How Conflict Resolution Can Help Your Practice By: Gina McMeans, Certified Professional Counselor

Although practice management consultants often address ineffective communication, productive systems and methods for creating a spirit of teamwork, they generally are not specifically trained in addressing some of the psychological and social dynamics that can occur among co-workers in a practice. A professionally trained conflict resolution consultant focuses on the individual personalities and identifies the key elements of dissension.

A doctor, who I’ll refer to as Dr. Distress, was very upset that morale was down in his practice––so much so that he actually dreaded going into work. Though still productive, no one seemed to be happy anymore.

The final blow came when a long-time patient confided in Dr. Distress that his visits to the practice seemed very “different”. The patient asked Dr. Distress if he wanted to stop seeing him for some reason, or if maybe he was in the process of selling the practice. Of course, Dr. Distress was very surprised; up until then he had never received anything but positive feedback.

Determined to resolve this problem, Dr. Distress called a staff meeting to find out why there was so much tension in his practice. The employees, who had been with him a long time and were very good at their job, offered little insight about their problems during the meeting. Frustrated and confused, Dr. Distress contacted me and we discussed his situation in-depth during our phone conversation. I visited the practice and spoke privately with every team member. Although there were many specific issues, I was able to derive one common theme.

In an effort to increase productivity, a practice management consultant had recently worked with the employees to help put better record-keeping systems and new practice management software in place. Unfortunately, the employees didn’t obtain enough training with the software or the systems and were frustrated they couldn’t accomplish simple daily tasks without problems. This ineffectiveness led to staggering stress that continued to multiply as employees became frustrated with each other and their inability to create the great working environment they once all enjoyed. No one was communicating with Dr. Distress about the problems because they did not want to place blame on someone else and individually felt they were not very proficient.

The systems the practice management consultant put into place were not bad or ineffective. The staff really liked them and truly believed they would help everything function more efficiently. However, the staff’s inability to properly implement the new procedures fueled frustration. Although their intentions were good, the steps they were taking to avoid the problems were actually contributing to them.

Once the problem was clearly identified, I created a supportive environment while working with the practice management consultant to provide an integrative solution process. I also contacted the software manufacturer to get immediate training in areas where the staff needed more instruction.

Each person, including Dr. Distress, worked together to establish a vision that included concrete and measurable goals. Just two months after my initial visit, practice productivity increased by 20% and continues to improve every month. Team members are very happy, friendships have been revitalized and optimism prevails. Even patient compliance with scheduling, treatment and referrals has been dramatically effected and is much higher than usual. Now Dr. Distress is thrilled to be able to focus more on practicing dentistry instead of worrying about his staff every day.

It’s important to understand why this situation warranted an outside third party to identify this problem and begin the resolution process. The issues were not shared with the doctor because employees felt it was their fault and bringing the problems to his attention would only make them appear inept. With a neutral third party, team members felt they could contribute information without losing their jobs or placing blame on one of their co-workers.

Conflict Recognition
Recognizing the common signs of conflict developing in your practice can help prevent a total breakdown of communication. Here are some key signs that internal conflict is developing:

• “Gossip” in your office

• Frequent arguments among team players

• Lack of communication between team players (i.e.: they are talking no more than they absolutely have to)

• Complaints from one or more team players

• General lack of enthusiasm

Conflict Resolution
Let’s face it, your staff’s attitude and performance can dramatically effect your practice––both positively and negatively. There are many message board posts on the DentalTown message boards (www.dentaltown.com), that clearly indicate alleviating problems by firing a staff member is a grueling task, generates a great amount of stress, and in many cases does not totally resolve the problem.

If you notice signs of conflict with an individual employee or between several co-workers, and want them to change their behavior and remain on your staff, try some of the following steps.

• Meet with the employee to identify and clearly define areas that need improvement. Ask the employee what he/she needs to accomplish the expected tasks. Establish a specific date with the employee when performance expectations will completely be met. Once that date is agreed upon, set up a performance review session. Make it clear the outlined expectations must be met by the review date.

• Disputes between team members––make sure your team understands that ALL conflicts must remain between the involved parties. Adapt a zero tolerance policy for gossip.

• Give the involved employees no more than two days to work out a solution on their own. Because this is a dispute between the team members, any meetings where the issues are discussed should include both team members––no private meetings with the Doctor.

