Belbin Personality Theory and Reflective Practice
This is a critical reflection essay on personal experiences while working with a team. The reflection will focus on the leadership roles/skills. The essay will demonstrate an understanding of the leadership theories and be able to highlight them. The reflection will also explain how leadership or leadership skills influences/impacts on the professional standards and the legislation so as to ensure that the patient receives patient-centered care. The role in the team will be stipulated by the Belbin personality scale. It will demonstrate how these experiences relates to my Berlin personality profile and also in developing my professional practice and patient care within the professional legislation and standards. I will use Gibb’s reflection cycle (1988) to reflect on the above.
My role in the team as stipulated by the Berlin personality scale was (Berlin, Carlström and Sandberg, 2012); team-worker and plant. Therefore, my roles as a team-worker were to be co-operative, be diplomatic and perceptive. I was also supposed to avert frictions that arise when working together. As a plant, I was expected to be creative, be a free thinker, be imaginative, be able to come up with ideas and solve problems (Berlin, Carlström and Sandberg, 2012).
The team activity was building a trailer using the available materials as a group. The number of trailers to be built depended on the number of students in a group. We were supposed to build the trailers without the designers as the lecturer left with the designers. Some other groups waited for the designers to instruct them but in our group, we sat next to the MTA kit and started on the construction. The most unfortunate thing that happened was that our group did split into three. The group work turned into individualized work as no one cared what the other person was doing. My team had no leader to influence the other to complete the task. The group work lacked cooperation, had ineffective communication, and it lacked interest to be guided/directed. This combination translated to tasks not being completed. My group (team) had three incomplete trailer models.
I felt that the group did not portray teamwork at all. Two, no leader emerged in the group. Lastly, we failed to complete the task which translates to a fail, this made me feel bad. The group got divided into three. There was no cooperation among the team players. There was no leader to influence the others to complete the task successfully. The team lacked effective communication. In addition to this we did not follow the instructions or rather we did not consult the designer on how to construct the trailers. We made three incomplete trailers which are a fail in the subject. Seeing the problems that had risen I should have boldly stepped up and come up with solutions.
Understanding Leadership Skills and Their Impact on Patient-Centered Care
The bad experiences while working as a group/team were as follows; one, lack of cooperation which leads to the division in the group, rather than working together the group broke into three, each group made their own trailer. Two, there was lack of effective communication in the group, this destroyed the group work even more. Three, the group/team lacked a good leader. There was no one to lead, direct, or instruct. Four, the end result was three unfinished trailers. This means a failure in the unit/subject. The only good experience from all this was being able to start a project and make something out of the materials given even though it was not complete. The roles that the Berlin prolife bestoned on me were accurate although I did not act accordingly. I should have boldly spoken up and solved the issues that did arise. In future I know better, I will act better.
The roles bestowed on me by the berlin’s personality scale showed that I was a team player and a leader. The berlin personality profile has an efficacy of over 90%, so this were my right roles. I should have boldly taken the role of the leader to influence/lead the rest to the attainment of the goal. As stipulated by National Health services (NHS) and the Health and Care Professional Counsil (HCPC), (2012), stipulates that in health care provision, leadership is shared among the professionals. There is an aspect of shared responsibility among the health care providers. As a team leader, I should have ensured that there were effective communication and cooperation in the team. I should also have come up with solutions to the problems we faced as a group considering that Berlin scale termed as a plant.
The goal is to develop leadership skills, improve on communication skills and be a team player. A leader is a person who can influence others in the attainment of a goal (Stogdil, 2017). The above clearly showed that I lacked leadership skills and I was not a team player. Me and other health care providers needs lessons on leadership skills that is; leading, instructing, coordinating, problems solving and cooperating with others (Bass, 2009). Secondly, I should be taught on effective communication and its importances. I also need to attain the qualities of a team player; be cooperative, work together and be helpful. This is important as in future when I encounter such situations, I will be able to tackle them more effectively. I will be able to lead, cooperate, solve problems and I will be able to establish effective communication (Uhl-Bien, Marion, & McKelvey, 2007)
The Importance of Effective Communication, Teamwork, and Good Leadership in Patient Care
BBC NEWS, (2018) reported a case in kenya where by a surgeon performed a brain surgery on the wrong patient. This is a good example of poor leadership and lack of teamwork. Patient care is multi-disciplinary, different health care providers works together. As the name suggests, the patient-centered care focusses on the patients needs (holistic care). As mentioned above, effective teamwork among the different health providers requires good leaders and teamwork.
Effective communication is key in teamwork and good leadership. In patient care it is very essential as it helps in patient’s diagnosis, plan of care and educating the patient and his/her family (De Vito 2011; Burnard, 2014; Bensing, 2011). Effective communication is portrayed when on listens actively, asks for clarification, reflects on their acts and show empathy (Balzert-Riley 2011; Petrie 2013). The HCPC, (2012) one of the standards of conduct, performance and ethics states that, one must work in partnership with other health care providers so as to make appropriate decisions. It adds that, as a leader one should delegate, be honest, be respectful, raise concerns and be an effective communicator.
Timmins and McCabe (2015; The Society of Radiographers, (2015) states that leadership is the fundemental to delivering effective, high quality, safe health care. The team leaders, should coordinate different disciplines, ensure there is cooperation and ensure that all activities are directed towards a certain goal. As mentioned above, in the health care system leadership is shared, therefore, if problems arises they can be reported and corrected in time to avoid putting the patient’s life in danger. Ensures that there is ethical consideration is intergrated in patient care.
Conclusion
It is clear that patient care requires an effective teamwork, effective communication, and good leadership. This is to ensure that the standards and legislation on patient’s centered care have been met. It is therefore important to ensure that the healthcare providers have been taught on how to create/establish effective communication. should be taught about the qualities of a good leader. Lastly, they should be taught how to be good team players and on the importance of being team players.
References
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