By Sara McCloskey

When a patient walks into any VCU Health System facility, they see a team of people throughout their visit – an admissions clerk checking them in, a nurse taking their blood pressure, and a doctor answering questions about their symptoms. They’re all working together for the same goal: to provide the best care possible.

To share more insights into teamwork and mission-focused leadership, retired four-star U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal recently spoke with VCU Health managers. In 2015, McChrystal published the book “Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World,” based on his experience transforming the Joint Special Operations Task Force to defeat Al Qaeda in Iraq. Based on his experiences, in “Team of Teams,” he makes the case for merging a large corporation’s power with a small team’s agility to transform any organization.

U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal recently spoke to VCU Health managers. (Kevin Morley, VCU Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

Here are some key takeaways from McChrystal’s talk on leadership and teamwork:

What exactly is the “Team of Teams” concept?

Instead of taking a top-down approach to leadership, where one person on the top makes decisions for everyone and there is a strict hierarchy, leaders should empower the people they supervise to help in the decision making process and execution of projects. Groups within an organization then function in a network – all working together at the same time under careful supervision – as opposed to an assembly line following a conveyor belt. What allows people to work this way is having a clear set of values and goals. When changes to plans arise, as they always do, a network of decision makers is able to react with more agility to solve the problem and continue to reach the stated goal.

How was this concept developed?

Ret. General McChrystal experimented with different approaches to leadership while overseeing the Joint Operations Command Center during the Iraq war. At that time, he was trying to figure out ways to solve systemic institutional problems that made it difficult for service members from different military branches to work well together during complex military operations. Some of the problems included communication issues as well as cultural differences. By inspiring changes, such as encouraging those on the ground to be involved in decision making and increasing transparency, a “shared consciousness” formed in connection to the organization’s values and missions which helped them work better together.

How can an individual person help foster an environment where better teamwork is encouraged?

Certain things you might not be able to change, but you can change the culture. Building better relationships with other people in areas of your organization or community who you work closely with helps to create an environment where teamwork is the focus. Being able to understand others’ perspectives and how they operate allows you to share information more effectively across channels. Improving personal connections also fosters a culture of respect as well as trust.

How can the “Team of Teams” approach to leadership impact the quality of service people receive?

One way of describing the fruits of this leadership style is through the eyes of a gardener. Gardeners don’t technically grow anything, the plants do. But gardeners are important because they prepare the ground as well as water and protect the plants. At the appropriate time, gardeners harvest. In other words: They create the right environment for plants to thrive.

“The leader or gardener is not the limiting factor, they’re the enabling factor,” McChrystal said.

In terms of how this looks for health care, every team member - from valet agent to trauma care nurse - needs to have a shared understanding of VCU Health’s goals and what it means to provide patient-centered care. Having a shared goal empowers everyone to make the right decisions. When a situation changes, they can adapt with speed and agility to find appropriate solutions with the trust of their supervisors.

The benefit for patients? Having a “team of teams” working on their behalf.

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