• Issues are to be discussed with the doctor ONLY, after the involved parties have defined ways to bring resolution between them using the process listed below:

1) Each employee must explain the issue/problem in three minutes—do not allow them to dwell on the problem.

2) Each employee must suggest at least two workable solutions.

Team Conflict: Schedule a team meeting and use the same process as described above. Again, each person must be made aware of the issues prior and expect to share their resolutions. The team must agree as a whole on which method(s) will be used to solve the situation(s). Make it very clear that ALL are expected to actively participate.

Using these methods will probably solve the majority of your headaches while holding your staff accountable for their actions and solutions.

Conflict Prevention
Avoiding conflict is always preferable to dealing with a crisis situation. Two of the top reasons conflict develops in a dental practice are:

1. Lack of Accountability
This often can be traced back to one of the basic foundations of good management—accountability. Set clear goals and expectations for your staff in writing. Make sure they are easy to understand, in fact, they should be so easy to understand that another person just picking up the document can easily understand the outlined goals. Once clear expectations are communicated, each person involved should agree to review the expectations (often referred to as Performance Appraisal) on a regular basis, scheduled in advance. Nothing should interfere with that schedule so everyone understands how critical this is to the practice and their own personal success.

2. Uneven Distribution of Praise and/or Reprimand
Reprimands should take place in private rather than in front of others. On the other hand, public praise or recognition is most often a morale booster; however, the effort must be made by all to praise as equally as possible. Sometimes this requires looking for an action to praise. If you absolutely can’t think of anything, ask the team member what he/she is most proud of accomplishing this week. There is a definite difference between an exceptional employee and an average one, but the idea here is that oftentimes accomplishments are easily overlooked because it is impossible to personally monitor each team member. It is very important to refrain from playing favorites with your team. Also, be aware of any actions that might convey favoritism.

Your patients are noticing much more than you think when they are in your practice. Here are some additional tips to avoid conflict:

Conflict prevention tips:
— Communicate CLEARLY with your team
— Communicate DAILY with your team
— Incorporate Systems in your practice
— Establish and Revise (as needed) your mission statement goals for your practice and the care you give
— Show Appreciation as equally as possible

Common reasons team members give for being unhappy with their job, poor performance and leaving a practice are:

Lack of Appreciation––both individual and team appreciation. There are many ways to show appreciation other than monetary compensation. Simply saying “Good Morning”, “Thank-you”, or “look how well we all worked together this month”, to your team can really boost morale.

Many of the Townies, who post on the DentalTown message boards, regularly offer suggestions that have really worked with their staff to increase morale. Don’t neglect this free resource to connect one-on-one with your colleagues and get real-world solutions.

Lack of Trust: This is one of the most overlooked components. If an employee does not trust others or feel trusted, there is little motivation to excel or to commit to your team, your practice, or your patients. Providing an environment where team members are invited to share ideas about improving the practice instills confidence and sets the tone for trust to develop. If trust does not develop, the result is often inadequate communication, poor attitude, and a lack of challenge. The employee often feels their skills are not being utilized due to a lack of trust in their abilities.

The primary KEY to conflict resolution is to identify the problem(s) often mistaken due to emotions, and focus on solutions. If you make sure your team knows they must begin the solution process on their own, and hold them accountable, you will no longer be saddled with petty issues or be viewed as contributing to the problem by taking sides. The tedious burden of common day-to-day issues will be lifted off of your shoulders so that you and your team can then focus on the more important things like happiness, quality patient care, and greater profits in many ways!

I invite you to contact me personally with any questions you have about this article or any situation that you are currently facing either personally or within your practice. As always, confidentiality is maintained. Please visit my website, www.themcmeansgroup.com, to subscribe to my monthly e-newsletter that includes some of the most common questions and experiences about resolving conflict.

Gina earned a Master’s degree in Counseling and is a Certified Professional Counselor with more than 10 years of experience in the dental field. She strongly believes that each person or practice has many of the tools necessary for personal and professional success. Her professional experience and extensive knowledge of human relations in dentistry make her unparalleled in the dental profession. Her methodology is strength-based and she has proven results in counseling and coaching experience reaching over 3900 hours. She specializes in Conflict Solutions, Team Building, and Personal & Professional Growth Coaching. She can help you achieve your goals beginning today…what are you waiting for? Contact Gina today to schedule your complimentary consultation. She may be reached by phone at (866) 626-3267 or in the Scottsdale/Phoenix area (480) 451-1278, or by email: glm@themcmeansgroup.com.