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The Effectiveness of Health Care Teams in the National Health Service

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Leadership<br />

<strong>The</strong>re is considerable research evidence that leaders affect team performance (e.g.<br />

Brewer, Wilson & Beck 1994; Komaki, Desselles & Bowman, 1989) and evidence <strong>of</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> relationship between leadership style and team effectiveness. Eden (1990)<br />

exam<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>the</strong> effects <strong>of</strong> platoon leaders’ expectations on team performance. His work<br />

with <strong>the</strong> Israeli Defence Forces showed that those platoons which tra<strong>in</strong>ed under<br />

leaders with high expectations, performed better on physical and cognitive tests.<br />

Podsak<strong>of</strong>f and Todor (1985) <strong>in</strong>vestigated <strong>the</strong> relationship between team members’<br />

perceptions <strong>of</strong> leader reward and punishment behaviours and team cohesiveness,<br />

drive and productivity. Results showed that both leader cont<strong>in</strong>gent reward and<br />

punishment were positively related to team drive and productivity. Leader cont<strong>in</strong>gent<br />

reward was also related to cohesiveness, while leader noncont<strong>in</strong>gent punishment<br />

behaviour was negatively related to team drive. Jacob and S<strong>in</strong>gell (1993) exam<strong>in</strong>ed<br />

<strong>the</strong> effects <strong>of</strong> managers on <strong>the</strong> won-lost record <strong>of</strong> pr<strong>of</strong>essional baseball teams over<br />

two decades and found that leaders did <strong>in</strong>fluence team performance by exercis<strong>in</strong>g<br />

tactical skills and improv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> performance <strong>of</strong> team members. George and<br />

Bettenhausen (1990) studied teams <strong>of</strong> sales associates report<strong>in</strong>g to a store manager<br />

and found that <strong>the</strong> favourability <strong>of</strong> leader’s moods was negatively related to related to<br />

employee turnover.<br />

Primary health care team members <strong>in</strong> England rated <strong>the</strong>ir effectiveness more highly<br />

when <strong>the</strong>y had strong leadership and high <strong>in</strong>volvement <strong>of</strong> all team members (Ross,<br />

R<strong>in</strong>k & Furne, 2000). In nurs<strong>in</strong>g care teams, Dreachsl<strong>in</strong>, Hunt and Spra<strong>in</strong>er (2000)<br />

concluded that leadership mitigated <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>fluence <strong>of</strong> race <strong>in</strong> self-perceived<br />

communication effectiveness. Participants’ comments supported <strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong>me that<br />

team leaders who encouraged discussion about differences enhanced perceived<br />

team effectiveness. <strong>The</strong>y suggested that leaders provided a unify<strong>in</strong>g force through<br />

validat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> alternative realities and appreciat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> different perspectives <strong>of</strong> team<br />

members, thus moderat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> potentially negative effects <strong>of</strong> racial diversity on team<br />

processes.<br />

Develop<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Teams</strong> <strong>in</strong> Organisations<br />

To what extent is it possible to develop team work<strong>in</strong>g to ensure higher levels <strong>of</strong><br />

effectiveness? Tannenbaum, Salas, & Cannon-Bowers (1996) have reviewed<br />

research <strong>in</strong> this area and related results to a comprehensive model <strong>of</strong> team which

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