Virtual Teamworking and Collaboration in Occupational Therapy: A Paradox

Abstract

This practice analysis focuses on a project arising from a training event provided for 15 geographically dispersed occupational therapists in England. They wanted to continue the collaborative opportunities afforded by spending time together and it was suggested that an online space might be useful. Although enthusiastic about virtual teamworking, the therapists did not engage meaningfully with the online space. This unsuccessful outcome has been analysed in relation to three of the five paradoxes inherent in virtual teams, resulting in an understanding of the reasons for the project's failure and suggestions for others undertaking a similar initiative.

The use of Twitter for continuing professional development within occupational therapy

“…Students and new graduates welcomed the chance to learn from more experienced practitioners and key figures within the occupational therapy field. These experienced practitioners also relished the opportunity to reflect on their years of experience and support the new generation, confirming the collaborative nature of the online communities of practice that Bodell and Levins (2012) praise.…”

“…A person's online image will not only reflect on the individual but also their profession and employer, therefore, clinicians need to be clear who they are speaking for and be skilled in the use of such influential platforms. Bodell and Levins (2012) note that enthusiasm and professional guidance alone are not enough to increase the professional and appropriate use of social media. Additional support is required to overcome other barriers such as a lack of awareness of the opportunities available or limited skills in relation to specific social media platforms (Brown 2011;Murray and Ward 2017).…”

Attitudes to social media use as a platform for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) within occupational therapy

“…Kivunja (2014) stressed the need to embrace technology in learning and development, to enable 'digital natives' to connect and make meaning between new information and what they already know. This is supported by Lim, Lim and Hienrich (2014), who proposed that social media is accessed more readily by this generation through smartphones and mobile devices.. For 'digital natives' understanding the external barriers such as internet policy (Bolton et al, 2013), cultural perceptions (Bodell and Levins, 2012, ) and time constraints (Dieleman and Duncan, 2013) to social media use are essential if their learning style is to be catered for within the workplace.…”

“…They suggested that this may have been due to students perceiving the idea as extra work; impacting on engagement in the research data collection process resulting in a low response rate. Bodell & Levins (2012) propose that enthusiasm by practitioners alone will not result in increased social media usage. For practitioners to be able to successfully utilise social media for CPD, certain barriers need to be addressed.…”

“…Whether this shifting philosophy is having an impact on an occupational therapists' ability to utilise social media platforms within a work environment is yet to be documented. It is also important to understand individuals' perceptions of, and the challenges faced in using social media, such as skills and confidence, if these hurdles are to be overcome and it is to be utilised to its full potential for CPD (Bodell & Levins, 2012;Ezzamel, 2013, Bodell andHook, 2014;Mclean et al, 2013).…”