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"TO BUILD a better tabernacle for the soul of man to inhabit." Such was the ambition of Sir George Newman, a notable contributor to the purposes, methods and results of public-health services in Great Britain in the first quarter of the twentieth century. An evangelistic spirit of sorts lies not far below the surface in that interprofessional team that we call a health-department staff. Without the glint of eye, the uplifted chin, and the visionary's words and acts, man's redemption of man — as Dr. Osler presented it in his lay sermon to the students of the University of Edinburgh . . .

Conflicts in interprofessional teamwork may be as much explained by group process considerations as by the interaction of professional roles and statuses. This paper examines the interprofessional team as a small group, using a synthesis of sources from social psychology, social group work, T-group literature, management theory, and health team research. Eight issues are considered in relation to the team as a small group, namely, (a) the individual in the group, (b) team size, (c) group norms, (d) democracy, (e) decision making and conflict resolution, (f) communication and structure, (g) leadership, and (h) group harmony and its relationship to group productivity.