Building practice teamwork is an everyday activity

Practice Pointers. By Karen S. Schechter, AMNews contributor. Nov. 21, 2005.

PRACTICE POINTERS

Answers to questions about the business side of your practice

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Question: My partner and I own a four-physician family medicine private practice with 18 employees. We have a fast-paced clinic, and the employees appear to be working hard and relatively productively. However, there is so much tension and a lack of teamwork that many days I dread having even to go into the office. The office manager has tried counseling individuals, holding regular office meetings, etc., but nothing seems to work. Can you provide me with some guidelines as to how I can handle this situation?

Answer: Focusing on customer service and trying to run an efficient cost-effective practice is a challenge for all private medical practices -- especially in today's managed care-driven environment.

The medical practice's staff typically consists of a diverse group of individuals with different ideas, backgrounds and experiences.

Just because they all have a common employer does not mean that they automatically become a team. Team building is an ongoing and deliberate process that, if successful, creates a work culture that values collaboration.

To make teamwork happen, several actions must occur.

Practice leaders need to develop the practice's mission and goals. What is the reason for the practice's existence, and what is it striving for in the future?

The mission and goals should be grounded in the values of the practice leaders, and teamwork should be one of those values. The mission, goals and values should be formally written and shared with the staff on a regular basis.