Cultural diversity in multiprofessional teams in healthcare and patient safety

Issues of team collaboration and team performance are particularly critical in areas where life and health are at stake, such as healthcare. In healthcare in particular, the question is not IF a hospital or other healthcare organisation wants cultural diversity in the workplace, but rather HOW to manage the diversity in which healthcare services are increasingly provided in teams of culturally diverse individuals.

The development of team-based working in the health sector is seen as a key to improving the quality of health care and as an important tool for constructing a more patient-centred, coordinated and efficient health service. However, barriers to creating effective team working processes often compromise patient safety in healthcare and account for up to a third of all incidents.

The project aims to investigate why and how cultural diversity and other intersectional factors in multiprofessional care teams affect patient safety and what context-specific conditions are needed to reach the teams' potential.

The project is carried out in collaboration between JA, JIBS, Metodikum and Qulturum under the project management of Timur Uman and funded by the Jan Wallander and Tom Hedelius Foundation and Futurum.

The project started in February 2021 and will run for 4 years. Data will be collected through observations of simulator situations and individual interviews.

Researchers:

Norbert Steigenberger, Associate Professor, JIBS

Manuela Schmidt, post doc, JA

Magnus Berndtzon, Head of Department Metodikum, Ryhov County Hospital, Jönköping External link, opens in new window.

Timur Uman, Associate Professor, JIBS

Results

Cultural Diversity in Health Care Teams

Research Implications

• Leadership's Role in Diversity Management: The effectiveness of culturally diverse teams depends heavily on leadership styles. Shared leadership enhances performance, particularly in diverse teams with less experience, while laissez-faire leadership has a negative effect​.
• Work Climate and Inclusion: A positive and inclusive work climate fosters better collaboration in diverse teams. Cultural differences can lead to misunderstandings if not managed proactively​.
• Regulations and Role Clarity: Clearly defined roles and structured team guidelines help mitigate conflicts and improve team dynamics in diverse healthcare settings​.
• Psychological Safety and Team Effectiveness: Higher levels of psychological safety allow culturally diverse teams to communicate openly and enhance team functioning​.
• Configurational Approaches to Diversity and Performance: Ethnically diverse teams perform best when leadership, experience, and team size are strategically aligned​.

Practical Implications

• Enhancing Leadership Training: Healthcare institutions should focus on training leaders in shared leadership approaches to maximize the benefits of team diversity.
• Creating Open Team Dialogues: Encouraging discussions about cultural differences, rather than ignoring them, can help address biases and improve collaboration.
• Formalizing Rules and Guidelines: Institutions should establish structured protocols for role expectations to enhance team performance.
• Supporting Psychological Safety: Organizations should implement policies that support inclusive communication and allow diverse perspectives to be heard without fear of repercussions.

Clinical Simulations

Research Implications

• Impact of Simulation-Based Training (SBT) on Team Performance: SBT improves healthcare professionals' teamwork, communication, and leadership skills, especially in high-stakes environments​.
• Debriefing as a Critical Component of Learning: The effectiveness of SBT depends on structured debriefing sessions, which facilitate reflection and knowledge retention​.
• Experiential Learning and Psychological Safety: Learning from SBT is most effective when professionals feel psychologically safe, allowing them to discuss mistakes openly​.
• Simulation Fidelity and Realism: The success of simulations depends less on their realism and more on how well they are structured and facilitated​.

Practical Implications

• Integrating SBT into Healthcare Training Programs: Regular simulations should be incorporated into healthcare education to improve team readiness in critical situations.
• Optimizing Debriefing Methods: Institutions should refine debriefing practices by using models such as PEARLS or TeamGAINS to encourage deeper reflection and learning​.
• Improving Psychological Safety During Simulations: Instructors should ensure that SBT environments foster open discussions, enabling participants to learn from mistakes without fear of judgment.
• Customizing Simulations Based on Team Composition: Adjusting simulation scenarios to reflect real-world team diversity can enhance the learning experience and prepare healthcare professionals for practical challenges​.