Maximizing Team Performance – Roles and Responsibilities

One of the most common downfalls of many dental practices is the lack of roles and responsibilities. Often, team members know what needs to be done but there is quite a bit of confusion as to who is accountable for systems within the practice. What ends up happening is that the workloads among team members become uneven, feelings of resentment arise and the doctor ends up having to deal with the “politics”.

Roles and responsibilities are the building blocks of a solid foundation for a well-run dental practice. Not only do team members need to know what they are individually accountable for, they also need to understand each other’s role in order to truly support one another.

So how do you create job descriptions for your team? Team members will be more likely to take on, or in some cases let go of, responsibility if they are part of the decision.

Ask members to analyze their daily/weekly/monthly routines to develop a task list.
As a team, review each person’s list and decide whether things could be spread out more evenly or executed more efficiently.
Develop written protocols for specific duties.
Assign a backup. Each team member needs to have a backup person that understands their role and can support the systems in their absence.
Keep the job descriptions and written protocols in a binder where team members can easily refer to them in the case of vacation time, sick leave or training new hires.

Accountability is a necessity for a high performing dental team. Members need to clearly understand their roles. Develop defined roles and responsibilities, it will prove to be a team building experience and will be well worth the effort!

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