Syndicom

Wants to work well with others…

Why do people join communities or groups? Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs gives us some clues — there are those pesky survival needs around safety, shelter, food etc but then there are also middle order needs of belonging and esteem as well the most important of all, self actualization. Recently, I conducted a survey of SpineConnect to see why people were setting up groups in the community and wanted to work with others, as well as the kinds of groups held in the embrace of the larger community. As most of you may know, you can browse groups when you join up, but there are vast numbers…. so I wanted to give you a shorter travel guide!

As I went on my own tour, I categorized the groups into 6 basic types, based on the motivation presented for starting the group or its focus, as I went through the entire community list of groups to see their nature and number of members, activity etc. Groups where there was just one person, did not go into a category (not even sure they count as a group?).

The others fell into the following categories:

1. The Internationals

2. The Universities

3. The Privates

4. The Alumni or Fellowships

5. The Regionals and,

6. The Big Groups (usually with over 15 members)

The Internationals are 7 in number and are based outside the US in Canada, India, South Asia, Pakistan, Turkey and the Middle East. Members of these groups are motivated to work with others in their home regions but also want to create and sustain relationships across the water (and ether) with international colleagues. The Universities range across the US with many well known programs and teams represented. The groups can be small (2-3) or larger (15-20) and attest to the coordination and collaboration skills found online that extend the work of physically located teams and clinics for both experienced and new surgeons. The Privates work specifically on medical device development and surgeon training for specific periods of time while the Alumni or Fellowship groups aim to transcend both time and space to remain connected through their careers, no matter where their work takes them. These groups are usually for current or past fellows and residents of particular spine programs as they continue seeking advice from others with whom they have common ground.The Regionals are exactly that. A mix of distinct regional groups and also small institution groups, which are not usually university related. There are also some groups which are osteopaths, for example, or those with a specific focus. Most of the time, these groups have between 3-15 people in them, averaging around 7 or 8 focusing on augmenting specific practices or regions which may have distributed colleagues.Finally, there are the Big Groups with more than 15 members or so, very focused in either the kind of work they do, an institution or a region, or even a specific population.

As you can see from the groups, there is great diversity in SpineConnect. Many surgeons and institutions join for many different reasons. There really is something for everyone, and someone for every challenging case that confronts you. So next time you have a moment, check out what groups have been born - you never know who or what you might find! Over the course of the next few months, we will give you more specific insights into many of these group experiences! Watch this space!

With thanks to Truan, Johngretton71 and randite for the pics…

Good things happen when we connect!

Kirsten Broadfoot