Team types, perceived efficiency and team climate in Swedish cross-professional teamwork

J Interprof Care. 2005 Mar;19(2):102-14. doi: 10.1080/13561820400024159.

Abstract

This paper aims to identify the dominant types of team organization in cross-professional Swedish human service organizations and the relationship between team type and perceived efficiency as well as team climate as an aspect of work satisfaction. A questionnaire was responded to by 337 individual professionals from 59 teams, mainly from psychiatric care (50.7%) but also from social, neuropaediatric and vocational (re)habilitation, school health care and the occupational health service. The interprofessional model of team organization was the most frequent (62%), followed by the transprofessional (33%), and the multiprofessional team, (5%). A moderate positive correlation was found between team type and perceived efficiency as well as team climate. The greater the interdependence and the closer the co-operation, the higher the efficiency and the better the climate. No differences were found between professions or organizational domiciles with respect to team type. This paper suggests (1) a more consistent vocabulary with 'cross-professional' as the generic term covering different team types and (2) that a contingency approach to teamwork is tested in future research.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Data Collection
  • Efficiency, Organizational*
  • Female
  • Group Processes*
  • Health Services Research
  • Humans
  • Job Satisfaction
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Patient Care Team*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Sweden