Impact of Team Relocation on Effective Communication Within Groups
In a surprising turn of events, the relocation of a radiation treatment team within a cancer centre during expansion has led to several unforeseen consequences. A study led by Jillian Chown, an associate professor of management and organizations at Kellogg, has shed light on these issues, offering valuable insights for organizations across various sectors.
The primary concerns stem from impaired communication, trust erosion, and decreased team cohesion. When teams are physically or functionally separated, trust can deteriorate, as members hesitate to share information or engage openly, fearing unintended repercussions or misunderstandings. This weakens collaboration and mutual support essential for complex care delivery, such as radiation treatment in a cancer centre.
One of the key unintended consequences is the loss of shared context and learning. Separation disrupts the flow of past actionable knowledge and decisions, leading to a phenomenon known as "retro amnesia." Important lessons and ongoing improvement actions are lost or forgotten, resulting in recurring issues, reduced energy for change, and inefficiencies as decisions must be revisited unnecessarily.
The change also affected the overall organizational performance. Team restructuring that reduces interdependence and shared values can negatively impact an organization's success. Teams that no longer understand their roles in a unified context or lose mutual trust see reduced effectiveness and performance in service delivery.
Communication barriers and delays are another significant issue. Separate locations or organizational silos impede timely communication, which is crucial in treatments requiring coordination and rapid response. Misalignment or delays can impact patient safety, care quality, and team morale.
The relocation has also led to cultural fragmentation, making it difficult to maintain shared values and norms critical for cohesive team function and alignment with organizational goals.
In the cancer centre example, relocating the radiation treatment team away from oncology colleagues likely led to difficulties in real-time communication, disrupted collaborative treatment planning, and reduced spontaneous coordination, illustrating these consequences.
The study found that the cancer centre's expansion and relocation have led to fewer face-to-face interactions among clinicians. Clinicians who moved to another building use the treatment-planning room less often, and clinicians who stayed in the main building also showed a decrease in usage. Email communication has increased among radiation teams instead of face-to-face interactions in the treatment-planning room.
However, the study offers a glimmer of hope. Clinicians continued to use the treatment-planning room for the most complicated cases, suggesting that the room is still valuable for complex decision-making processes. Moreover, the study found anecdotally that the relocation did not significantly impact the quality of care provided.
These insights underscore the importance of leaders being aware of when it is most necessary for employees to collaborate in person. Organizations that grow or move need to be prepared for these consequences and should consider maintaining co-location or ensuring robust cross-team communication tools and shared processes to mitigate such risks.
The study's implications extend beyond the healthcare sector, suggesting the importance of considering potential unintended consequences when scaling and designing organizations. In the post-pandemic world, it is often left up to the workers themselves to determine which work can be done remotely. However, understanding the potential impact of such decisions on team dynamics and performance is crucial for ensuring organizational success.
- The study reveals that when teams are physically or functionally separated, such as in a workplace, trust can deteriorate, hindering collaboration and mutual support, especially in health-and-wellness sectors like mental health, health-and-wellness, and fitness-and-exercise.
- In business expansion, the loss of shared context and learning can occur, leading to recurring issues, reduced energy for change, and inefficiencies, as the flow of past actionable knowledge and decisions is disrupted, causing a phenomenon known as "retro amnesia."
- Leaders should be aware of when it is most necessary for employees to collaborate in person, as less face-to-face interaction among clinicians can lead to communication barriers and delays, impacting service delivery, patient safety, care quality, and team morale.
- As technology continues to advance and remote work becomes more prevalent, like in the post-pandemic world, understanding the potential impact of such decisions on team dynamics and performance is crucial for organizations across various sectors, including science, finance, leadership, and technology, to ensure organizational success.
