As a healthcare manager, you know how important it is to have a productive and efficient team. But sometimes, you may face challenges that affect your team's performance, such as staff shortages, burnout, communication issues, or changing regulations. How can you overcome these obstacles and boost your team's productivity? Here are some tips to help you.
One of the first steps to improve your team's productivity is to set clear and realistic goals for each task, project, or shift. Goals help your team members understand what is expected of them, how they will be evaluated, and how their work contributes to the overall mission of your organization. To set effective goals, use the SMART criteria: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. For example, instead of saying "improve patient satisfaction", you could say "increase the percentage of patients who rate their care as excellent by 10% in the next quarter".
I think ownership of the goals is a big factor. There is no point setting an arbitrary target that is either unachievable or not felt possible by the team delivering the result. If you work in collaboration and set targets that work for what is required but also owned by the team they are more likely to be motivated towards achieving it. Competition is also a good motivator, no harm in a published results table to inspire to achieve more!
Step back and think about the exact things your team should be working on. Then, define the main goals of the process. You should be aware of your team’s capacity and each of its members in the process. Ambitious goals that do not match your team’s capacity will result in burnout and high turnover. On top of that, you will most likely fail to reach your target. Instead, divide projects into smaller tasks to motivate your team, and assign them reasonable deadlines.
Quiero compartir tips que me han servido mucho en la hora de incentivar a mi equipo clínico: Para impulsar la productividad del equipo de atención médica, implementa sistemas de retroalimentación efectivos. Fomenta un ambiente donde el personal se sienta cómodo compartiendo ideas y preocupaciones. Utiliza tecnología para agilizar procesos, como software de gestión de citas. Organiza sesiones de capacitación y desarrollo profesional para mejorar habilidades y motivación. Promueve la colaboración interdisciplinaria y el trabajo en equipo para abordar desafíos complejos
Challenge them, task a project that will make them think “outside of the box”and challenge them to create self confidence and acknowledge them with recognition amongst peers for a job well done. A good challenge helps build new skills, helps build confidence and gives one a sense of accomplishment.
Para impulsionar a produtividade da equipe de saúde, priorizo comunica??o clara, delega??o eficaz de tarefas, treinamento contínuo, e incentivos adequados. Além disso, promovo um ambiente de trabalho colaborativo e apoio emocional para garantir o bem-estar da equipe.
Another way to boost your team's productivity is to provide regular and constructive feedback and recognition. Feedback helps your team members identify their strengths and areas for improvement, learn from their mistakes, and adjust their actions accordingly. Recognition helps your team members feel valued, motivated, and engaged. To provide effective feedback and recognition, use the following guidelines: be timely, specific, balanced, and respectful. For example, instead of saying "good job", you could say "thank you for completing the report on time and with accurate data".
Develop a culture of trust so your team can grow better. Start by giving meaningful and constructive feedback regularly. Feedback will give people insight into their progress and performance quality. Good feedback is the one that’s objective, specific, and forward-moving. Your employees should understand it entirely. Maintain a positive attitude and highlight its importance for improving and growing your business. This can take some pressure off the people who are receiving feedback and put them at ease. Encourage your employees to give feedback to you. This will help them realize that the primary goal is professional development, not giving criticism.
El implementar sistemas de gestión del tiempo y la carga laboral es crucial para mejorar la productividad del equipo de atención médica. Utiliza herramientas digitales para asignar tareas de manera eficiente, establecer horarios y monitorear el progreso. Fomenta una cultura de colaboración y comunicación abierta para identificar cuellos de botella y optimizar procesos. Ofrece programas de capacitación en gestión del tiempo y técnicas de organización personal para empoderar a los miembros del equipo. Además, promueve un equilibrio adecuado entre el trabajo y la vida personal para prevenir el agotamiento y aumentar la motivación.
A productive team is also a collaborative and communicative team. Collaboration and communication help your team members share ideas, solve problems, learn from each other, and coordinate their efforts. To encourage collaboration and communication, use the following strategies: create a culture of trust and respect, use various channels and tools, such as email, phone, chat, or video conferencing, establish regular meetings and check-ins, and clarify roles and responsibilities. For example, you could assign a team leader for each project, create a shared calendar and document folder, and hold a weekly huddle to review progress and challenges.
Effective and transparent communication is the base for good cooperation and understanding between your team members. Of course, conflicts are normal and arise occasionally, but they will be less common with effectively conveyed messages. Digitalization made communication faster and more effective. Use shared platforms for communication, such as Slack. Collaboration programs that keep people informed about their progress are another great option. Jira is an excellent example. Whether you choose face-to-face communication, emails, or one of the business communication tools, keep it clear and concise. This is how your employees will get definite instructions, and be able to act according to the expectations.
