Developing Highly Productive & Positive Staff

10 key management strategies and examples from the Contraceptive CHOICE Project

Objectives

• Understand what motivates CHOICE staff to be highly productive and positive

• Review 10 effective management strategies used to develop an optimal team

• Discuss examples from the CHOICE Project

We asked staff:

What are some things that management/colleagues have done that have

helped you become a highly effective and positive member of the CHOICE team?

CHOICE staff responded:

• Manager’s door was always open if I needed to talk or had questions

• There were always opportunities for learning new things

• Job expectations were clearly communicated to me

Amanda Unanue, CHOICE Research Assistant 2008-2011

Christina Buckel, CHOICE Data Manager 2008-

Valerie Rainey, CHOICE Receptionist 2007-2012

CHOICE staff responded: • I never felt like I was

“getting in trouble” if I did something wrong

• Managers and my co-workers were willing to step in and help get tasks completed to reach goals

• Meetings and emails always ended on a positive note

Danielle Grunloh, CHOICE Research & Medical Assistant 2010-

Gina Secura, CHOICE Project Director 2007-

Ragini Maddipati, CHOICE Study Coordinator 2009-

CHOICE staff responded…

• All staff were treated as important members of the team

• I was always thanked verbally and in a written note for a job well done

• My perspective is always sought for inclusion in the discussion

CHOICE Research Assistants:Elena Jones, 2010-

Kristin Rankin, 2008-2011Torri Brown, 2009-2012Jenny David, 2008-2010

Jenny Mullersman, Clinical Research Nurse Coordinator,

2006-

Hilary Broughton, CHOICE Community Engagement &

Dissemination Coordinator, 2009-

CHOICE staff responded…• I felt very welcomed to the team

when colleagues invited me to lunch the first day of work

• Created a supportive environment where I could interact with my colleagues to ask questions and get support

• I had opportunities to ask CHOICE doctors and nurse practitioners questions to enhance my clinical knowledge

Karen Omvig, CHOICE Education & Training Coordinator 2008-

Elex Hobbs, CHOICE Data Assistant 2008-

Jenny Waxler, CHOICE Research Assistant 2008-2010

Highly Productive and Positive Staff

1. Create effective

leadership2. Encourage

staff participation

3. Value each team member

4. Open communication

5. Train in conflict

resolution6. Provide training and professional

growth

7. Recognize individual

contributions

8. Provide constructive

criticism

9. Foster cooperation,

not competition

10. Celebrate achievements as

a team

10 management strategies to develop an optimal team

1. Create effective leadership

• Develop a hiring process that will help identify the best potential candidates

• Give constant reinforcement to all staff of the organization’s mission and goals

• Develop clear and realistic objectives to accomplish goals with specific roles, expectations and performance standards

Effective leadership at CHOICE: • Conducted job skills analysis, used

standardized interview and grading systems, candidates interview with multiple members of entire team

• Updated staff on progress toward short- and long-term goals at weekly all-staff meeting

• Distributed participant quotes on colored paper weekly that reinforced importance of the CHOICE mission & energized staff

• Created a comprehensive training manual

2. Encourage staff participation

• Have staff participate at all levels of decision making; some of the best ideas occur when given the freedom to voice an opinion

• Use all-staff meetings as a forum to troubleshoot system inefficiencies and develop solutions

• Construct activities and tasks that promote working together as a team

Staff participation at CHOICE:

• Used all-staff meeting as forum to increase patient flow efficiency

• Staff continuously provided feedback on modifications to clinical and research forms

3. Value each team member• Foster an environment where all staff input is

encouraged and appreciated• Select staff to participate on additional

projects based on strengths and interests—not solely on job title

• Ensure all team members are aware of what role other staff plays on the team

Examples from CHOICE:• Managers sought individual input

from all staff members on issues affecting the Project

• CHOICE receptionist coordinated health fair participation; research assistants participated in data analysis and publications; data manager starred in CHOICE video projects

