Do's and don'ts for practice changes

Every dentist has faced the challenge of trying to get their team on board with a big change. In the business world, this process is known as managing disruptive organizational change, and it isn't something taught in dental school. As practice leaders, many dentists encounter the need to make essential changes to practice operations or systems but meet with team resistance. How you approach a big change can make all the difference.

Start talking about what the change will achieve. Your inclination might be to jump right into how the change will occur, but that would be a mistake. The word "how" is the single most paralyzing word in the English language. Most people immediately get mired in the details when you focus first on how something will get done. Always start with what the change is intended to do. Don't worry about how you're going to achieve it -- that comes later.

Don't forget to validate your team's concerns. It is not a matter of glossing over their concerns or ignoring them. Your team members want to be part of the process and the solution, and you need them. If you are transparent about the change, what it will take, the work involved, etc., you build the trust and motivation needed to make the change happen.

Dr. Roger P. Levin is CEO of Levin Group, a leading practice management and marketing consulting firm. To contact him or to join the 40,000 dental professionals who receive his Practice Production Tip of the Day, visit LevinGroup.com or email[email protected].

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