Me gusta implementar herramientas de colaboración y comunicación de forma esencial para impulsar la productividad del equipo de atención en salud. Utiliza plataformas digitales colaborativas para facilitar la comunicación instantánea y el intercambio de información entre los miembros del equipo. Fomenta reuniones regulares para discutir ideas, resolver problemas y alinear objetivos. Establece canales de retroalimentación abiertos para promover una cultura de aprendizaje continuo y mejora. Además, asigna roles claros y responsabilidades definidas para optimizar la eficiencia y evitar duplicaciones de esfuerzos.
A productive team is also a healthy and balanced team. Wellness and balance help your team members cope with stress, prevent burnout, and maintain their physical and mental health. To promote wellness and balance, use the following practices: offer flexible work arrangements, such as telecommuting or part-time schedules, provide resources and support for wellness, such as counseling, fitness, or nutrition programs, encourage breaks and vacations, and model healthy behaviors yourself. For example, you could allow your team members to work from home once a week, organize a yoga class or a walking club, and take a lunch break every day.
People’s well-being in the workplace is a top priority. If your employees are not feeling hopeful and in a positive emotional state, their productivity will suffer. This is why mental well-being should be higher on the list of priorities than the company’s productivity or economy. Employees should be able to speak up about their concerns without fear of consequences. This kind of culture in the workplace helps create more resilient teams and individuals. Employees will feel safer by fostering a culture of communication, connection, and openness. It should encourage learning and failing without judgment. Work-life balance is key. Many tools can automatize your processes, so your employees should know how to use them.
Por lo general debemos fomentar el bienestar y el equilibrio dentro de nuestra organización ya que es esencial para aumentar la productividad del equipo de atención médica. Ofrece opciones de trabajo flexibles y apoyo para el bienestar físico y mental, como asesoramiento y actividades de ejercicio. Promueve descansos regulares y vacaciones para prevenir el agotamiento. Modela comportamientos saludables y crea un ambiente que valore el equilibrio entre el trabajo y la vida personal. Por ejemplo, implementa días de trabajo desde casa, organiza sesiones de ejercicio en el lugar de trabajo y anima a los miembros del equipo a tomar tiempo para desconectar.
As a healthcare leader, boosting team productivity requires a holistic approach that goes beyond just metrics and KPIs. The first step is to assess your team's overall wellbeing and job satisfaction. Are they feeling supported, engaged, and fulfilled in their roles? Anonymous surveys, check-ins, and open dialogues can provide valuable insights. Once you understand the drivers, you can implement targeted initiatives to address pain points. This could include, improving work-life balance, strengthening peer connections, or simply showing more gratitude. By prioritizing your team's holistic wellbeing, you'll likely see a natural lift in KPIs like patient satisfaction, quality, and operational efficiency.
A productive team is also a learning and improving team. Continuous improvement helps your team members adapt to changing needs, demands, and expectations, enhance their skills and knowledge, and innovate and optimize their processes. To implement continuous improvement, use the following methods: solicit and act on feedback from your team members, patients, and stakeholders, conduct regular performance reviews and evaluations, provide training and development opportunities , and apply quality improvement tools and techniques, such as Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles or root cause analysis. For example, you could ask your team members to complete a survey on their satisfaction and suggestions, review their performance indicators and goals quarterly, enroll them in a webinar or a workshop, and conduct a brainstorming session or a fishbone diagram to identify and address issues.
Be a facilitator for your team. Continuously monitor performance against specific metrics that measure their productivity and the success in those actions. Use 1:1 meetings with individuals to coach and motivate and team meetings to congratulate member's on their success. Use each meeting, individual, or as a group, to source what has been working, what has not, and where new tools or additional resources can assist in their work. This helps the team perform, but also know they are supported in their work, increasing engagement and reducing staff turnover/burn-out.
Implementar la mejora continua en salud implica revisar constantemente procesos, identificar áreas de mejora y aplicar cambios para optimizar la calidad de atención. Los beneficios incluyen la detección temprana de problemas, la eficiencia en la prestación de servicios, la satisfacción del paciente y la adaptación a nuevos avances médicos. Además, promueve una cultura de aprendizaje, fomenta la innovación y garantiza la excelencia en la atención, contribuyendo así a mejores resultados para pacientes y profesionales de la salud.
There is no such thing as a perfect process. Perfection would mean no need for a change but as long as our environment is changing, there will also be a need for us to change with it. Thus, we have to turn our focus to CPI (continuous process improvement) and the development of organizational dynamic capabilities to ensure sufficient productivity and success. Mistakes will be made, and productivity will have its ups and downs but it is essential that we power through and continue improving the process as we go to ensure that we can learn from our mistakes, move forward, and continue to grow.