• Implemented “staff expert of the day”: each team member presented information about their role in the project at a staff meeting

4. Open communication

• Management is always available to discuss concerns and answer questions

• Keep staff updated on what is happening in the organization

• Inform staff of how their performance relates to organizational goals

Open communication in CHOICE:• Managers always had their

doors open

• Kept staff updated through: – Emails – Staff meetings– “Water cooler” updates

• Conducted individual annual performance reviews with all staff members

5. Train in conflict resolution

• Recognize conflicts can arise between staff, especially when workload increases

• Provide staff with necessary skills to resolve conflicts between one another

• Develop protocol for addressing grievances if staff are unable to resolve problem on their own

Conflict resolution in CHOICE

• Management conscious of workload increases and remained perceptive to stress levels and potential conflicts among staff

• Used small group department meetings to reinforce conflict resolution skills

• Consulted with Washington University Human Resources when conflict persisted

6. Provide training and professional growth opportunities

• Provide staff with tools necessary to do their jobs successfully

• Invite staff to attend low- or no-cost community lectures and seminars relevant to the position or organizational mission

• Give staff opportunities to increase their knowledge and skill sets

CHOICE training and professional growth opportunities:

• Created a personalized day-to-day training schedule for new staff

• Invited staff to participate and present in academic conferences

• CHOICE doctors held monthly “lunch & learn” educational sessions on reproductive health issues for staff

7. Recognize individual contributions

• Make each person feel like an important member of the team

• Encourage all members of the team to recognize contributions of a team member

• Promote a positive team atmosphere

CHOICE examples of individual recognition:

Recognized employment anniversary dates with

congratulatory homemade banners

Recognized birthdays with a card signed by all staff

Recognized individual efforts toward a goal with personal

acknowledgement and a certificate at staff meetings

8. Provide constructive criticism

• Address the incident soon after it happens• Focus on issue at hand—do not mix positive

and negative feedback• Choose words that focus on behavior to be

changed; not the person• Give reason why it's an issue and state impact it

had on staff, organization, or the patient • Collaborate together to come up with

ideas for improvement

CHOICE example of constructive criticism:

Issue: Staff member scheduled several people under the wrong name in the scheduling system.

Management Action: Send email to staff member requesting meeting. Discuss issue at hand, importance of scheduling patients correctly, and affect it has on the Project and/or patient. Offer

additional training if necessary.

Resolution: Manager and staff member collaborate to come up with strategies to prevent this mistake from occurring in the future. Manager and staff member set a meeting 2 weeks after

occurrence to revisit the issue and progress.

9. Instill cooperation, not competition

• Cross train staff—including management—across positions so they can step in when needed

• Encourage staff to ask team members for help when needed

• Treat staff as capable, competent people and expect them to function as such

• Provide a clean, bright, attractive and cheerful workplace

Cooperation, not competition at CHOICE:

• Manager covered enrollment or phone survey when research assistant was overscheduled

• Each staff person at CHOICE has personal work space with adequate lighting and storage

10. Celebrate achievements as a team

• Help foster a shared sense of pride• Recognize the success of the team!• Re-energize team to accomplish the next goal

Team celebrations at CHOICE:

• Organized a potluck picnic in the park to thank staff for commitment to excellence and positive work ethic

• Received congratulatory emails from CHOICE Principal Investigator & Project Director for reaching goals

• Celebrated reaching our enrollment goal of 9,256 with a catered party on a weekend that included staff & our families

• Management brought snacks to break room with a thank you note for reaching short-term goals

• Project Director called an impromptu meeting at the end of day after reaching a long-term goal to toast a job well done with a sparkling beverage

Summary

• Highly productive and positive staff form a cohesive team that get things done

• An upbeat team atmosphere can promote quality patient care and satisfaction

• Refer to the Effective Staffing & Management module in the Resource Center for additional ideas