The concept of collaborative health
- 31 August 2010
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis Ltd in Journal of Interprofessional Care
- Vol. 24 (6), 644-652
- https://doi.org/10.3109/13561821003724034
Abstract
Based on empirical research about teamwork in human service organizations in Sweden, the concept of collaborative health (CH) encapsulates the physical, psychological and social health resources the individual uses in teamwork; resources which at the same time are influenced by the teamwork. My argument built on empirical research leading up to identifying and defining the core concept in this article, is that teamwork affects team members' health and this in turn affects the teamwork and its outcome. In this paper collaborative health is viewed from a social constructionism perspective and discussed in relation to earlier concepts developed in social psychology and working life research, including psychosocial stress and burnout. The paper also introduces the concept of functional synergy, which in this context is defined as the simultaneous presence of sharp goal-orientation and synergy in teamwork. The need for a holistic team theory is emphasized as a tool in research on teamwork. Such a theory relies on identifying sound and illuminating constituent concepts. I suggest that collaborative health could be a useful concept for better understanding the complex collaborative and co-operative teamwork of human service organizations of today.Keywords
This publication has 14 references indexed in Scilit:
- Deepening the impact of initiatives to promote teamwork and workplace health: a perspective from the NEKTA study.HealthcarePapers, 2007
- Effective Health Care Teams: A model of six characteristics developed from shared perceptionsJournal of Interprofessional Care, 2005
- The conceptual basis for interprofessional collaboration: Core concepts and theoretical frameworksJournal of Interprofessional Care, 2005
- The logic of collaboration in education and the human servicesJournal of Interprofessional Care, 2004
- Breast cancer teams: the impact of constitution, new cancer workload, and methods of operation on their effectivenessBritish Journal of Cancer, 2003
- Systematic Review of Psychosocial Factors at Work and Private Life as Risk Factors for Back PainSpine, 2000
- Contribution of job control and other risk factors to social variations in coronary heart disease incidenceThe Lancet, 1997
- The dream denied: Professional burnout and the constraints of human service organizations.Canadian Psychology / Psychologie canadienne, 1991
- The impact of interpersonal environment on burnout and organizational commitmentJournal of Organizational Behavior, 1988
- Staff Burn‐OutJournal of Social Issues, 1974