It’s a manager’s dream to work with a happy, engaged and motivated team. But happiness is so subjective, and people’s motivations are so varied, that building a happy team is more down to luck than design, right?

And even if you do your best to create a positive environment, you can’t control outside issues that people may bring into the workplace that impact their morale and productivity.

There is a wealth of advice available on how to build a happy team, and we have numerous resources devoted to the issue, which you can explore here. But we were sure that you had your own proven strategies, too. So, we asked our friends and readers on social media, “What are your top tips for building a happy, engaged team?”…

https://www.mindtools.com/blog/2016/03/15/secret-of-a-happy-team/

In their work lives people routinely feel pulled between tasks that demand immediate attention and tasks that are important, the ones that bring them closer to achieving their long-term goals. Unfortunately, our and others’ research shows that people have a natural tendency to overly focus on the former (such as responding to mundane emails) at the expense of the latter.

One of the main reasons this happens is that human brains are wired to seek completion and the pleasure it brings — a tendency we term “completion bias.” Completing simple tasks, such as answering emails or posting updates on your Twitter account, takes little time and allows you to check off items on your to-do list. Our ongoing research (not yet published) has found that checking off items is psychologically rewarding: After you complete a task, being able to literally check a box makes you happier than when you are not given a box to check.

The danger, of course, is devoting too much time to the mundane and too little to important projects.

https://hbr.org/2016/03/your-desire-to-get-things-done-can-undermine-your-effectiveness

Advice for how to gracefully handle mistakes often emphasizes 1) taking responsibility for the error, 2) presenting a plan for the remedy, and then 3) fixing what was wrong. Although these directions sound simple, they can be extremely difficult to execute in real life. No one finds it easy to own up to a mistake — particularly a costly one.

Many people are afraid of appearing incompetent in front of our colleagues and bosses. But what we sometimes don’t realize is that it is worse to be viewed as a coward incapable of owning up to mistakes or accepting criticism. Rather than saying, “The plate dropped,” it is good practice to say, “I dropped the plate” — especially if that is exactly what happened. The best executives and investors “drop plates” all the time; without doing so, they would lack experience and a healthy understanding of risk.

Developing a culture where people feel comfortable admitting mistakes needs to start at the top, because employees watch their leaders for clues on acceptable behavior and etiquette. One of the most valuable things that a manager can teach her staff is the ability (no matter how embarrassing) to show fallibility, admit wrongdoing, listen to tough feedback, and persevere through the corrective action toward the next challenge.

https://hbr.org/2016/03/why-is-it-so-hard-for-us-to-admit-our-mistakes

The problem: Preventing inpatient falls has been a problem for the acute sector for many years and is associated with high risk for both the patient and the organisation. Approaches to risk reduction are complex because of the many factors involved and the published advice is plentiful. The challenge is to develop an approach which is both effective and sustainable.

Aintree’s solution: Our approach was multi-disciplinary, inclusive (with a focus on engagement) and locally owned by empowered staff; this we achieved through the Aintree Falls Prevention Collaborative. Launched in April 2014, the Collaborative included a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) of nurses (from Health Care Assistants to Matrons), occupational therapists, pharmacists, physiotherapists and doctors. A cohort of Falls Link Nurses and Champions were recruited from existing staff in clinical areas. A series of four meetings were planned over 12 months with key objectives for each and a timeline to develop a ‘Change package’.

The Collaborative used the Model for Improvement to provide a clear aim, structure and Driver Diagram to guide improvement work. The teams were empowered to identify steps to success which reduced falls; these steps were developed and tested using the ‘Plan-do-study-act’ (PDSA) approach. This led to the development of the ‘Aintree Change Package’, implemented in June 2015 and which comprises ‘7 steps to success’;

1: Patient activity boxes – a way of increasing activity for particularly elderly frail patients which enables cohorting when undertaking the activities and supervision

2: The use of Slipper Socks

3: The use of ‘Call Don’t Fall’ signs as reminders to prompt the use of call bells

4: Dignity v Safety – staff are proactive in asking patients about the level of supervision required at toileting

5: Hourly Comfort Rounds

6: The fixing of falls alarm bracket in patient bathrooms – encourages patients to carry the alarm with them at times of high risk activity

7: Education and Awareness of patients, carers and staff

Results: In 2014/15 we achieved a full year reduction in falls with harm of 11.5%

We had an aspirational goal to achieve a 15% reduction in falls with harm by the end of March 2016; by December 15 we achieved a 10.4% reduction and we are hopeful of reaching our stretch target by the end of March 2016.

http://www.fabnhsstuff.net/2016/03/28/aintree-falls-prevention-collaborative-change-package/

We have found that encouraging employees to be creative and independent — not obedient soldiers taking orders down the chain of command — makes everyone feel like they have a stake in a positive outcome. Recent research backs this up.

