A heads up that Ron Barsotti will be traveling to Kamloops B.C January 14th/2015, Penticton B.C January 15th/2015, and Kelowna B.C January 16th/2015 to present 'Taking the Pain Out of Patient Recall'. This educational seminar is very well received and all dentists and office staff in the area are encouraged to attend. These events have been organized by Patterson Dental and we are delighted to be able to add value to the practices in the area. If you are interested in attending simply click the name of the city you would like in this post and register.
Constructive Feedback
In order to support team members to succeed in their jobs and grow professionally, it is necessary to:
Ensure that responsibilities and expectations related to job performance are clearly defined.
Provide team members with regular and constructive feedback related to job performance.
In order to provide constructive feedback, your practice must develop a criteria which defines the necessary knowledge, skill and self management requirements that enable both staff members and teams to succeed in the dental workplace.
The criteria, which you might define as 'Standards of Performance' applies equally to all staff members and is used as the basis for evaluating job performance. The Standards of Performance provide working definitions of the necessary knowledge, skills and self management requirements to provide for excellence in the treatment, service and care of patients, as well as provide for a healthy and productive work environment.
In addition to supporting the practice to provide excellence in the treatment, service and care of patients, the standards are intended to provide staff with a framework for self development. Properly utilized by staff and management, the practices’ Standards of Performance can provide a framework for a structured approach towards realizing personal and professional growth.
Staff Participation in Decision Making
Providing staff with a voice in decision making is essential to realizing the overall goals and objectives of your practice. This includes acquiring staff input related to:
- The service and care of patients.
- The day to day operations of the practice.
- Improvement initiatives.
- Proposed changes to procedures in clinic or office areas.
- The policies or management systems of the practice.
Acquiring input from staff members who have expert knowledge related to the day to day operations of our practice serves to improve the quality and value of decisions.
Acquiring staff input into decision making also serves to:
- Insure that staff members who are influenced by the outcome of decisions have an opportunity to provide input into the decision making processes.
- Minimize the potential for miscommunication and conflict in the practice resulting from staff not participating in decision making or being informed of decisions.
Along with playing a more active role in decision making comes greater responsibility and job satisfaction. Staff who participate in decision making inevitably assume greater responsibility related to the implementation of decisions and are able to enjoy that satisfaction that comes along with implementing constructive change.
The Importance of Staff Meetings
Regularly scheduled staff meetings are essential to maintaining the effective day to day operations of a dental practice as well provide for the ongoing development of a dental practice.
Staff meetings provide an important forum for problem solving and correcting day to day operational problems which are impossible to get in the middle of your day. The ongoing correction of problem areas is essential to:
- Maintaining high standards of patient treatment, service and care.
- Maintaining high standards of teamwork and communication.
Staff meetings also provide the opportunity to work on the development of practice systems free from day to day operating pressures which is key to developing effective systems. Developing effective systems also requires that teams follow planning, decision making and change management processes in order to effectively incorporate change.
Continuous Improvement
In order to provide patients with excellence in treatment, service and care and realize high levels of productivity, it is necessary for each and every staff member to adopt an attitude of continuous improvement.
This means adopting an attitude that no matter how well you feel you may be doing, you can always improve your standards without diminishing the value of what you have achieved in the past.
Continuous improvement requires an ongoing process of improving the systems, policies and processes of your practice. This means that in addition to working In your practice, you must also focus as a group towards working On your practice. This requires a commitment by every team member to take greater responsibility for continually enhancing your systems, policies and procedures.
"Quality is not something you install like a new carpet or a set of bookshelves, quality is something you work at. It is a learning process."
Dr. W. Edwards Deming
The Importance of Policies
Although policies generally have a tendency to be interpreted as authoritarian in nature, if well designed, policies provide guidelines that are vital to the success of a dental practice and the satisfaction of a group of people working together. Policies represent an integral part of an overall management system.
Policies provide structure. Policies serve to operationalize the values and aspirations of a practice in necessary and pragmatic ways. This includes defining expectations related to individual and team job performance that are necessary to realize a healthy and productive work environment.
Although it should be expected that team members comply with policies, it should also be understood that policies serve as guidelines which can be improved upon to better meet the evolving needs of a practice. It is important that teams maintain a constant view towards modifying and improving policies when necessary.
It takes time to learn and implement practice policies. Mistakes and errors will occur as part of the learning process for all team members. In order to accommodate for the learning process, it is important that team members adopt an approach that involves a balance between:
- Strong adherence to complying with practice policies and systems.
- High tolerance and flexibility for learning and mistakes.
Policy noun
1. A plan or course of action, guiding principle, or procedure considered expedient, prudent, or advantageous.
2. A plan or course of action intended to influence and determine decisions, actions, and other pertinent matters.
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition Copyright © 1992 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
System of Management
The most effective way of managing a dental practice is with a system, not people. A system made up of policies and practices that result in effective management as well as ongoing development.
In this system dentists, management and supervisory staff are not responsible for the management of team members. They are responsible for insuring that management policies and practices are followed which includes demonstrating leadership in that regard. Team members share the same responsibility.
In this system, all team members share equal responsibility for managing themselves in accordance with agreed upon policies and systems which represents the basis of a self management philosophy.