The Relational Role of Managers in Support of Teamwork

Abstract

In healthcare, teamwork is promoted as a means of delivering high-quality care. Although the literature emphasizes the personal responsibility of healthcare workers to work effectively within teams, it is equally vital to understand the role of leaders in supporting teamwork. In a focused ethnography that examined teamwork and its impact on care delivery and job satisfaction for healthcare workers, our participants shared how their leaders impacted team functioning. In this study, we examined these data related to leadership and found a strong daily relational component to team management, in contrast to high-level, strategic recommendations in the literature; this has significant implications for leaders.