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“Managing Up” Can Improve Teamwork in the OR
Author(s) -
Smith Sandra Lee
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
aorn journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.222
H-Index - 43
eISSN - 1878-0369
pISSN - 0001-2092
DOI - 10.1016/j.aorn.2009.08.014
Subject(s) - teamwork , accountability , assertiveness , work (physics) , organizational culture , patient safety , patient care , public relations , business , nursing , psychology , health care , medicine , management , engineering , social psychology , political science , mechanical engineering , law , economics
Abstract Holding each team member accountable for following policies and behaving professionally in the work environment should be the responsibility of all perioperative personnel, not just the department manager. A culture in which employees “manage up” is one in which they communicate with each other in respectful ways and feel comfortable correcting each other when they see negative behaviors or inconsistencies in patient care delivery. Creating a culture in which employees feel empowered to manage up requires education, support of management, and staff member assertiveness. Ultimately, individual accountability and effective teamwork can help ensure patient safety.