The Practicon Viewpoint by Ann Page Griffin

TEAMWORK IS HARD WORK

My Webster’s Dictionary defines teamwork as “work done by several associates with each doing a part but all subordinating personal prominence to the efficiency of the whole.”  First defined in 1828, the term has become synonymous with close cooperation between members of a sports team, a work team, or any other group of individuals involved in a mutual effort or undertaking. Obviously, effective teamwork in a dental office is our concerted interest for this discussion. We are well aware that, since teamwork involves people with various temperaments, backgrounds, biases, and experiences, achieving cooperation and cohesion can be challenging, but NOT impossible.

While I usually like to discuss positives first, I want to begin by listing characteristics of ineffective teams in the hope that doing so will provide the basis for a candid discussion between members of your dental team, including the dentists, the team captains. Only by bringing problems to light can they be solved; therefore, I believe that articulating characteristics of ineffective teams and sources of team conflicts is a good place to begin to strengthen teamwork among a dental team.

Where did I find the following list of problematic characteristics? As a perpetual student of all aspects of managing a dental practice, including human resources, I have read scores of books, articles, and studies on the subject, and have attended, as well as presented, countless seminars on the topic. During 35 years of practice management work and study, I have found dental teams are typically ineffective for some combination of the following six characteristics:

·      Leadership is weak so that the team works in a sort of vacuum, unsure of the dentist’s expectations or the practice’s mission beyond being a tooth fix-it shop. There is a lack of professional pride and personal development engendered by the dentist and/or practice administrator.

·      Team meetings are irregularly scheduled or non-existent, poorly planned, focus primarily on negatives, and produce little improvement.

·      Hiring is often delayed until the need for an additional staff member reaches crisis stage. When a new person is hired, orientation and training are haphazard, hurried, or ignored completely.

·      When a problem arises or a mistake is made, the focus is on placing blame rather than understanding the cause. There is seldom systematic, realistic analysis with the intent of preventing similar problems or mistakes in the future.

·      Hurt feelings and misunderstandings between individuals are often worn like a badge of honor, rampant and gossiped about by the entire team rather than calmly discussed to resolution by only the people involved. There is little effort expended to settle interpersonal conflict. Misplaced drama becomes the norm in the office so that even a casual observer, a patient for example, literally experiences the tense atmosphere.

·      Information is hoarded rather than shared, leading to the growth of unhealthy competition between team members. One or more team members are territorial, creating a sense of disharmony rather than cooperation.

Suggestion: introduce this list of challenges that can negate teamwork NOT as criticism but as a tool, an assessment of opportunities for the team to grow and strengthen interpersonal relationships. Improved cohesiveness within the team is a huge boon for all involved, auxiliaries, the dentist(s), and the patients. Patients can sense conflict between team members and, as a result, may leave the practice. (Here I speak from personal experience. Even though the doctor was competent, I changed to another primary care medical office because ill will and tension was so evident among staff members that it made me uncomfortable during every appointment.)

Perhaps the dentist or practice administrator can lead discussions that will evaluate and improve office teamwork, or a professional counselor can be hired to assess, mediate, and facilitate teamwork repair. If ineffective teamwork is a problem in your office, it is well worth the expenditure of time, effort, and money to improve the situation. A strong team adds to the pure enjoyment of dental practice and actually improves productivity in the process.