The “self-managed team” is essentially a philosophy based on shared values, trust, and unity of purpose, relationships, and a commitment to personal and professional growth. It begins, first and foremost, by hiring the right people and teaching the aptitude.

Self-management offers freedom and responsibility. It gives each person credibility and respect, and it satisfies the need for self-fulfillment. The prime responsibility of the doctor is to help team members discover, develop, and utilize their potential. In order for team members to grow requires the dentist must be willing to grow with them.

• It requires team members who want to grow beyond skilled worker to ‘knowledge worker’ who knows what to do, when to do, how to do, and why to do the task.
• It thrives on trust and self-accountability which requires honesty with one’s self. It requires a high tolerance for disagreement and ‘the right to be wrong.’
• It thrives on a high tolerance for mistakes which permits calculated risk taking. It requires that all members of the team strive to live by the tenet, ‘Integrity is not only important; it is everything.’
• It requires continuous growth of all persons involved.
• It requires the discipline to set aside a half day
  each week of non-patient work time for planning, learning, training, ‘how are we doing’ discussions and catch-up work.
• It requires trust, openness, and willingness to risk asking the questions; “How am I doing?” “Do you have any suggestions for me?”

 Essential Traits

• Emotional Maturity
• Courage of convictions – be responsible.
• Admit mistakes –be accountable, honest, have integrity and keep promises.
• Willing to adjust to new ideas, concepts, and approaches in the daily routine.
• Ability to make decisions with confidence.
• Reliable judgment.
• Enjoy life and work. Respect the rights of others.
• Self-directed – goal setter and self-starter.
• Positive self-image – sets the boundaries of individual accomplishment.
• Tolerant of disagreement – everyone has the right to be wrong.
• Tolerance for ambiguity – they are flexible and not upset by unforeseen mishaps.

It is important that the attitudes, actions and activities of everyone in the office are congruent with the values, purpose and motivating spirit of the organization. Ultimately each dental team must develop its own unique style. The dentist and team must deal with their values, standards of excellence and the personal relationships required to exceed the patient’s expectations. We must continually work to align structure, systems, and processes with our shared values, vision and purpose. Shared values determine how people perceive problems, seek alternative solutions, and make decisions.

SHARED OWNERSHIP

• No dream is beyond reach when you have a shared vision and
  purpose with the right team.
• Leaders must be willing to delegate power and control after clear goals, standards of excellence and expectations have been
  established. Conflicting or ambiguous expectations are the cause of almost all relationship difficulties.
• Everyone’s job, including the leader’s, must be open to examination and change.
• All team members must be encouraged to make suggestions and be given real authority to act, to try things on the spot in the belief that failures are learning experiences.
• Everyone must have easy access to all the information relevant to their work.
• Everyone’s job security depends on their ability to provide solutions that exceed the patient’s expectation.
• Teamwork must become a way of life. People working interdependently do not need job descriptions. Self-managed people with a
  feeling of ownership work best knowing everyone’s area of responsibility. There are no departmental boundaries.
• Everyone must make a commitment to personal and professional growth. Continuing education is not optional.

M. William Lockard, Jr. DDS

• Principles
  of Team Membership             
•  

1. Always be willing to do more than your
   share.  A person with a high commitment to the success
   of the team and practice will look for ways to contribute to the success of the
   group to achieve the shared vision and purpose of the practice.
2. Never say uncomplimentary things about
   another team member behind their back.    Engage in positive confrontation of the
   problem.
3. Confront your conflicts. Resolved conflicts strengthen
   relationships. Unresolved conflicts do not go away, they accumulate and get
   worse.
4. Accept reality – all team members are
   not paid the same salary.
   All do not have the same education, experience, duties, responsibilities,
   abilities, attitudes and dependability.
5. Never be late or absent for trivial
   reasons.  One person absent can affect the quality of
   care, the efficiency and effectiveness of the entire office.
6. Participate in team activities even
   when inconvenient.
   Electing not to participate may be seen as rejection by teammates. The more you
   know about someone, the greater likelihood that you will care for them.
7. Be involved, concerned and active
   regarding your personal growth.  As a group of individuals who work
   together become cohesive, caring and synergistic they are experiencing personal
   growth.

• Be
  unselfish with your time and helping others.
• Be
  empathetic with patients and team members.
• Confront
  conflict with a positive attitude – see other point of view.
• Accept
  yourself and others – strengths and weakness – it’s OK to not be perfect.
• Listen
  to others more than you talk.
• Be a
  continual learner.
• Accept
  responsibility and be accountable for your actions.

1.  Contribute
   to personal growth of teammates when appropriate. Help is not help until it
   is perceived and accepted as help by the recipient. The ideal relationship is
   to have a friend who can act as a consultant where the level of trust,
   understanding and caring is high enough so we can tell it like it is.

• M. William
  Lockard, Jr.  DDS          www.billlockarddds.com
•                                                                                                                                                            
•                                                                                                
•  

• SELF ASSESSMENT                    
• Complete
  all the questions and discuss in round robin fashion with other team members.

1. List two valuable
   abilities or qualities that you possess but are currently not using.

1. What is your
   ideal picture of your job and your role in this team? How would your unused
   abilities fit into this ideal picture?

1. What positive
   contributions could you make to this team and practice by actualizing some
   aspects of your ideal picture of your job?

1. What aspects of
   your ideal picture of your job can you turn into reality? What specific steps
   can you take? What are the obstacles to take these steps?

