I would like to use this week’s Tips for High Impact Teamwork article to let you know about an exciting new initiative. Beginning in 2024, the Office of Interprofessional and Interdisciplinary Education and Research will host “Connections,” weekly opportunities for students, faculty and staff to build community within and beyond the Health Education Campus. We know the quality of our professional relationships influences the effectiveness and impact of our teams (Tannenbaum and Salas), and our office plans to provide many ways for individuals to build familiarity, interpersonal relationships and community across schools, professions, programs and roles.
To help accommodate everyone’s busy schedules, events and activities will be offered during the regular work/school day, during lunch times and in the evenings. We will schedule the opportunities well in advance so you can plan when to participate. Events will be shared in The Huddle and The Daily, on social media, on monitors in Samson Pavilion and in other school-based communications.
Based on our conversations with faculty, students and staff, we have several “Connections” ideas:
- Playing board games, cornhole, ladderball and other games over lunch or during game night;
- Lunch conversations in the Samson Pavilion atrium on compelling topics;
- Hybrid book club (at noon);
- Invited speaker series;
- Spike ball tournament in the spring;
- Monthly hybrid journal club on interprofessional topics (at noon);
- Recital to showcase our community’s musical talent;
- Art exhibit to showcase our community’s visual art talent; and
- Teamwork workshops.
As our office plans the 2024 events and activities, we would love to hear from you! What would you enjoy doing to build community with other staff, students and faculty? Please send your thoughts, suggestions and ideas to cwruteamimpact@case.edu.
We look forward to building our interprofessional community with you!
Reference
Tannenbaum S and Salas E. Teams That Work: The Seven Drivers of Team Effectiveness. Oxford University Press, 202: 128-132.