UNIT 7: TEAM

MANAGEMENT
Dagne Mulu (MPH)

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After completing this chapter the student will be

able to:
Define the term team in general and health team
in particular
Explain the methods of leading a health team

Describe as to how to organize a health team

activities
Explain the purpose of training staff

Describe the principles of controlling and

assessing the work.
Explains ways of managing conflicts 2
DEFINING A HEALTH TEAM
A team is a special type of group having a small
number, preferably 2-8, of people who are
interacting and influencing each other to work for
a common goal.
Health team: has been defined, as a group of
people who share a common health goal and
common objectives, determined by community
needs, to the achievement of which each member
of the team contributes, in accordance with
his/her competence and skill and in coordination
with the functions of others
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LEADING A HEALTH TEAM

Setting and sharing objectives with the

team members
Motivating team members

Delegating authority and responsibility

Using different styles of supervision

Organizing a health team activities

Controlling and assessing the work

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MOTIVATING TEAM MEMBERS

Motivation: is an inner impulse that determines

what people do and the energy and enthusiasm
with which they do it.
Motivation is a series of internal drives within a
person at different levels.
Level 1: to obtain the necessities of life (food,
shelter, clothing, rest and safety)
Level 2: to satisfy social needs such as those for
companionship, love and a position of respect.
Level 3: to ensure some degree of personal
satisfaction and to pursue ideals.
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MOTIVATING TEAM MEMBERS CONT

The six main motivators in work are:

1. Achievement
2. Recognition
3. The work itself
4. Responsibility
5. Advancement
6. Self improvement

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MOTIVATING TEAM MEMBERS CONT

Six common causes of dissatisfaction

1) Inefficient administration

2) Incomplete supervision

3) Poor personal relations

4) Poor leadership qualities (Do as I say, not as I

do) is a poor method of leading
5) Low pay

6) Bad working conditions

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DELEGATING AUTHORITY AND
RESPONSIBILITY

Delegation has certain advantages:

Delegating some decision making saves time for
other duties
When work is spread over a large area, as in
rural health work, the health workers on the spot
must be able to make decisions according to
circumstances.
Delegation of responsibility saves long delays
that occur when awaiting decisions from a
central office or other distant authority
Health workers who are allowed to make
decisions enjoy their work more and become more
knowledgeable and skillful. 8
DELEGATING AUTHORITY AND
RESPONSIBILITY CONT

Disadvantages of delegating authority and

responsibility
If wrong decisions are made, the work may not be
done or it may be done less well.
A leader who does not delegate properly may
pass all the work on to the team members leaving
very little more to do.
A leader may delegate decisions to people with in
sufficient experience.

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DELEGATING AUTHORITY AND
RESPONSIBILITY CONT

Rules for delegating authority and

responsibility
Be clear about exactly what is delegated

Select the person who you are sure can do the

work
Explain to others that you have delegated work
and to whom
Do not interfere unless asked to, and be prepared
for some mistakes
Give support as needed and follow up the
progress of work 10
USING DIFFERENT STYLES OF SUPERVISION

Supervision: To maintain and improve the quality of

health care or implementations of program.
a. Planning a supervisory visit
Local targets to achieve the goals
What are health workers activities in the program
that are going to be observed i.e. in relation to job
description
Progress to date of the program in relation to set
targets
Problems in implementing the program
Supplies needed
Anything to be controlled 11
USING DIFFERENT STYLES OF SUPERVISION
CONT..

Conducting supervisory visit

Looking at records

Observing how health workers perform the

activities listed in the job description
Talking with village leaders and other people

Discuss with the health worker the date of the

next supervisory visit to the area

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USING DIFFERENT STYLES OF SUPERVISION
CONT..

Styles of supervision
1. Autocratic: Do what you are told, and dont
ask question.
2. Anarchic:Do as you like.
3. Democratic or consultative:
supervisor who say, These are the results we
have to achieve; this is the job to be done.
Let us agree together how best to do it!
helps people to grow, to become responsible for
their own work and to show initiative
People like to be consulted 13
USING DIFFERENT STYLES OF SUPERVISION
CONT..

The choice of style of supervision depends

on:
Job factors include:

The complexity of the job

The difficulty of job

The need for quick decisions

The need for consistent results

The need for creative work (new ideas)

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USING DIFFERENT STYLES OF SUPERVISION
CONT..

Personal factors include:

The skill, reliability and experience of those who do
the work
Their willingness to accept responsibility and to make
decisions
A consultative, i.e. democratic, style is most suitable:
For work that demands creativity, e.g. community
involvement, research
With competent and experienced people
With people who are known to be reliable
With people who are willing to take responsibility and
make decisions. 15
USING DIFFERENT STYLES OF SUPERVISION
CONT..

