There is more than one way to skin a cat, or so the old saying goes. While there are many problems in the world today, there are just as many approaches that can help to fix those problems. The beauty and effect of group-based problem solving can be seen in many different places today, including in places you may have never expected. Consider, for instance, Survivor, the extremely popular CBS show in which people from all over the country are dropped together in an island setting where they are asked to survive with minimal help. In this scenario, the people on the show come together and form helpful groups to ensure they get problems solved and get the job done.
In the beginning, some people emerge as being capable and helpful, but it does not stay this way for everyone. As fatigue sets in, some members just cannot hack it, and they become liabilities. Stress levels go way up, and the group will eventually decide to get rid of those who are not helping at the end of the show. Toward the end of the show, with only a few left, it becomes every man for himself, as people explain why they deserve to stay while others go. While this may seem just to be a game show, it is actually a good metaphor for what happens in settings in workplaces across the country. This is especially true in the world of healthcare, where group-based problem solving is critical to good patient care.
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"Factors Affecting Quality of Group Output".
There are many different ways to make groups work. This paper will undertake to explain how both conjunctive and disjunctive tasks in small groups can either contribute to or hold back good performance in those groups. Many have studied this topic. Steiner, for instance, produced the Taxonomy of Tasks when he wanted to get why some groups experience process deficits. This work showed that three primary factors are critical in performance and output. Component, focus, and interdependence all contribute either to positive or negative outcomes. Within these categories, conjunctive tasks are those that are placed under the interdependence category.
In a conjunctive setting, all team members have to contribute to the group’s goals in order for the final goal to be achieved. This is often how things work in a surgical room. In the ER, all people have a role to play, from the lead surgeon who is conducting the surgery to the nurses who provide the materials for surgery. Every person there must do their job or the surgery will fail. As the textbook suggests, those groups in which some members are not able to fulfill their role will almost certainly fail to succeed in meeting that final goal.
As research shows, there is an incentive for no group member to be the big loser. Even people who sometimes lack the skills and knowledge of more qualified people in the group can work hard to achieve at the same levels as other group members. This is the effect of quality motivation. The Koehler effect, as described by Kerr et al (2009), describes the hard work put in by inferior team members to live up to the expectations of those around them. This comes from the important concept of social comparison, in which people compare their worth to others, and mutual indispensability (Kerr & Hertel, 2011).
The interdisciplinary health team can face similar issues when trying to solve problems that can affect patient safety and health outcomes. Working conjunctively on assignments can have added benefits, as long as there is no ostracism of group members. Healthcare teams walk a tightrope between using these tactics to enhance motivation and creating a situation in which people feel inferior and thus perform worse at their jobs. Navigating these issues is key in achieving positive health outcomes.
