Leading an Interdisciplinary Team: Building Rapport and Fostering Collaboration

Jennifer Mandelbaum, Heather Bowling, Ryan Orland

Objectives● Explain benefits of working on interdisciplinary teams and

challenges team leaders may face in working with people from outside their disciplines

● Complete and discuss a PDSA (Plan, Do, Study, Act) cycle

● Identify five characteristics underpinning effective interdisciplinary team work

Working on interdisciplinary teams

Characteristics of effective teamwork● On your own, write down what you think is the most

important characteristic of effective teamwork

● Share your response with your other team members

● Agree on one characteristic to share with the room

PDSA Cycle

● Plan● Do● Study● Act

Coin Spinning https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evVIMpzahc8

Coin Spinning ● Make some predictions:

○ Which team is going to have the longest coin spin? Why?

○ Which team is going to have the shortest coin spin?

Why?

○ What will make the difference between the best and

worst team?

Coin Spinning ● Be creative

● Record your team’s data

The teams with the (a) longest spin and

(b) longest average spin will win a prize!

You have 12 minutes. Good luck!

Results● What was your longest single coin spin?

● What was your average coin spin?

Activity debrief● What worked well in your team?

● What did you try in your team that didn’t work?

● What difficulties did you encounter?

● How many disciplines did you have in your team?

● What does this have to do with interdisciplinary teamwork?

Characteristics of effective interdisciplinary teamwork

1) Positive leadership and management

2) Communication

3) Appropriate variety of skills

4) Well-defined outcomes

5) Understanding of roles within the team

Questions?

Open School

Coin Spinning Game Worksheet

Example Worksheet and Run Chart

# Plan Do Study Act

# What questions? Theories?

Prediction What do you see? How Long?

How did what you see match prediction?

What now? Adopt, adapt, abandon?

1 Large coins last longer Nickel = 10 seconds

Started to wobble. Time = 7 No, Three seconds short. Large Size/weight

Adapt - Test Quarter

2 Bigger quarter will spin longer

Quarter = 10 seconds

Started to lose spin fast. Time = 8

Two seconds short. Size may be more important

Adapt?

Copyright © 2015 Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI).

PDSA Worksheet for Coin Spinning Teams

Plan Do Study Act

What questions? Theories?

Prediction What did you see? How long?

How did what you see match your prediction?

What now? Adopt, adapt, abandon?

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Copyright © 2015 Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI).

Run Chart for PDSA Teams

Spin

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PDSA#

Blank Page on the back for additional PDSAs