Managing Teamwork in the Face of Pandemic: Evidence-based Tips

Front-line medical teams are experiencing unprecedented stressors as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the face of these pressures, teamwork has become both more important and more challenging. Fortunately, numerous examples of naturally occurring cooperation are appearing at healthcare institutions around the globe, including instances of people trying to work together during the crisis who may not have done so under ‘normal’ conditions. A crisis can stimulate some people’s willingness to cooperate, for example, to ignore prior disagreements to tackle a shared predicament. But even when the intent to cooperate is present, the incessant stress present during a crisis makes it significantly harder for teams to sustain coordinated performance over time. Focused attention on teamwork is required.

We hope the evidence-based tips we provided about teamwork under stress can be used by healthcare providers, team leaders and management to take constructive actions both during and in the early aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.