Chapter 2: Dental Team Management

Copyright © 2020 by Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Dental Team Management
Chapter 2
1

Learning Objectives
Lesson 2.1: Setting Goals, Motivating
Employees, and Overall Staff Management
(Slide 1 of 2)
1. Define the key terms in this chapter.
2. Discuss the importance of establishing goals and objectives for
a dental practice.
3. Discuss leadership and management in the twenty-first century
dental office.
4. List and describe the personal characteristics of an effective
leader.
5. Discuss organizational culture and describe common
organizational cultures that could be applied to a dental
practice.
6. Describe factors that may help to motivate employees.
7. Discuss the importance of business office etiquette, as well as
ways to implement professional business etiquette.
2

8. Discuss the shifting role of the administrative assistant in a
dental practice and list the various duties involved with the
position.
9. Discuss the importance of staff management. Also, list the
”five Rs” of successful management.
10. Identify the functions and basic skills of an effective
administrative assistant.
11. Discuss the attributes of an ethical administrative assistant.
3
Learning Objectives
Lesson 2.1: Setting Goals, Motivating
Employees, and Overall Staff Management
(Slide 1 of 2)

Establishing Practice
Goals and Objectives
 Before opening a practice, the dentist should:
 Define a practice philosophy
 Establish specific objectives
 Determine a mission statement for the practice
4

Sequence for Establishing Objectives
(Slide 1 of 2)
 A common sequence for establishing
objectives includes:
 Develop a practice philosophy
 Develop practice objectives
 Determine a mission statement
 Develop practice policies
5

Sequence for Establishing Objectives
(Slide 2 of 2)
 A common sequence for establishing
objectives includes:
 Develop procedural policies
 Develop business principles
 Develop practice standards
 Develop a staff recognition program
6

Leadership and Management
in the Twenty-First Century
 Today, an effective leader or manager must
possess a certain set of personal traits:
 Practice by a set of values
 Build a shared vision
 Maintain a commitment to service
 Empower others
 Reward risk taking
 Manage chaos
 Know how to follow
7

Today’s Leader
 Must embrace trust, a willingness to change,
humility, commitment, focus, compassion,
integrity, peacemaking, and endurance
 As a business, the dentist/leader strives to
achieve practice goals by:
 Considering long-term results over short-term
results
 Stressing effectiveness over efficiency alone
 Being proactive rather than reactive
 Being driven by plans rather than problems
8

Personal Characteristics
of an Effective Leader
 Self-confidence
 Competence
 Genuineness
 Acceptance of a culturally diverse population
 Enthusiasm
 Assertiveness
 Effective listening
 Recognition of others’ needs
 Sense of humor
 Willingness to be a team player
9

Organizational Culture
 Term has become well-known in business
 Something that a dental office or organization
“is” rather than what it “has”
 Comprises attitudes, experiences, beliefs,
and values of an organization
10

Common Organizational
Cultures in Dental Practice
 Power culture
 Role culture
 Task culture
 Person culture
 Work-hard/play-hard culture
 Process culture
 Blame culture
 Multidirectional culture
 Live-and-let-live culture
 Leadership-enriched culture
11

Factors That Motivate Employees
 Recognition
 Compensation
 Challenging responsibilities
 Verbal expressions of gratitude
 Incentives
12

Business Office Etiquette
 In a professional business office, your actions
and behavior are observed by clients,
patients, visitors, and those who have the
potential to promote you
 For a dentist employer, the potential for
practice growth and patient acceptance
depends on the etiquette of the staff
13

The Shifting Role of the
Administrative Assistant
 The title administrative assistant refers to the
person whose primary responsibility is to
oversee the business activities of the dental
office
 The duties of the administrative assistant vary
according to the size of the dental practice,
and duties may be assigned accordingly
14

Staff Management
 Dental office management is the process of
accomplishing things with and through people
by guiding and motivating their efforts toward
common objectives
15

“Five Rs” of Management
 Successful management can be attributed to
five basic Rs:
 Responsibility
 Respect
 Rapport
 Recognition
 Remuneration
16

Functions of an
 Planning
 Organizing
 Staffing
 Leading
 Controlling
17

Basic Skills of an
 A few of the most important skills for an
administrative assistant are:
 Conceptual skills
 Human relations skills
 Administrative skills
 Technical skills
18

The Ethical Administrative Assistant
(Slide 1 of 3)
 An ethical administrative assistant should:
 Respect the dentist and the practice concepts
 Maintain frequent communication
 Use feedback for positive communication
 Involve the staff in decision making; make ethical
decisions
19

 Avoid unnecessary delays in decision making
 Delegate authority
 Identify constraints with which work must be done
 Exercise self-control
 Make time available to staff
20
(Slide 2 of 3)

 Build and develop strong followers
 Be visible
 Learn from your mistakes
 Expand your leadership role
21
(Slide 3 of 3)

Learning Objectives
Lesson 2.2: Staff Communication and Competency,
Office Procedures, and Hiring Practices
(Slide 1 of 2)
12. Define “communication,” discuss how important
effective staff communication is, and describe
channels of communication.
13. Describe various ways to empower employees.
14. Describe how to successfully conduct a staff meeting.
15. Effectively manage conflict in the dental office and
describe barriers to staff communication.
16. List and discuss the advantages of hiring a skilled
administrative assistant.
22

