With 2017 coming to a close and 2018 fast approaching, it’s time to start thinking about all the positive changes you can make to the office to more effectively bring in and keep patients. Add some color, make changes to the furniture in your waiting room if it’s too old and uncomfortable, and most importantly, make a team divided into a team united. I’ve talked about teamwork before in the following blog post:
The Consequences of a Practice Without Teamwork
But the reality is that a team united is a team that can benefit your practice greatly. The consequences of a practice without teamwork, as mentioned in the post above, is devastating to a practice. So what about a practice with teamwork, a team uniting as one? Below are 6 benefits to have your team united.
1 | Increases team morale
It is incredibly easy to spot an office with low team morale as it does have the unfortunate ability to act like a bad stench your new patients will want desperately to avoid.
High team morale is important to the success of your practice for two reasons: One, it promotes a positive atmosphere that is inviting to the patients. Two, it makes work a lot more enjoyable for everyone involved. Low team morale shows in how isolated your team members are acting and how little they trust you and everyone else. This can result in a dog-eat-dog mentality. It’s this behaviour that causes tension and a negative atmosphere that patients immediately feel as soon as they walk into the office. You don’t want or need that.
A team united does the opposite. It boosts morale, giving everyone on the team a specific purpose and a common goal to achieve together. Confidence is higher, trust is stronger, and the isolation and negativity are significantly reduced, allowing you and your team the kind of positive atmosphere that will welcome your new and existing patients with open arms.
2 | Ensures a stronger relationship between your team and your patients
There is nothing more important than developing a strong rapport with your patients, but doing so is a team effort. It might not seem like it, especially when patients usually speak to one person at a time, but a team united and willing to hold each other together will strengthen your communication with the patient as well as one another.
There will be no more having to repeat information or lose important information because one or the other hadn’t relayed it properly. Better communication means stronger connections between all team members and their patients.
3 | Keeps regulations and rules from being broken
There is a high number of rules and regulations for all health professionals to follow, including PIPEDA, PHIPA, and more. When there is a broken link in the chain of information, there is a high possibility of those rules and regulations being ignored entirely and broken.
As an example, all patient medical records are to be retained for a certain amount of time (10 years in Ontario) before the record can be deleted. Does everyone on your team know that? Do they know that deleting records (including x-ray images) before their allotted duration can result in legal issues?
If there is a broken link in the chain of information, someone on the team might not know that and could, therefore, put themselves and your practice in hot water. A team united is able to avoid errors like this because there is no broken communication link and those unsure about the rules and regulations feel confident and trusting enough of all their team members to ask.
4 | Ends gossip and backstabbing
This particular subject comes up in a lot of dental offices. Conversations with Office Managers have revealed a trend of team members participating in gossip and backstabbing to further their own individual agenda. Why, though? Why is this type of behaviour so prevalent in offices? It all comes down to a lack of team unity. If a member of your team feels like it is just them against the world and they can’t trust anyone else, this can lead to secrets, gossip, and the kind of backstabbing that can ruin careers.
A dental team should not be practicing a dog-eat-dog mentality but instead pulling together to solve problems that may arise. We are not stronger alone as has been proven time and time again. A team divided hurts the practice and negatively affects the patients. A team united promotes trust and strength and a mentality in which the team members are less like colleagues and more like family.
5 | Provides a stronger connection between you and your team
“The dentist represents the captain, who leads the team in the direction that he or she believes is best.” However, if the connection between you and your team is strained because no one is on the same page, the captain is unable to lead properly. That is why a team united is so important as it strengthens the connection between you and everyone on your team. A team united means the whole team, including the captain.
6 | Strengthens communication
This was mentioned earlier in this post but deserves its own individual benefit because of its absolute importance. “Communication and teamwork is the key to success.” But, communication between a team divided might as well be impossible. Links are broken which results in altered information coming down the line or, in some cases, no information at all. This leads to errors which lead to gossip, which leads to a negative atmosphere filled with anger and blame. People don’t want to work in an environment like that and no patient wants to be treated in an environment like that.
A united team changes all that. It lightens the atmosphere, promotes trust and gratitude and more importantly, it strengthens communication between team members, patients and you. The broken link has been mended and the proper information is moving down the line to everyone on the team. If right now you’re wondering what can help you run your practice more smoothly this coming 2018? The answer is a team united.
For more information, don’t hesitate to check out the links below.
Resources
- Synergy and the patient-provider relationship: The hygienist’s essential role in communication and treatment acceptance
- 6 Ways To Increase Employee Morale And Performance (Without Giving A Raise)
- The Consequences of a Practice Without Teamwork
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