EP. 154: How to Build Stronger Perioperative Teams: Break Down Silos and Improve Workplace Culture

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Recorded09 Sep 2026

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Strong perioperative teams are built when leaders make culture as important as clinical performance. In this episode, Molly Kucera, Associate Director of the Ambulatory Care Surgery Center at University of Iowa Health Care, discusses how perioperative leaders can build stronger relationships among nurses, physicians, and support staff to foster a more collaborative workplace. She explains that addressing disruptive behavior through compassionate, face-to-face conversations helps preserve trust while encouraging accountability. Molly also highlights the importance of regular interdisciplinary meetings to identify concerns, strengthen team dynamics, and solve challenges collaboratively. Throughout the conversation, she emphasizes that ongoing culture discussions, professional development, and external leadership resources are essential for creating and sustaining a healthy work environment. Tune in to learn practical ways to break down silos, strengthen collaboration, and build a safer and more respectful perioperative culture! About Molly Kucera: Molly Kucera is the Associate Director of the Ambulatory Care Surgery Center at University of Iowa Health Care. With more than two decades of perioperative nursing experience, she leads teams and operations focused on improving surgical care delivery, staffing, workflows, patient experience, and team well-being. She is completing a Doctor of Nursing Practice focused on developing nurse leaders through structured, evidence-based mentorship. Molly is also passionate about nurse-led innovation and empowering frontline teams to create scalable solutions that improve care, efficiency, and organizational performance. What You’ll Learn In This Episode: Compassionate accountability helps leaders address disruptive behavior privately and respectfully while preserving trust, dignity, and professional relationships. Regular interdisciplinary meetings give nurses, physicians, and support teams a shared space to raise concerns, improve communication, and solve problems together. Breaking down silos in perioperative care strengthens collaboration and supports better workflows, team well-being, patient safety, and care delivery. Making workplace culture a standing agenda item keeps communication, behavior, and team dynamics visible instead of waiting for problems to escalate. Ongoing professional support and leadership development help team members navigate workplace challenges and sustain positive cultural change. Links & Resources: Connect with and follow Molly Kucera on LinkedIn or reach out via email. Follow University of Iowa Health Care on LinkedIn and visit their website! Explore the Charge Nurse Program. Check out the 33 Scripts Guide to Address Disruptive Behaviour here! Buy Renee Thompson’s book Enough! Eradicating Bullying & Incivility here! Grab a copy of Renee Thompson’s book Do No Harm Applies to Nurses Too! here. Learn more about the Eradicating Bullying & Incivility eLearning Program here! Have a question for Renee? Email us at [email protected] to have your leadership question featured in an upcoming Q&A episode! Disclosure: The host may be compensated for linking to other sites or for sales of products we link to. As an Amazon Associate, Coffee Break earns from qualifying purchases. Liked this episode? Rate, review, and share with your colleagues. Your support helps us reach more healthcare leaders working to create better work environments.

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