Mow to Assess, Recognize, and Reward Teamwork.

Although meaicai practice managers often know a lot about how to reward individual employee performance, they may not be as well versed in the best strategies for rewarding teamwork. However, the most effective employee recognition and rewards programs focus on both individual and team performance. This article describes strategies that practice managers can use to reward teamwork without lessening their employees' desire to perform well individually. It describes five possible goals for a team rewards program and 10 practical tips for assessing and rewarding teamwork. This article also identifies three common concerns about rewarding teamwork and strategies for overcoming those concerns. It describes three types of team rewards programs and discusses when to use continuous and intermittent rewards. This article also offers medical practice managers a reliable five-question survey to use with their employees to assess teamwork and suggests a strategy to encourage employees to recognize the teamwork they observe in one another. Finally, this article explores the importance of the medical practice manager's attitude about team recognition and rewards and suggests what to do when the manager is conflicted about the team rewards he or she must give.