Manager Practice


the positive


in the community. There is also potential for these unhappy patients to become difficult to deal with as they remain frustrated but feel they cannot do anything about it.


EFFECTIVE TEAMS If a manager can influence the mood of the practice team and promote activities which result in positive emotional experiences at work, then this can improve the effective- ness of individuals and the team as a whole. Experiencing more positive emotions at work appears to have a direct link to increased cooperation and helpfulness within the team, feelings of satisfac- tion and motivation and importantly the urge to go the extra mile to please patients. Because when people feel happier they are much more likely to seem happier, which means displaying naturally positive emotions and associated customer


care behaviours. It is evident that positive emotions support improved practice performance


and promote better team-working and individual feelings of wellbeing. So what can practice managers do to increase morale and ensure team members naturally feel more positive emo- tions at work?


PROMOTING POSITIVE EMOTIONS IN INDIVIDUALS Practice managers can take op- portunities during performance


reviews to try to increase each individual’s identification with their


work role. Where individuals under- stand the positive impact of their role on patient care (and how it supports other


team members), they often feel more posi- tively about the work – even when it becomes more difficult. Managers could include evidence about


emotional competencies within frontline recruitment and selection decisions. For ex- ample, competencies such as agreeableness and extraversion (as opposed to introversion) are associated with more easily generating positive emotions. Also, helping each staff member to script positive responses to common negative


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messages should reduce negative patient re- sponses. It can also make difficult encounters feel less uncomfortable and help the patient feel less frustrated. Practice managers must do as much as


they can to create the conditions which support positive emotions in individuals, but sometimes negative emotional experiences are inevitable. And if these emotions are not recognised and handled promptly they can escalate and infect other team members as well as patients. Being ‘present’ and ‘avail- able’ to recognise negative emotions can be difficult to manage if your location is isolated from frontline services or where you are under pressure yourself.


PROMOTING POSITIVE EMOTIONS IN TEAMS Identifying opportunities to promote a strong social identity within the team is important. Many practices encourage group activities to promote positive social engagement and cross-team comfort. Effective examples I have come across include: a running club, which aimed to have a group of willing team mem- bers complete a charity relay race in aid of a local hospice, and a practice social club that arranged opportunities both in and outside of work for folk to have a bit of fun together (e.g. monthly informal team get-togethers over home-baked buns where team/practice achievements are highlighted). To avoid feelings of unfairness or resent-


ment building up that will impact negatively on the rest of the team, their morale and patient service, it is important that practice managers have the ability to identify team conflict at an early stage and put in place ef- fective conflict resolution. Many managers find this a difficult area to deal with and it can be hard work – especially if you yourself don’t feel positive at times (we’re all human). It can help to keep in mind that creating and supporting conditions in which individuals and teams feel a high proportion of positive emo- tions can promote naturally occurring positive behaviours and communication. This will then reduce patient dissatisfaction, the potential for ongoing difficult behaviours and ultimately reduce the likelihood of patient complaints.


Liz Price is a senior risk adviser at MDDUS 09


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