An HBR.org piece from earlier this year references a University of Michigan research study, which found that employees thrive when working in an atmosphere that is “positive and virtuous,” including being treated with respect and compassion, as well as being appreciated for the value for their contributions. Kindness can reinforce competence and lead to greater success. People who are treated kindly and with respect literally operate more from their pre-frontal cortex, associated with nuanced decision making, creativity and abstract thinking, rather than their amygdala, associated with the fight or flight response.

A mean boss may get short-term results, but sows the seeds for long-term systemic failure, as has been shown by Stanford’s Emma Seppala and Georgetown School of Business’s Christine Porath in her research.

We are convinced that a team characterized by trust, respect and admiration, working 40-hour work weeks, will outperform a similarly competent team characterized by fear, mistrust and scarcity thinking, frantically “being productive” 80 hours per week. The statistical evidence overwhelmingly supports that more than 50 hours per week leads to diminished returns.

Fear is not the same as respect, and kindness is not the inverse of competence People who believe their work truly benefits others and who are treated with respect in the workplace simply produce better results.

For managers who would like to move away from a pressure- and fear-based system to a more human way of leading, we suggest the following:

• Get clear on your “why.” Not the what or the how of delivering your product or service, but the deep intrinsic need that’s being met, your own motives and the feelings you create for customers.
• Understand what really matters to someone, whether an entry-level team member straight out of school or a veteran entrepreneur. Seek to understand what they really care about. This may sound obvious, but in the midst of pressure for deliverables, it’s often forgotten.
• Give to givers. Take time to give to folks who give, be cautious of people who always take.
• Give to takers as well. But in moderation and only if it’s immediate and urgent.
• Join communities of people who share your values about work, and meet with them frequently. Help one another as much as you can. The benefits may not be instant or self-evident, but there is cumulative power in ensuring that everyone thrives.

https://hbr.org/2016/03/a-managers-job-is-making-sure-employees-have-a-life-outside-work

It can be exhausting to work with a colleague whose story keeps changing. Just when we think we have resolution or agreement, we get an email suggesting that our colleague has shifted in another direction or reopened a can of worms that we thought had been put to bed. So how should you respond when this happens?

https://hbr.org/2016/03/what-to-do-when-a-colleague-cant-stick-to-a-decision

The problem All healthcare organisations strive to deliver high quality and appropriate care to patients. Achieving and maintaining consistently high standards across all ward/departments areas is the challenge and measuring the quality of care delivered by individuals and teams is not an easy task.

Aintree’s solution: The Aintree Assessment and Accreditation (AAA) framework is based on the ‘Essence of Care’ benchmarks, the Care Quality Commission’s ‘Essential Standards of Quality and Safety’ and other key clinical indicators. In use since April 2014, it assists clinical leaders to understand how they deliver care, identify what works well and where further improvements are needed. The framework comprises 14 standards used to assess wards and theatres on an annual basis, as a minimum, to ensure the relevant standards are implemented and maintained.

Aintree’s Outcomes: This approach to improvement has been a great success. Since April 2014, 7 wards have achieved ACE status.

The evidence suggests that this approach has greatly improved standards and quality of care; we have seen

– A decrease in pressure ulcers

– A decrease in falls with harm

– We have improved our patient experience ratings and now feature in the top 20% of Trusts nationally

– Our inpatient family and friends test (FFT) score has been higher than the Merseyside and national average for over a year

Other aspects of working at Aintree have been enhanced by the AAA and include

– Significant improvements in assurance reports to the Board

– Team cohesion on wards

– Team pride

– MDT involvement in achievement of ACE

– Focussed and individualised plans for the ward/department for improving standards

– The opportunity for the Trust to recognise and celebrate hard work and achievement on the part of individuals and teams.

http://www.fabnhsstuff.net/2016/03/23/raising-standards-nursing-care-aintrees-assessment-accreditation-aaa-system/