilities, but we did stumble from time to time, and this made it difficult to manage some of the tasks at hand under some conditions. This was a learning experience that required a higher level of communication in order to successfully manage the issues of the team and its vision. Furthermore, it enabled the team to be proactive in working towards a set of solutions that would be successful in meeting objectives and in sharing ideas in other settings, including participation in future teams. I believe that this experience was necessary to understand how different personalities come together in a team setting and to be cognizant of the primary issues that may emerge when attempting to understand the team’s overall vision and focus.

Self-Reflection

With this team assignment, I was hesitant at first because any new team experiences its own set of growing pains, which are challenging on many levels. However, this experience was necessary in order to overcome some of those fears and to be proactive in making a high level contribution to a team environment. This project was exciting because it provided a glimpse into the concept of a virtual health fair and its benefits for participants. This experience was also helpful because it supported a high level of growth in advancing the team to a higher level, thereby increasing personal and professional growth in the process.

I believe that learned much from this assignment, as it provided me with a framework for understanding how to work as part of a team-based environment and to be successful in working towards a successful set of outcomes. I made a valuable contribution to the team, and this was enlightening because it enabled me to recognize how my strengths were important in enabling the team to meet its goals and objectives. I also recognized that I grew as a person with this experience, as my patience was tested from time to time, in addition to my communication skills and other characteristics. I will build upon this experience in order to make a greater difference in the lives of my patients in the future. It will also enable me to work in future team environments at a successful level and to recognize how my contribution will contribute to successful outcomes for these future teams. I also believe that I have learned how to work with different types of personalities and to make a difference in how I share my ideas and perspectives with others. This will enable me to work proactively with others and with my patients to improve quality of care on a continuous basis in the future.

The team experience is fulfilling on many levels but also requires a test of one’s patience and resolve in different types of situations. This is particularly true when interpersonal communication is not at the ideal level; therefore, compromise must be achieved to ensure that the team is not derailed in its efforts to be productive (Ortega, Sanchez-Manzanares, Gil, & Rico, 2013). Team-based nursing activities must be flexible in nature and the team must be able to adapt to change as necessary, even considering different team-based styles to meet the intended objectives (Kalisch & Lee, 2013). It is important to identify the resources that are necessary to ensure that the team is productive and is consistent in its activities and decisions, enabling each member to contribute at the expected level. In order for a team to be successful, it must possess some type of x-factor or strategic approach that will contribute to effective results and will bring out the best in each team member in order to make a difference in the team and its members (Ancona & Bresman, 2013).

From a leadership perspective, I believe that the team was successful in its efforts to demonstrate strong potential in this area, and my own experience has enabled my confidence to grow and thrive in the context of the team environment. A shared leadership approach is also effective in some cases because it provides support for the team’s overall focus and scope in meeting the goals of the project (Hoch, Pearce, & Wetzel, 2015). This process will facilitate a successful experience and provide individual members with confidence that the leadership team is likely to be effective (Fitzsimmons & Kirby, 2012). The process of developing a strong and effective leader was important for this team in order to manage the different types of personalities that were evident, along with other factors that impacted the group and its overall decision-making at the team level.

In many ways, team experiences support a journey that is a critical component of the nursing career with respect to growth and maturity, and this reflects a need to collaborate in the student role as a key driver in supporting the success of each team member and to recognize individual strengths as part of this process (Gagnon & Roberge, 2012). It is necessary for each team member to build upon these types of experiences and to make the most of each team-based situation in order to successfully meet the necessary objectives of the team. At the same time, ach member must be able to identify areas of improvement that will drive the team’s current success, as well as future team experiences. This process is ongoing and provides a strong learning curve for team members to follow as they experience different types of collaborative efforts with different individuals in team-based settings. In addition, it is important to grow and thrive within the nursing profession through teams and to optimize the conditions under which team members may acquire valuable experience that will take them to the next level of their professional career path.

From a team-based perspective, it is important to achieve the desired level of success and to utilize strengths and minimize weaknesses in this capacity. This will ensure that I am prepared to take the next steps in my career and to make a difference that will have a lasting impact on outcomes and on the creation of new opportunities for growth in professional nursing practice (Kilpatrick, Lavoie-Tremblay, Ritchie, & Lamothe, 2014). The focus must emphasize the importance of patient care outcomes and the continued growth and development of the practice environment to meet expectations and to make a difference for patients at the bedside. It is also important to recognize that communication must be a critical priority in nursing practice, as it supports a framework that will capitalize on meeting successful results and in supporting an environment where change is likely to occur to improve quality of care (O’Connor, 2013). It is imperative that nurses are able to maximize opportunities in team-based settings and to be cognizant of the issues that are likely to emerge during the course of activities. These changes require continuous communication and potential refocus in supporting the development of new factors that will impact nursing practice in a positive light.

Conclusion

From a nursing perspective, team-based settings require a critical examination of the different aspects of care and treatment that will have a positive impact on patient outcomes and in promoting an environment of change and continuous improvement. It is necessary to expand the knowledge that is acquired in teams and adapt it to a variety of conditions that will influence how improvements are made in the practice environment. Therefore, team-based skills are instrumental to this process and support a myriad of activities that will facilitate the growth and maturity of professional nurses and provide opportunities to exceed expectations in the care and treatment of all patients.

References

Ancona, D., & Bresman, H. (2013). X-teams: How to build teams that lead, innovate, and succeed. Harvard Business Press.

Fitzsimmons, J., & Kirby, K. K. (2012). Building Exceptional Leadership Teams: The Selection Process. Nurse Leader, 10(3), 40-44.

Gagnon, L. L., & Roberge, G. D. (2012). Dissecting the journey: Nursing student experiences with collaboration during the group work process. Nurse education today, 32(8), 945-950.

Hoch, J. E., Pearce, C. L., & Welzel, L. (2015). Is the most effective team leadership shared?. Journal of Personnel Psychology.

Kalisch, B. J., & Lee, K. H. (2013). Variations of nursing teamwork by hospital, patient unit, and staff characteristics. Applied Nursing Research, 26(1), 2-9.

Kilpatrick, K., Lavoie-Tremblay, M., Ritchie, J. A., & Lamothe, L. (2014). Advanced practice nursing, health care teams, and perceptions of team effectiveness. Journal of Trauma Nursing, 21(6), 291-299.

O’Connor, M. (2013). Communication: essential strategies for success. Journal of Nursing Administration, 43(6), 323-325.

Ortega, A., Sánchez?Manzanares, M., Gil, F., & Rico, R. (2013). Enhancing team learning in nursing teams through beliefs about interpersonal context.Journal of advanced nursing, 69(1), 102-111.