Collaborative Practices for Teams
Serving Young Children with
Complex Needs
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Children’s Integrated Services Conference
May 2016
VT I-Team Early Intervention Project
Center on Disability and Community Inclusion
University of Vermont
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Outcomes for this session...
You will be able to:
 Articulate the differences between working in cooperation, in
coordination, and in collaboration with others
 Describe how collaborative teamwork might reduce stress and
trauma for families and other team members around meeting the
needs of young children with complex needs
 Identify specific interpersonal skills required for successful
collaboration
 Practice some specific collaboration skills and actions
 Collaboratively develop a routine-based intervention and a daily
activity matrix for a hypothetical child and family
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Best Teams Ever
Think about the best team you ever worked with (a softball
team, a volunteer group, a work team).
What made your best experience so great?
Share with a partner (2 min)
Report out some samples (3 min)
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Using collaborative teamwork necessitates
change in the way we do things
New materials, incorporating new knowledge
New behaviors/practices/actions/interactions
New beliefs, reframing what we do for a
greater positive impact
Michael Fullan, 2008
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Comparison of ways of working together
Cooperation
Coordination
Collaboration
Assist each other yet
remain autonomous
Work with each other to
increase efficiency and
maximize resources
Work together to
integrate work into
cohesive plan
Information sharing
Organize for efficiency
Joint planning,
implementation &
evaluation
Mutual agreement
Support each other
Shared responsibility and
authority
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Models of teams: Another framework for
ways of working together
Multidisciplinary
Interdisciplinary
Trans-disciplinary
Collaborative
Independent of one
another
Each has a piece of
the plan
Effort is made to
integrate pieces
Includes families and
natural supports
Each person does
their role
Report to each other
Share selected roles
and tasks across
disciplines
Based on daily
routines and daily life
If there is any
coordination, it is
voluntary and not
necessarily expected
Joint assessments
and co-treatment with
team members
learning from each
other
Share knowledge and
expertise in creation
of new synthesized
strategies and
solutions – “best fit”
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Intensity of time, risk, and opportunity
Cooperation……..Coordination…..Collaboration
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Worth the time and effort because…
• Families participate equitably
• No one profession or person has all the expertise
• Complex problems require problem-solving and
uniquely suited/created solutions
• Relationships are valued as much as the shared
work of the team
• Personal and professional satisfaction and growth
of all members of the team
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Additional benefits
Holistic view of the child
Greater accountability for child progress
Access to critical resources
Professional growth
Eliminates isolation, reduces duplication of
effort
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Essential elements of collaborative
teams
Face to face interaction
Positive interdependence
Individual accountability
Interpersonal skills
Creative problem solving
or conflict management
Johnson & Johnson (2013)
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Face-to-face interaction
Attendance and participation
Physical arrangement/environment
Team members (who’s involved?, who’s interested?,
who has expertise?)
Team size (6-8 max for tasks)
Build rapport, relationships
Accomplish tasks or organize work for task
accomplishment
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Positive interdependence
Goal interdependence
Resource interdependence
Reward interdependence
http://www.foundationcoalition.org
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Goal interdependence:
Comparison of goal structures
Individualistic
Competitive
Collaborative
“We are all in this
alone.”
“Every one for
him/herself”
“We sink or swim
together.”
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Resource interdependence
Expertise, perspectives
Space
Materials
Time
 Roles / tasks
Facilitator
Recorder
Timekeeper
Processor
Norm keeper
“But” watcher
Others as needed
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Reward Interdependence
Share successes - both the child’s and
team members’ successes
Celebrate at each meeting
Give recognition, kudos, and thanks
often
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Individual Accountability
For role(s) in meetings
For bringing disciplinary or personal expertise
For staying current in the field
For meeting preparation, assigned tasks
For asking for help when needed
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Interpersonal skills
Team communication - expressive and receptive
Cooperative or shared leadership - actions that
help the group achieve its goals and maintain
relationships
Trust - trust worthy and trusting behaviors
Conflict resolution
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The beauty and the difficulty with teams…
Made up of people from various:
• Disciplines or professional perspectives
• Life experiences
• Educational backgrounds
• Personalities
• Cultural foundations
Some conflict is likely at some point.
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Conflict Can Present Opportunity
When controversy is well managed, it involves
a process that stimulates inquiry and leads to
synthesis of information and ideas.
Johnson and Johnson, 2013
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Styles of Responding to Conflict
Competitive – use of power, goal of winning
Avoidance – ignoring the discrepancy between your goals
and goals of others
Accommodation- setting aside your own needs to ensure
others needs are met
Compromising- giving up some of your ideas and insisting
that others do the same
Collaborative- commitment to the team’s norms and values –
integrating ideas for the group’s benefit
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Conflict not managed well can result in…
Minority opinions and ideas silenced
Alternatives not considered carefully
Disagreements flare up (and sometimes so do
tempers)
Controversy suppressed
Trust undermined
People don’t feel safe to speak up
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Well managed conflict can…
Stimulate team interest and “buy in”
Allow for new ideas
Lead to creative problem-solving
Build stronger team bonds
Create ownership and commitment for decisions
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Conflict Resolution Involves
Acknowledgement of differences
Openness in discussion of positions and ideas
Collaborative actions
Having a plan for problem-solving
Tips…
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Understand your own motivation and that of
others
Clarify the issues
Discuss openly each issue involved in the conflict
Consider various options for solution
Have a method for decision-making
Check for team agreement on the decision
Make a plan
“SODAS”
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•Situation (define the problem)
•Options (consider possible solutions)
•Disadvantages
•Advantages
•Solution
PLAN OF ACTION
Wagner, Blase & Clark
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Activity
 Organize yourselves into groups of four
 Identify roles:
Facilitator - Helps group start and get task done
Recorder - Records ideas on paper (We will compile ideas from
these written lists of ideas)
Reporter - Gives 2 min. summary report to the large group
Processor – Observes the group process and gives feedback
about how the group did on getting the task done while
maintaining good relationships
 Report out (2 min. per group)