1. How can your team
   members help you use your strengths and actualize your ideal

• picture?
• After
  each team member answers all the questions the team works to take advantage of
  each person’s strengths. This begins the process of working interdependently
  and sharing responsibilities.
•  
• M William Lockard, JR DDS
•        

•                                                                                                                                                        
•  
• Teams with
  trusting relationships:
• Admit mistakes, weaknesses, and ask
  for help
• Accept questions and input about
  their areas of responsibility
• Give one another the benefit of the
  doubt before a negative conclusion
• Take risks in offering feedback and
  assistance
• Focus time and energy on important
  issues, not politics
• Offer and accept apologies without
  hesitation
  • Look forward to meetings and other
    opportunities to work as a group
• Teams that engage in conflict:
• Have lively, productive meetings
  debating important issues
• Ideas and opinions of all team
  members are encouraged and considered
• Discuss and resolve real problems
  quickly
• Minimize politics
• Put critical topics on the table for
  discussion
• Teams that make commitments:
• Create clarity around direction and
  priorities
• Align the entire team around common
  objectives
• Develop an ability to learn from
  mistakes
• Unite behind decisions and commit to
  a clear course of action even when
• complete agreement is impossible
• Move forward and change direction
  with confidence without hesitation
• Teams that hold one another
  accountable:
• Ensure that poor performers feel
  pressure to improve
• Identify potential problems quickly
  by questioning one another’s approaches
• without hesitation
• Clarify exactly what the team needs
  to achieve, who needs to deliver what, and how
• everyone must behave to succeed
• Avoid excessive bureaucracy around
  performance management and corrective action
• Shift rewards from individual
  performance to team achievement, there-by creating
• a culture of accountability
• Teams that focus on collective
  results:
• Retain achievement-oriented employees
• Down play individual achievement in
  favor of team performance
• Enjoy success and suffer failure
  acutely
• Benefit from individuals who
  subjugate their own goals/interests for the good of the team
• Focus
  on specific objectives, clearly defined outcomes and deadlines

• 
  Dynamic Job Design and Performance
  Appraisal  
• Clarification of expectations for each team member’s function,
  responsibility, and performance.
• Each team member writes:
• Detailed
  list of their job functions and responsibilities.
• Standard
  of excellence expected in detail.
• Self-evaluation
  of performance.
• Doctor
  writes list for each team member:
• Job
  functions and responsibilities.
• Standard
  of excellence expected.
• Evaluation
  of job performance.
• Doctor meets with each team member to review and
  compare:
• Functions,
  responsibilities, standard of excellence and performance.
• Doctor
  explains in detail any changes or improvement required.
• A
  composite evaluation and action plan with time table is agreed upon.
• Recognize
  that some departments in the practice may be at different stages of growth.
• Team
  members must understand how their actions may affect other team members and
  their performance.
• Praise
  how each team member contributes to achieving the purpose and goals of the
  practice.
• M. William Lockard, Jr. DDS     www.billlockarddds.com
• When tensions are high and we seem to have lost our
  positive attitude, I will sit with all the team members and ask these
  questions. It is a positive way to get back on track. And they feel in charge
  of the “Happy days are here again.”

• Appreciative Inquiry                                                      Change at the
  speed of Imagination
•                           

1. Who are
   you when you’re at your best?

• ___________________________________________________________________________

1. Think about a time when you were really engaged in
   and excited about your work.

• Tell me a story about that time. What was
  happening? What were you feeling?
• What made it a great moment?
• What were others doing that contributed to this
  being a great moment for you?
• What did you contribute in creating this moment?
• What would need to happen for you to have moments
  like that more of the time?
• ________________________________________________________________________

1. When are we as a team at our very best?

• What are we doing at those times?
• How are we communicating?
• How are we treating each other and others outside
  of our circle at those times?
• How can we be that way, and do those things more of
  the time? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1. If you had three wishes for our organization, what
   would they be?
   ________________________________________________________________________

• ____________________________________________________________________________      _____________________________________________________________________
•                  
•                           
•  
• 
  Philosophy   ‘HOW’   Statement
• Patients
• We will help people feel
  important, cared for, accepted and affirmed by all the team.
• We will do only what is right
  and put the patient’s interest first – sharing our values, beliefs and joy in
  doing our WHY.
• We will treat people
  appropriate to their need, their understanding of the optimum treatment and
  their ability to pay a fair fee.
• We will accept people as they
  are without passing judgment.
• We will help people make
  decisions based on their values and priorities. People will not be pressured to
  accept treatment; they must choose treatment.
• We will not provide treatment
  that is inconsistent with our ethical standard.
• We will inform people about
  fees prior to beginning treatment.
• We wish to receive a fair fee,
  paid with gratitude and appreciation.
• When people experience economic
  hardship we will understand and be cooperative.
• We wish to attract patients who
  are fun and have values congruent with ours.
• Exceptional
  Team Members:
• Develop integrated goals and
  know that if the practice does well financially, they will do well financially.
• Commit to the process of
  personal mastery.
• Grow in the process of
  self-management, work interdependently, accept responsibility and be accountable
  for their actions.
• Are encouraged to voice their
  opinion and then commit to team decisions.
• Develop trusting relationships
  and focus on collective results.
• Establish clear expectations of
  each other and the doctor.
• Hold trust, honesty, integrity,
  openness and respect as core values of this practice.
• Let’s
  make this office an incredible place where we have fun helping people improve
  the quality of their life.
• M.
  William Lockard, Jr. DDS