The Importance of Team-Based Rewards to Healthcare Organizations
Fowler, T., Garr, D., Mager, N. D. P., & Stanley, J. (2020). Enhancing primary care and preventive services through Interprofessional practice and education. Israel Journal of Health Policy Research, 9(1), 1-5. Web.
Fowler et al. (2020) state that team-based rewards in healthcare enhance primary care quality for patients. Fowler et al. (2020) demonstrate the role of team-based rewards using continuing professional development (CPD) and interprofessional education (IPE) concepts. In this context, Fowler et al. (2020) examined how CPD and IPE impact leadership support in healthcare. The research revealed that team-based rewards enhance the support from healthcare leaders to team members. The initiatives provide healthcare managers with the best chances of communicating and directing their juniors to improve the quality of services they offer. Similarly, Fowler et al. (2020) confirmed that team-based rewards improve the quality of continuing professional education and development among healthcare providers. This helps improve skills, reduce competence gaps, and enhance the functionalities of professional teams for better service delivery in healthcare.
Kossaify, A., Hleihel, W., & Lahoud, J. C. (2017). Team-based efforts to improve quality of care, the fundamental role of ethics, and the responsibility of health managers: monitoring and management strategies to enhance teamwork. Public Health, 153, 91-98. Web.
Kossaify et al. (2017) review of the literature confirms that in healthcare organizations, team-based rewards enhance providers’ professionalism and work ethics. The role of team-based training in Kossaify et al. (2017) is to improve compliance with the professional code of ethics among healthcare providers such as nurses, general physicians, and psychiatrists. Kossaify et al. (2017) confirmed that team-based efforts, including rewards, allow healthcare managers to easily implement changes, policies, and strategies to improve service quality. The rewards also enhance cooperation among providers and managers and improve the functions, productivity, and structure of leadership in healthcare organizations based on Kossaify et al. (2017) findings.
The Most Effective Types of Team-based Rewards in Healthcare Organizations
Cizmic, Z., Novikov, D., Feng, J., Iorio, R., & Meftah, M. (2019). Alternative payment models in total joint arthroplasty under the Affordable Care Act. JBJS reviews, 7(3), e4. Web.
Cizmic et al. (2019) demonstrate gain-sharing as a team-based rewarding technique that is effective and commonly used in healthcare organizations. The approach entails sharing the profits made by healthcare organizations among the physicians in teams to improve their productivity and morale. Cizmic et al. (2019) show that reducing production expenses in healthcare allows organizations to save more funds used to incentivize providers such as doctors and nurses. For instance, Cizmic et al. (2019) show that the approach encourages providers to reduce the cost of surgical treatments, transplants, and equipment in healthcare procedures such as orthopedic implantation. Thus, the method allows healthcare firms to improve the net pays, salaries, and bonuses for members of professional teams providing healthcare services.
Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). (2022). What is the difference between a discretionary and a non-discretionary bonus? SHRM.org. Web.
The society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) (2022) shows that discretionary and non-discretionary bonuses are applicable in rewarding healthcare professionals’ teams. SHRM (2022) affirms that discretionary bonuses limit or restrict employers from disclosing the type of rewards they are willing to provide to employees. In discretionary bonuses, employees have limited knowledge about how their employers reward their performances. On the other hand, the non-discretionary approach requires employers to disclose the criteria and pre-determine the type of bonuses for the employees based on their performances (SHRM, 2022). Therefore, these bonuses help healthcare organizations to financially motivate workers’ teams based on pre-determined rewards and recognition criteria. They consist of additional monetary compensation for workers to improve their work performance while collaborating with colleagues.
The Impact of Team-based Rewards on Productivity
Arnold, D. R. (2017). Countervailing incentives in value-based payment. In Healthcare (Vol. 5, No. 3, pp. 125-128). Elsevier. Web.
Arnold’s (2017) study shows that team rewards enhance the morale of healthcare workers. This results in positive performance when providing primary, secondary, and tertiary care services to patients in their facilities. Arnold (2017) demonstrates that financial rewards in healthcare are extrinsic motivations for providers to improve their skills and productivity when managing patients’ issues. Thus, the financial rewards of professionals extrinsically motivate them to be productive in their healthcare roles. Arnold (2017) also demonstrates that in organizations where providers or healthcare professionals lack intrinsic motivation for positive performance, the financial group rewards enhance their productivity. Thus, one can conclude that the group rewards complement or substitutes intrinsic motivation for healthcare providers for better workplace performances.
Coleman, D. L., & Joiner, K. A. (2021). Physician Incentive Compensation Plans in Academic Medical Centers: The Imperative to Prioritize Value. The American Journal of Medicine, 134(11), 13441349. Web.
Coleman and Joiner’s (2021) study alludes that team-based rewards are essential in improving employee job satisfaction and retention. In the research, Coleman and Joiner (2021) examined the role of physician incentive compensation plans on their morale and job satisfaction. The research concluded that organizations should use these incentivization initiatives for physicians should reward their value and productivity. For instance, Coleman and Joiner (2021) recommend that healthcare organizations reward physicians based on the quality of services they offer and patient ratings rather than the number of patients they serve. In the end, this extrinsically and intrinsically motivates physicians and other providers to improve their productivity for better healthcare performance. Similarly, physician-incentivizing approaches make providers feel appreciated and inspired to continue providing quality patient services (Coleman & Joiner, 2021). This reduces the risks of providers quitting or transferring to other organizations because of poor remuneration or payments that undermine their financial needs.
The Challenges or Barriers to Implementing Team-Based Rewards in Healthcare Organizations
Khullar, D., Wolfson, D., & Casalino, L. P. (2018). Professionalism, performance, and the future of physician incentives. Jama, 320(23), 2419-2420. Web.
