A model for setting up interdisciplinary collaborative working in groups: lessons from an experience of action learning.

Abstract

There is a current policy emphasis within health services on collaborative interdisciplinary groupworking between professionals, exemplified by the increasing use of action learning sets in a health context. Most of the evaluative research into this type of group collaboration has concentrated on evaluating outcomes, whereas this project aimed to evaluate qualitatively the experiences of the professional group members. The research uses a grounded theory methodology to investigate their perceptions and to analyse the data collected through interview methods. The research addresses an emergent theoretical model that could be of use when planning multidisciplinary task groups. It aims to enhance the success of these groups using a theory based on the concept of project momentum.