Effective Interdisciplinary Teams

Clinical informatics is not a technical discipline; it is a socio-technical profession. It combines technical knowledge with procedural, organizational, and personnel assets to achieve its objectives successfully. Therefore, clinical informaticists must recruit qualified people, organize them into high-functioning teams, and use meetings to effectively orchestrate operational efforts within the clinical enterprise. The chapter begins with developing a human resource plan, defining jobs and job descriptions, recruiting and hiring employees, developing, evaluating, and compensating them, and, finally, maintaining a highly productive workforce. Next, the chapter describes how to leverage teams and teamwork because more than one person performs clinical informatics in the organization. The chapter discusses forming teams, defining a team charter and ground rules for the work, and aligning team members and task structure for maximum effect. The chapter also covers how to manage teams for maximum performance and how to handle inevitable conflicts. Key tenets for highly functioning teams include empowering members, defining responsibilities clearly, communicating transparently and effectively, and adapting rapidly. Finally, the chapter discusses how best to use meetings for maximum effect. While holding meetings is one of the most hallowed traditions in organizations, meetings are also among the most reviled business activities. Effective meetings require thorough planning, conscientious execution, and diligent follow-up. If a meeting needs to be held, attendees need to know the purpose of the meeting, how they can contribute maximally, and the action items resulting from the meeting. Holding meetings is an expensive but essential activity. Therefore, they should be treated with the attention they deserve. Understanding the material in this chapter should help you leverage personnel, teams, and meetings optimally to pursue your clinical informatics objectives.