In a medical office, where every person plays an integral role in the patient experience, teamwork is of the utmost importance. To ensure that every patient receives the type of care that leads to positive outcomes, it is crucial that you, as a practice manager or owner, take steps to develop a collaborative environment.
Team building tips for practice success
Whether you notice a disconnect between one or several of your employees, or if you simply want to strengthen existing bonds, use the following 10 tips to accomplish your goals.
1. Be choosy in your hiring
Selective hiring is effective hiring. According to studies, selective hiring leads to increased productivity, enhanced organizational performance, and more profits. During the hiring process, ask the right questions, use assessments liberally, and implement a trial period.
2. Encourage collaboration
Incentives that encourage employees to work together are much more effective at fostering a team environment than systems that promise individual rewards. Develop a reward system that is collaborative rather than competitive.
3. Develop a morning huddle
“Meetings” make people want to avoid the office. “Huddles,” on the other hand, incite feelings of belonging and comradery. Set aside 15 minutes each morning to discuss the upcoming day, go over metrics, identify problems, and boost morale.
4. Promote open dialogue
The most successful teams are led by people who encourage open and honest feedback and communication. Be present and accessible to your employees, give credit where credit is due, act on feedback, and always operate with the collective in mind.
5. Invest in staff development
Personal and professional development can have a host of benefits for your practice, including increased retention rates, increased employee engagement, increased employee satisfaction, and increased employee loyalty. If there is any healthcare practice advice you should heed, it is to invest in staff development.
6. Clarify team roles
You may find that your team members are unable to work well together because they are constantly stepping on each other’s toes. If this is the case, you may need to redefine roles and reiterate responsibilities.
7. Participate in a personality workshop
Misunderstandings and personality clashes are two of the biggest barriers to successful teamwork that organizations face. A personality workshop can help team members learn about others’ various preferences, styles, and communication behaviors and minimize misunderstandings and personality-related frustrations.
8. Define a purpose
When your team has a common goal to work toward, employees will be more inclined to work together to achieve it. If you have not already done so, define a big-picture objective and develop several smaller goals to accomplish along the way.
9. Encourage self-care
The members of your medical practice team are in the business of caring for others. Yet, they may struggle to do this to the best of their ability if they do not first care for themselves. Encourage your personnel to prioritize self-care by incentivizing them to do so.
10. Build off feedback
Finally, review patient feedback as a team and brainstorm ways to act on it. By coming up with ways to improve as a team, there is a greater likelihood that all members will honor the plan.
Get more healthcare practice advice
Whether you want to improve employee retention or patient acquisition rates, let our team at Doctor Genius help. Contact us at 1-877-477-2311 to schedule a consultation today.
Doctor Genius, located at 16800 Aston Street, Suite 270, Irvine, CA 92606, provides a range of services for practice success. We seek to meet our clients’ needs by providing a variety of marketing, SEO, practice optimization tools, and coaching to transform the healthcare experience. Though we work to provide the most accurate information, the content found on this website is solely intended for entertainment purposes. Therefore, we cannot guarantee that the information provided is entirely correct. You may not use the information on this site to cure, prevent, or diagnose a perceived medical issue. If you have healthcare-related needs, please speak directly to a healthcare professional. Never self-perform medical treatments discussed on this website. All images displayed are also for entertainment purposes only, and personal experiences may differ. Please note that the business tactics mentioned on this site might not be applicable to your industry or practice.
