Sally McKenzie, CEO McKenzie Management Printer Friendly Version

Conquer Conflict in Eight Steps

Rolling eyes, snide comments, poor attitudes, the silent treatment - these are all tell-tale signs of staff conflict. Disagreements and personality clashes can bubble to the surface in many different and seemingly subtle yet profoundly destructive ways. And when times are stressful, disagreements and hurt feelings can become all the more prevalent.

Certainly, if you’re not in the “line of fire” it’s human nature to want to ignore these undercurrents of tension and discontent and pretend they don’t really affect you. The fact is, most of us really do not like conflict and seek to avoid it. For dentists, conflict avoidance comes at an extremely high cost. Yet their first, middle, and often last solution for dealing with it is to look the other direction and quietly hope that the problem will eventually just disappear. Such wishful thinking is certainly comforting until reality kicks in. Conflict is expensive and the ramifications of not addressing it are plainly evident: lost productivity, absenteeism, increased cancellations, lower treatment acceptance, costly mistakes, and the list goes on.

The negative attitudes and poor performance that are too often dismissed with an “Oh that’s just Pam,” or some other weak excuse costs practices thousands of dollars a year. Understandably, most people prefer to turn on their heels and run in the opposite direction than stand toe-to-toe with conflict. But the only way to manage this subversive morale destroyer is to tackle it head on.

The process need not be painful or particularly difficult, but it does need to be clear and direct. Take charge. Yes, it’s easier said than done, and admittedly many dentists would prefer to hide in a patient’s mouth. But focusing on staff communication and accountability can significantly reduce the differences and get the practice back on track. Here’s how:

1. Make a conscious effort to expand communication with your staff. If they are working against each other, exhibiting poor attitudes and equally poor performance they may not be getting enough direction and feedback from you - the doctor.

2. Invest a small amount of time and resources in personality testing. Staff members who understand the personalities of their colleagues, including the dentist, are much better prepared to work with them effectively.

3. Clearly define job responsibilities. With job descriptions, team members understand their roles on the team. Subsequently, they recognize who is responsible for which systems and who is accountable for those systems.

4. Establish expectations for employees and, if necessary, provide training to enable them to meet those expectations.

5. Hold daily huddles to address day-to-day issues that can cause rifts, such as placement of emergency patients both today and tomorrow.

6. Schedule regular meetings with staff and follow a specific written agenda.

• Require each employee to report on the system(s) they are accountable for.
• Discuss what is happening with each system – scheduling, accounts receivable, recall, etc.
• Identify constructive strategies for addressing any concerns that arise related to the performance of specific systems.
• Assign deadlines and delegate responsibility to individual staff to pursue the problem solving strategies that have been identified.

7. Insist that clear information be shared among the team. For example, give front desk staff necessary details on time required for procedures and charges associated with procedures.

8. Establish clear standards for professional office behavior. Do not tolerate destructive personal attacks among team members. Focus on systems and what is or is not working in the systems. Give employees regular feedback. And celebrate the success of both the team and the individual players.

Staff conflict will not disappear on its own. The best way to manage it is to confront it head on. 

Sally McKenzie is CEO of McKenzie Management, a nationwide dental management, practice development and educational consulting firm. Working on-site with dentists since 1980, McKenzie Management provides knowledge, guidance and personalized solutions that have propelled thousands of general and specialty practices to realize their potential.

Interested in speaking to Sally about your practice concerns? Email her at sally@thedentistsnetwork.net or call 1.877.777.6151.

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