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Is Your Medical Group Storming?
Another important group dynamic at play in medical groups relates to a key theory about how teams develop over time. This theory is known as the Four Stages of Team Development. Under this concept, a group or team goes through a set of identifiable stages that affect their performance as a group. These stages include: more…
Physicians Are Conflict Avoiders?
As any medical group looks to create or improve its system of governance, important concepts of group dynamics must be considered. Of most importance to medical groups is how individuals approach conflict management in group settings. Two researchers (Thomas and Kilmann) found that people react in one of five basic ways when faced with interpersonal more…
Overcoming the “Dirty Little Secret” – Part 2
In my last post, I discussed the “dirty little secret” that many medical groups suffer from, and recommended that all medical groups should ask and answer the following questions: How will the group make decisions? (Best answer: discuss and vote). What is expected of each physician once a decision has been made? (Best answer: adhere more…
Overcoming the “Dirty Little Secret” – Part 1
Effective group governance is now a survival skill for medical groups. Unfortunately, many medical groups, both large and small, suffer from something I call the “Dirty Little Secret.” Here’s how it goes: An individual physician thinks: “If I don’t like a group decision, or I didn’t vote for the decision, I don’t have to abide more…