Constructing a team model: creating a foundation for evidence-based teams.

Abstract

Teams are the fundamental element of work in the contemporary clinical setting. As interdisciplinary teams become an essential component of the evidence-based framework for clinical practice, their formalization, integration, and synthesis within the practice framework will become increasingly mandatory. Outlined here is a contextual model for team action that is formalized as the organizational leadership continuously addresses the structural and process components of team dynamics in a continuous and cybernetic frame that assures all of the elements of effective teamwork. The theoretical foundations for team modeling are explicated, the elements of the systems approach to team process are outlined, and a necessary synthesis of team processes is described and established as a foundation for evidence-based clinical practice.