Speaking Up in the Operating Room: How Team Leaders Promote Learning in Interdisciplinary Action Teams

ABSTRACT This paper examines learning in interdisciplinary action teams. Research on team effectiveness has focused primarily on single‐discipline teams engaged in routine production tasks and, less often, on interdisciplinary teams engaged in discussion and management rather than action. The resulting models do not explain differences in learning in interdisciplinary action teams. Members of these teams must coordinate action in uncertain, fast‐paced situations, and the extent to which they are comfortable speaking up with observations, questions, and concerns may critically influence team outcomes. To explore what leaders of action teams do to promote speaking up and other proactive coordination behaviours –…