Have everyone on your team play the same game

Cohesive action by multidisciplinary teams requires everyone to play the same game. But the less time team members spend together — or the more the situation around them changes — the harder it is to agree on what the game is about. Unfortunately, newly formed groups and rapidly changing situations are exactly what you are likely to encounter when leading a team during an emergency.

So, when you lead (or work on) a multidisciplinary team, how do you make sure everyone understands the mission and starts moving in a common direction? The answer is Meta-conversation– The one you had before you actually started working together.

In this article, we’ll look at three key questions teams should agree on before getting to work. The clearer their shared answers, the more complex their actions become. The less compatibility, the greater the collision.

Is this a crisis?

As I did Written about it beforeThere is a big difference between a bad situation and a real crisis. In crises, the normal rules often do not apply. Teams can rely on creative and unconventional problem solving. Everyone realizes the seriousness of the situation, and this problem must be solved, and there is no way to retreat from it.

Imagine that a small manufacturing company is experiencing a sudden cash flow problem. If everyone realizes that failure to meet a critical matter could sink the company, they can bend the rules and act creatively to succeed. But if some don’t realize the risks, they will put up roadblocks.

In medicine, this question is often formalized. In the emergency department, for example, A shock Activation can be triggered by the patient’s vital signs, mechanism of injury, or the judgment of a senior clinician. As soon as the shock page appears, everyone knows: this is serious, and emergency rules apply.

What is the scope of our mission?

The second part of the meta-conversation helps teams define the scope of their problem. Do they fix one machine? Rebuild the line? Redesign the entire system?

When team members hold different ideas about the scope and purpose of their mission, confusion and friction follow. When they are clear, they can focus their energy where it matters most.

In emergency medicine, the default goal is to care for the patient in front of you. This focus leads to coordinated action but can make it difficult to address larger system problems. Outside of medicine, the same challenge arises. If half the team is solving the immediate problem and the other half is chasing the root causes, both are doing a good job, but they will be headed in different directions.

Leaders should clarify the scope of the mission – through a concise statement, a statement of intent, or a simple call to action. If anyone is unsure, they should ask ahead of time.

What is our risk tolerance?

Risk tolerance—that is, the amount of uncertainty a team is willing to accept—is another hallmark of meta-conversation. Teams that can operate amidst uncertainty can take bolder, higher-reward actions. Teams that require certainty before acting are safer but slower.

Different risk tolerance levels within one team can create significant friction. One person’s bold move is another person’s reckless gamble. This question is also related to the first: in crises, teams often accept higher risks than they would during routine operations.

It’s difficult for teams to clearly define a risk tolerance level, but a helpful mental model comes from former SWAT Commander Kevin Cyr, who describes risk tolerance as the difference between 51 percent and 110 percent Decisions. The 51% decision requires a moderate amount of certainty before taking action, so if a course of action seems more likely to succeed, you should take it. It requires a resolution of 110 percent overall trust– No one moves until the team is convinced that it is the right path. Knowing what situation you are in keeps the team aligned.

Activate meta-chat

Reaching agreement on meta-conversation is crucial for teams working in uncertain and rapidly changing environments. Before your team begins operations, take one minute to answer three questions:

• Is this a crisis?
• What is the scope of our mission?
• What is our risk tolerance?

The answers may evolve as the situation evolves, but starting with consensus makes success much more likely. The teams that make time for this conversation first are the ones that move together when it’s necessary.