17. Describe how to manage time efficiently, including
how to maintain daily schedules.
18. Explain the purpose and components of an office
procedural manual, including the contents of a
personnel policy.
19. Describe hiring practice techniques, explain the use
of pre-employment testing, conduct an effective and
legal interview, and describe new employee training.
20. Describe the process for evaluating employee
performance and explain the process of terminating
an employee.
23
Learning Objectives
Lesson 2.2: Staff Communication and Competency,
Office Procedures, and Hiring Practices
(Slide 2 of 2)

Staff Communication
 Communication is an essential element in
management and becomes a vital link in
establishing meaningful relationships among
you, the dentist, other members of the staff,
and the patient
24

Channels of Communication
 There are formal and informal channels of
communication:
 Formal channels of communication may be
downward, upward, or horizontal
 Informal channels of communication are also
referred to as the grapevine
25

Empowering Employees
 To be successful, the dentist must be able
and willing to recognize the value that each
employee brings to the office
 This means giving employees the power,
authority, ability, and permission to accomplish
office objectives and all legally delegable duties
independently
26

Conducting a Staff Meeting
 Two common types of staff meetings in the
dental office are:
 The morning “huddle” meeting
 The monthly team or staff meeting
27

Managing Conflict
 Conflicts between an administrative assistant
and an employee or between a patient and a
member of the staff are normal but should not
occur frequently
 Regardless of the nature of the complaint, the
administrative assistant should review the
details of the complaint and seek to resolve
the problem quickly
28

Steps in Resolving Conflict
 Make time available as soon as possible to
discuss the problem
 Listen patiently to all the issues, keeping an
open mind
 Determine the real issue
 Exercise self-control
 Avoid a delay in decision making
 Maintain a record
29

Barriers to Staff Communication
 Barriers to patient communication include
prejudice, poor listening, preoccupation,
impatience, and even impaired hearing
 These barriers can also exist between staff
members
 Never assume that the message being sent will be
received as it was intended
30

Advantages of Hiring a Skilled
 A skilled administrative assistant is tech
savvy, people oriented, and skilled in
management
 The best administrative assistants also have
a broad knowledge of dentistry and are
curious, organized, responsible, and decisive
31

Time Management
 Time management involves knowing how to
perform a specific task, when to perform each
task, how to choose which job to do first, and
how long each project will take
 Time management in the dental office
involves planning, scheduling work, and
avoiding wasted time
32

Maintaining Daily Schedules
 A calendar of activities and tasks and a “to-
do” list are used to efficiently maintain a daily
schedule
 Remember to determine priorities, be flexible,
use free time, and review the schedule with
the dentist
33

Designing a Procedural Manual
 The procedural manual outlines the detailed
techniques to be implemented for each
procedure in both the business and clinical
areas of the office
 The procedural manual includes the dentist’s
philosophy of the practice and defines the job
responsibilities of each team member
34

Guidelines for a Procedural Manual
 Statement of purpose
 Statement of
philosophy
 Table of contents
 Office communications
 Staff policies
 Employment policies
35
 Office records
 Infection-control
policy
 Clinical procedures
 Continuing education
 Professional
organizations

Writing a Personnel Policy
 As part of the office procedural manual, a
well-defined personnel policy must be
established
 A fair and equitable personnel policy may
help eliminate conflicts that could arise
among the team members
36

Writing a Job Description
 A current, accurate job description should
exist for each of the positions in the dental
office
 A job analysis must be performed before an
accurate job description can be written
37

Writing a Job Advertisement
 List the skills you expect the person to have;
require a résumé
 Identify attractive features of the job, such as
benefits, salary, and working conditions
38

Interviewing Prospective Employees
 Interviewing applicants may be part of the
management role assigned to the
administrative assistant
 Important responsibility
39

Legal Considerations in Hiring
 Employers must ensure that application forms
avoid questions about race or ethnic
background
 Each applicant must be given the same type
of form
 An employer must require proof of an
applicant’s legal status
40

Pre-Employment Testing
 Businesses such as a dental practice may
legally use professionally developed
standardized tests to verify knowledge,
aptitude, and skills during a selection process
 Many private sector employers are
considering drug and alcohol testing as a pre-
employment requirement
41

Conducting an Interview
(Slide 1 of 4)
 Before the interview
 Gather information about each candidate
 Develop an outline of questions
 Select the interview location
42

(Slide 2 of 4)
 During the interview, you have two major
functions:
 Gather information about the candidate’s
qualifications for the job in a nondiscriminatory
manner
 Convey information to the candidate about the
office and the specific job responsibilities
43

(Slide 3 of 4)
 Ask
 Are you available to work overtime?
 What are your career objectives?
 Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
 Are there any reasons you might not stay with us?
 Do not ask about:
 Age and weight
 Marital status
 Place of birth
 Disabilities
 Religion
 Lawsuits or legal complaints
44

(Slide 4 of 4)
 Concluding the interview
 Opportunity for the applicant to tour the office
 Opportunity for the staff to meet the candidate
 Inform the candidate of plans to make a decision
by a certain date
45

New Employee Training
 A well-organized dental team provides a
smooth transition into the practice for the new
employee
 The time required for a new employee to
become well established in the office varies
from office to office
46

Evaluating an Employee’s Performance
 Periodic evaluations should be performed
 If employees are making mistakes, they need
to know so they can correct performance
47

Terminating an Employee
 A disciplinary process needs to be in place
 First give a verbal warning; document in
employee file
 Then, give a written warning
 Final step is termination
48

Questions?
49

Chapter 2: Dental Team Management

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Chapter 2: Dental Team Management