Vaccination - personal values and group dynamics are decisive

How do you get more people to have vaccinations? Gudela Grote firmly believes that it's worth looking at team dynamics. It's hard to understand the reluctance of some hospital workers to get vaccinated, given that the pandemic affects them directly and the surge of patients has pushed them to the limit. Although the proportion of staff willing to have their Covid shots has now risen to 75 percent, is this high enough? And how could it be increased? We carried out a study on the influenza vaccination behaviour of doctors. In many hospitals in Europe, healthcare workers aren't required to have the seasonal flu jab - although it's been shown to reduce levels of hospital-acquired infections. We were particularly keen to know "What role does team climate play here?" Many high-performing teams have one thing in common, which we call psychological safety. This is a climate where team members feel safe to be themselves - they take more interpersonal risks, such as asking for help, suggesting improvements or admitting mistakes. Studies have shown that psychological safety fosters learning and innovative behaviour.