Khullar et al. (2018) confirm that unprofessionalism and poor leadership are the biggest challenges to incorporating team-based rewards in healthcare. In this sense, inappropriate and unprofessional team leadership styles negatively affect the development, planning, and implementation of monetary and non-monetary rewards for healthcare professionals in the sector. For instance, Khullar et al. (2018) demonstrate that the lack of inclusive, information-based, and consensus-based decision-making among healthcare leaders hinders the successful implementation of group rewarding techniques. These challenges increase healthcare organizations’ risks of only providing monetary benefits for providers, which are extrinsic motivations (Khullar et al., 2018). Generally, healthcare organizations with poor leadership fail to include providers in deciding the types of incentives that resonate with their needs. This makes healthcare organizations implement inappropriate rewards for professional teams that eventually fail to improve their performance and job satisfaction.
Zajac, S., Woods, A., Tannenbaum, S., Salas, E., & Holladay, C. L. (2021). Overcoming challenges to teamwork in healthcare: A team effectiveness framework and evidence-based guidance. Frontiersin.org. Web.
Lack of accountability is another major problem that hinders the successful implementation of team-based rewards in healthcare, as provided by Zajac et al. (2021). Zajac et al. (2021) demonstrate that leadership problems create accountability issues among juniors, seniors, and healthcare managers. For instance, healthcare leaders and professional teams have difficulties being held responsible for their actions and professional conduct because of accountability issues. The team members have difficulties accepting blame and punishment from their leaders to improve their performance. This makes it challenging for healthcare organizations to implement effective approaches to punishing or rewarding professional teams based on their productivity. Moreover, accountability challenges also affect how leaders evaluate the performance of professional teams before and after team-based reward implementation.
Contemporary Evidence-based Practices to Control the Challenges of Implementing Team-Based Rewards Healthcare Organizations
Aufegger, L., Shariq, O., Bicknell, C., Ashrafian, H., & Darzi, A. (2019). Can shared leadership enhance clinical team management? A systematic review. Leadership in Health Services. Web.
Aufegger et al. (2019) show that shared leadership is among the ways that evidently mitigate the challenges of implementing team-based efforts and rewards in healthcare. According to Aufegger et al. (2019), shared leadership provides social, emotional, and mental support for healthcare workers working in teams. This help in intrinsically motivating team members in healthcare professional teams. Aufegger et al. (2019) also indicate that shared leadership improves self-awareness among team members. This will also support the evaluation of providers’ performance, strengths, weaknesses, and areas of improvement before, during, and after implementing team-based rewards.
Gregory, M. E., Hughes, A. M., Benishek, L. E., Sonesh, S. C., Lazzara, E. H., Woodard, L. D., & Salas, E. (2021). Toward the development of the perfect medical team: Critical components for adaptation. Journal of Patient Safety, 17(2), e47-e70. Web.
According to Gregory et al. (2021), the best evidence-based methods of managing implementation challenges for team-based rewarding include the attitudes, behaviors, and cognitions (ABCs) model. The ABC approach requires healthcare managers and organizations to support positive behavioral, emotional, and cognitive changes among health professionals’ teams. Gregory et al. (2021) indicate that the approach demands that healthcare workers have attitudes, characters, and thoughts that match team-based efforts and objectives. The system also demands that healthcare workers consider the interests of patients, their families, colleagues, and other stakeholders while working as a team to encourage positive professional conduct. Ultimately, this will reduce leadership and accountability issues in team-based efforts and reward implementation.
References
Arnold, D. R. (2017). Countervailing incentives in value-based payment. In Healthcare (Vol. 5, No. 3, pp. 125-128). Elsevier. Web.
Aufegger, L., Shariq, O., Bicknell, C., Ashrafian, H., & Darzi, A. (2019). Can shared leadership enhance clinical team management? A systematic review. Leadership in Health Services. Web.
Cizmic, Z., Novikov, D., Feng, J., Iorio, R., & Meftah, M. (2019). Alternative payment models in total joint arthroplasty under the Affordable Care Act. JBJS reviews, 7(3), e4. Web.
Coleman, D. L., & Joiner, K. A. (2021). Physician Incentive Compensation Plans in Academic Medical Centers: The Imperative to Prioritize Value. The American Journal of Medicine, 134(11), 13441349. Web.
Fowler, T., Garr, D., Mager, N. D. P., & Stanley, J. (2020). Enhancing primary care and preventive services through Interprofessional practice and education. Israel Journal of Health Policy Research, 9(1), 1-5. Web.
Gregory, M. E., Hughes, A. M., Benishek, L. E., Sonesh, S. C., Lazzara, E. H., Woodard, L. D., & Salas, E. (2021). Toward the development of the perfect medical team: Critical components for adaptation. Journal of Patient Safety, 17(2), e47-e70. Web.
Khullar, D., Wolfson, D., & Casalino, L. P. (2018). Professionalism, performance, and the future of physician incentives. Jama, 320(23), 2419-2420. Web.
Kossaify, A., Hleihel, W., & Lahoud, J. C. (2017). Team-based efforts to improve quality of care, the fundamental role of ethics, and the responsibility of health managers: monitoring and management strategies to enhance teamwork. Public Health, 153, 91-98. Web.
Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). (2022). What is the difference between a discretionary and a non-discretionary bonus? SHRM.org. Web.
Zajac, S., Woods, A., Tannenbaum, S., Salas, E., & Holladay, C. L. (2021). Overcoming challenges to teamwork in healthcare: A team effectiveness framework and evidence-based guidance. Frontiersin.org. Web.