A multiple-level analysis of hospital team effectiveness.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify factors at organizational, team, and individual levels that are most predictive of quality improvement team effectiveness. Numerous studies have been conducted on the use of teams in health care. The majority of these studies have focused on organizational-level issues. A few others have focused on team-level issues or individual-level issues. The authors believe that successful use of teams requires a more integrated approach. This study addresses this need by providing a multiple-level analysis of teams in three hospitals. Structured interviews were conducted with hospital administrators as well as quality improvement representatives and team leaders, and written questionnaires were administered to team members. Eight factors were related significantly to the effectiveness of team effort: frequency of team meetings, hours per week conducting team activities, willingness of members to serve on team, selection method of team members, communication of team plans, team member position/composition, team leader performance, and facilitator performance.