In healthcare, it's easy to focus on staffing ratios, documentation platforms, or performance metrics. But when it comes to creating a team that functions well - one that supports its members, adapts under stress, and sustains its mission over time - you need something deeper. You need structure. You need shared values. You need intentional design.

What Makes a Team Truly High-Functioning?
It’s not the org chart or how many meetings are on the calendar. What really defines a flourishing team is the strength of its relationships, the psychological safety it fosters, and its ability to navigate diverse perspectives and experiences with care.

“A flourishing team isn’t one that avoids conflict—it’s one that can hold trust even through uncertainty.”

While classic models like Tuckman’s “forming, storming, norming, performing” can be helpful roadmaps, real-world team growth is rarely that tidy. In practice, teams move through cycles of growth, friction, learning, and recalibration. The goal isn’t to avoid conflict, but to become the kind of team that can hold trust even through uncertainty.

In our model of team flourishing, the journey looks like this:

• Forming – Building initial connections and expectations.

• Deepening – Strengthening trust through shared work and meaningful communication.

• Navigating Challenge – Engaging differences with curiosity and respect.

• Thriving – Operating with shared purpose and mutual support, especially under pressure.

When teams commit to inclusion and value diverse voices, they don’t just move through these stages more smoothly—they innovate more boldly and provide more connected, compassionate care.

That’s where the Flourishing Team Model comes in.

Inspired by the anatomy of a tree, this model breaks down team health into three essential components: Roots (Foundation), Trunk (Structure), and Branches (Growth and Sustainability). It's a practical, adaptable framework designed to help healthcare teams flourish, not just survive.

“The best teams don’t just work well together—they grow through challenge, recalibrate with care, and thrive with purpose.”

Let’s walk through the model in action, using the real-world evolution of a pediatric palliative care team as our guide.

ROOTS: Foundation

Healthy teams start underground. The foundation isn’t showy, but it's everything. It includes:

• Psychological safety and trust
• Shared mission and values
• Commitment to equity and inclusion
• Commitment to Reflection and Learning

Case Example (Phase 1): Solo Pediatrician Launches Program
When the pediatric palliative care service began, it was just one physician rounding consults, attending team meetings, and making home visits. From the beginning, she anchored the work in shared values: compassion, presence, and respect for family choice. These principles guided every decision and made space for reflective practice, even before there was a team to share it with.

Key Insight: You don’t need a big team to start creating a strong foundation. Values come first, and they shape every hire, partnership, and workflow that follows.

TRUNK: Structure

The trunk is the support system. It holds everything upright and channels communication, decisions, and responsibility. Key elements include:

• Defined roles and responsibilities
• Structured communication systems (team huddles, shared inbox, EMR workflows)
• Core processes (referral tracking, documentation standards)
• Decision-making practices

Case Example (Phase 2): Growing from 2 to 5 Staff
When a part-time social worker joined, followed by an RN and two additional physicians, the work multiplied—but so did confusion. Who followed up on school requests? Who closed the loop on referrals? Who joined for home visits?

The team realized they needed more than good intentions. They co-created a simple set of core workflows (e.g., how consults move from intake to team assignment), and developed a basic communication system: a weekly case review huddle, and a shared team calendar to coordinate home visits.

Key Insight: Role clarity isn’t about rigid lines. It’s about reducing friction, building trust, and making it easier for people to step in—or step back—when needed.

BRANCHES: Growth and Sustainability

The branches are what make the team visible—outward-facing success and long-term viability. They break down into two categories:

Growth

• Interdisciplinary collaboration
• Continuous education and training
• Adaptive teamwork
• Mentorship and knowledge sharing

Sustainability

• Leadership and conflict resolution
• Emotional support and well-being
• Evidence-based continuous improvement
• Workload balance and burnout prevention

Case Example (Phase 3): A Fully Staffed Team Finds Its Rhythm
With 3 MDs, 1 NP, 2 RNs, 2 SWs, and a child life specialist, the pediatric team finally had enough hands to meet demand. But growth alone doesn’t create a healthy team. They needed to invest in how they worked together.

To strengthen growth, they built mentorship pathways—pairing newer clinicians with experienced ones for onboarding and ongoing dialogue. They prioritized interdisciplinary education, offering short case-based learning segments at team meetings.

For sustainability, they created a rotating leadership model for team huddles and debriefs, built protected time for reflection, and implemented a quarterly team health check-in to review caseloads, stress levels, and emerging needs.

One major success? Adapting care plans based on team input. When the child life specialist noted a gap in sibling support, the team reallocated time and redesigned a workflow to integrate that care. Adaptive teamwork in action.

Key Insight: Even with a full roster, sustainability takes effort. Growth creates possibility; intentional practices protect it.

Reflection Questions for Inclusive Team Development

To build a truly high-functioning team, members should continuously ask themselves:

Trust and Safety

• Do all team members feel safe sharing their honest thoughts and concerns?
• Are we mindful of power dynamics that might prevent some voices from being heard?

Communication and Inclusion

• Do we make space for different communication styles, professional backgrounds,  and cultural perspectives?
• Are language barriers preventing any team members or families from fully participating?
• Are we listening as much as we speak?

Conflict and Growth

• When disagreements occur, do we address them constructively?
• Do we examine how bias, privilege or academic background might shape our assumptions about team roles or patient care?

Well-Being and Sustainability

• Are we supporting each other’s emotional resilience?
• Are we ensuring that diverse team members feel a sense of belonging and equity in decision-making?
• Do we celebrate our collective wins, not just individual achievements?

Final Thoughts: Teams Don’t Flourish by Accident

Whether you’re a solo clinician or managing a large interdisciplinary team, you have the power to shape the conditions for team health. The Flourishing Team Model offers a practical map:

• Start with values (roots)
• Build strong systems (trunk)
• Invest in growth and care (branches)

When you build from the roots up, your team doesn’t just function—it thrives.

 Want help applying this model to your team? I offer workshops, team coaching, and implementation tools tailored to healthcare environments. Book a strategy call to get started.

Let’s build something that lasts.

In the weeks ahead, we’ll dig deeper into each part of the Flourishing Team Model—from how to cultivate psychological safety and shared values, to building processes that reduce friction, to practical strategies for sustainability and growth. Whether you're leading a new team or recalibrating an established one, this series will offer actionable insights to help your team thrive from the roots up.

Want to make sure you don’t miss the next article?  Join our mailing list for updates and resources