Question

Creating effective interdisciplinary teams can be difficult if members do not report to the team leader. This is a common issue in health care because each discipline tends to have its own director/manager. How does a team leader enforce participation if he/she does not manage team members?

Answer 1

In this type of situation where apart from the team leader, there is a reporting system to functional head. The team leader should follow the guidelines of organization and request each functional head to direct their subordinates to cooperate in team structure. He should try to inform team members that why there is a need of active participation in the team. A standard reporting system may be deployed with the help of top level managers and respective chiefs of the various functional areas. Benefits to members should also be highlighted in relation to their participation and contributions to the team . A day to day reporting based on online system can be established which should be attached to HR department's performance management system. There should be a reward and punishment mechanism to the team formulated. Even , if possible, he should negotiate for his extraordinary power in relation to govern the team.