An authoritative style may be used:

For tasks that demand co-ordination and
consistency, such as dealing with large number of
people
For tasks that are governed by strict policies or
where immediate action needed, such as dealing
with an emergency or controlling an epidemic
With people who have little understanding of the
goals of the organization
With people who have limited skills or experience
With people who are known to be unreliable. 16
ORGANIZING A HEALTH TEAM ACTIVITIES

Using job descriptions

Using norms and standards

Coordinating activities

Communication

Conducting meeting

Training staff

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COMMUNICATION

Communication is the transmission of common

understanding through the use of symbols
The term derived from the Latin communis,
meaning common.
In other words, unless a common understanding
results from the transmission of verbal or
nonverbal symbols, there is no communication

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COMMUNICATION CONT

Elements of communication
The communicator
Perception/interpretation
Encoding
The message
The channel
Encoding
The receiver
Feedback and
noise 19
COMMUNICATION PROCESS

An individual or group (the communicator) has

an idea, message, or understanding to transmit
to another individual or groups (the receiver)
To transmit the idea, the communicator must
translate the idea into a meaningful form
(encoding) and send the message by verbal,
nonverbal, or written means (the channel)
The message is received through the senses of
the receiver and translated into a form
meaningful to the receiver (decoded)

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COMMUNICATION PROCESS CONT

With a nod of the head, a facial expression, or

some action, the receiver acknowledges whether
understanding has been achieved (feed back)
The intended message can be distorted by the
presence of distraction in each element (noise)

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COMMUNICATIONS IN ORGANIZATIONS

Flows in four directions

1. Downward: from individuals at the higher levels
to those in the lower levels of the organization
a. Most forms are job instructions, official memos,
policy statements, manuals, company
publications, etc.
b. The five most common types are job
instructions, job rationale, organizational policy,
procedure and practices, employee performance
feedback, and indoctrination of company goals
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COMMUNICATIONS IN ORGANIZATIONS CONT..

c. Often inadequate and inaccurate in many

companies
d. In large organizations, communication with
employers is typically undertaken by a trained
staff of communication experts who produce a
publication (house organ, e.g., a newsletter).
2. Upward: from individuals in the lower levels to
those in the organizations higher levels. Vital in
providing top management with organizational
information essential for effective decision
making. Common mediums: suggestion in boxes,
group meetings, grievance procedures. 23
COMMUNICATIONS IN ORGANIZATIONS CONT..

3. Horizontal: lateral communication in an

organization (for example, a telephone
conversation between the vice president of
academic and the vice president of
administration).
4. Diagonal: the least used channel of
communication. Occurs when individuals
sidestep formal channels (for example, a
Academic vice president communicating directly
with members of teaching staff)

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COMMUNICATION BREAK DOWN
Occur when a defect arises in any one of the
components in the communication process. Nine
major barriers
Differing frames of reference
Selective perception
Poor listening skills
Value judgment
Source credibility
Semantic problems
Filtering
Time pressures and
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Communication overload
IMPROVING COMMUNICATION IN
ORGANIZATION
1. Follow up: to ensure that receivers correctly
decoded the message
2. Regular information flow: only significant
deviations from policies and procedures should
be brought to the managers attention
3. Utilize feedback
4. Develop empathy
5. Simplify language
6. Use the grapevine

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CONFLICT MANAGEMENT (DEALING WITH
PROBLEMS AND CONFLICTS)

The causes of conflicts

1. The role of resources scarcity
2. Beneficial versus detrimental effect of
conflict
3. Jehns typology of conflict
Task content conflicts :disagreements about
the actual task being per formed
Emotional conflicts :negative emotions and
dislike of the other people
Administrative conflict: Disagreements
about individual responsibilities and duties 27
LEVEL OF CONFLICTS

Individual level
1. Approach-approach conflict: When two
options are equally attractive
2. Avoidance-Avoidance conflicts :when a
person has to choose between equally
unattractive options.
3. Approach- avoidance conflict : when
multiple options each have favorable and
unfavorable features. The most prevalent type
of intrapersonal conflict
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LEVEL OF CONFLICTS

Group level
Conflict at this level typically occurs because of
incompatible goals, ideas, feelings, beliefs and
behaviors
This is the most common level of conflict that
comes to the surface in organizations.

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HELPING STAFF TO SOLVE PERSONAL
PROBLEMS

Preventing disputes
1. Accommodation
2. Pressing
3. Avoidance
4. Negotiation:

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THANK YOU

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