Food-Service-Manual-for-Health-Care-Institutions

• Who should be on the improvement team? This question involves identifying who has
ownership of the process, who knows what the issues and concerns are for the customer, and
who is needed to offer a different perspective. This is the time to decide whether a facilitator is
necessary.
• What are the expectations for improvement? Questioning the expectations identifies the
outcome or goals, time lines for recommendations, the magnitude of improvement expected,
and who is responsible for approval and implementation of the recommendations.
• What resources are available to the team? Resources may include consultants or internal
experts, facilitators, coworkers who perform extra work so that team members can attend
meetings, and support staff who can create presentation materials. Materials for data collection
and analysis also are needed. They may include computers and software.
Answering these questions provides team members with a clear picture of their charter or
mission. When the team meets for the first time, the information compiled from these questions
is presented for review and discussion by the team leader. It also may be necessary to provide
the answers in the form of a proposal to the administrator and other department administrative
personnel for its approval before the meeting, especially if the process requires a crossfunctional
team (see Chapter 4). Once approved and the team members are clear about the
team’s mission and purpose, ground rules for the meetings should be discussed. Ground rules
may be a part of the training program provided for all employees involved in quality improvement
but should be covered as a reminder in the first team meeting. Ground rules include the
following:
• Attendance: Time and place for meeting, how to notify team of absence, acceptable
number of absences, designation of a replacement, and so on
• Time management: Punctuality with regard to meeting start and end, timekeeper responsibilities,
appointment of timekeeper, what must be accomplished during meeting, agenda for
meetings
• Participation: Being prepared for meetings, completing assignments, sharing responsibilities,
and so on
• Communication: Confidentiality, candor, orderly and focused discussion, one speaker at
a time, active listening, respect for others’ opinions
• Decision making: How decisions are made (majority vote), open discussion permitted
before voting, conflict acceptable and handled in the open, number of members who must be
present for decision making
• Documentation: Format for agenda, format used for minutes, distribution of agenda
and minutes, storage of and access to documentation
• Miscellaneous: Breaks, refreshments, room setup and cleanup, need for support services,
how they will be coordinated
The same guidelines should be followed for conducting team meetings as for business
meetings. The leader (not necessarily the manager) is responsible for conducting the meeting,
setting up the next meeting, and providing follow-up information or information needed before
the next meeting. When conducting team meetings, the leader must keep individuals on target
to reach established goals.
Making Presentations
Sometimes the food service manager may be asked to provide information in a formal presentation.
Presentations may include training sessions for employees or students or delivery of
information regarding the department business plan, budget, or special project to decision
makers. Managers can give successful presentations by being prepared and by understanding
how to deal positively with the anxiety or stress related to this activity.
Communication
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