6 Things Physicians Can Do to Improve Practice Culture
A positive culture shows in every aspect of a practice—from the efficiency and cheerfulness of the staff to the overall experience of the patient.
On the other hand, if a practice culture isn’t positive, it can lead to serious problems, like high staff turnover, burnout and low productivity. Staff dissatisfaction can quickly turn into patient dissatisfaction, which can create mission critical issues.
Fostering a positive practice culture is critical for the business success of the entire organization. But it isn’t always easy. It requires intentionality, strong leadership and strategy.
Every practice is different, but there are a few key steps that can boost a practice’s culture and have lasting positive effects. Consider these six ways to improve your practice’s workplace culture.
1. Promote Open Communication and Strong Team Relationships
Your staff is your most valuable asset, and employee engagement is a necessity to retain your team and to create a positive workplace environment. The patient experience, the practice’s effectiveness and organizational goals all rely upon having engaged staff members.
But most employees need more than just a task list to be connected to your practice in a meaningful way. They need to feel valued, informed and involved.
Encourage idea sharing and promote personal value to give team members a sense of purpose, belonging and empowerment. Promote open and effective communication within your team to foster collaboration. Reward strong performance and buy-in appropriately.
Some physicians have seen success in engaging staff members by hosting “morning huddles,” which set up the staff to work as a team and support each other as problems occur each day.
An engaged employee will be an advocate for the practice, speak positively about their work and encourage others to be a part of the organization. This is the foundation of a positive practice culture.
2. Clearly Establish Values, Direction and Strategy
What does your practice stand for? What values drive your practice culture? Where is the organization headed? And how do you know?
The most effective practices have a clear vision or mission statement and documented values.
Be sure to review your mission when making all strategic decisions, and hold regular physician meetings to keep the practice moving in a strategic fashion that aligns with the values you’ve established. Set any goals in a transparent way, so that your entire staff can understand and adopt your vision.
A small practice usually relies upon a physician owner to set the practice goals, but all physicians should be involved in the practice’s business decisions and stay abreast of changes.
It’s also helpful to engage professional advisors to assist in key decisions and advise through strategic planning.
3. Set the Tone at the Top
Practice culture is a result of key behaviors of the leadership, and leadership begins with a practice’s physicians. A positive practice culture starts at the top and trickles down to everyone.
Think about how you want the staff and your patients to view your practice, and model the behaviors and perspectives you’d like to see. (You’ll likely be even more effective if you can effectively demonstrate behaviors that reflect your defined mission statement, values and practice goals.) This creates a sense of trust in the staff that improves morale.
An exceptional positive culture is ‘’caught” not “taught.”
4. Build a Strong Relationship with Your Practice Administrator
Most groups employ an administrator to handle most of the day-to-day decisions and lead the practice through strategic goals. This practice administrator is a key component to creating a positive practice culture.
An administrator skilled in communication and empowerment can engage staff and grow leaders. Practice administrators learn what motivates each employee and can influence the entire team by assuring conflict is avoided or resolved. A great practice administrator may even seek opportunities to build morale by acknowledging work milestones, celebrating staff birthdays or even organizing a company picnic.
The practice administrator is a coach in every sense; he or she impacts the physician leaders, the staff and the patients.
The physicians and the administrator should meet often in order to effectively communicate the practice’s vision, engage their staff and grow leaders in every area of the practice.
5. Be selective in hiring and intentional in onboarding
Your practice culture will naturally evolve when you bring new team members onto your staff. By hiring individuals who understand the goals of the practice and how their job is important to its success, you can continuously make positive improvements to your practice.
Culture success begins when administrators hire an employee for a specific position, which is detailed in a job description. Proper onboarding is also essential to adding value to the employee/employer relationship. Start a new hire’s first day off well with a discussion of the handbook, employment paperwork and an introduction to the training plan.
Often, new hires are simply turned over to the most knowledgeable employee. However, if the seasoned employee was not trained effectively, how successful could they be at preparing the new employee?
It’s important to equip a new employee early with the tools to learn, clear expectations and a checklist of key tasks they should be able to perform within the probationary period (typically the first 90 days).
6. Prioritize Both Accountability and Career Development for Staff
Once a new employee is past the probationary period, career development goals should be set. Many practices have seen success by implementing training programs, conducting regular staff meetings and instituting incentive programs to develop their staff.
When you invest in your employees, you raise the level of expertise and strength, which enhances the overall practice culture. As your team grows stronger, projects are more successful because the administrator and the physicians can work at a higher level.
Annual evaluations are useful in rewarding good performance and setting goals for further development. However, an evaluation should not be the first time an employee learns of a performance problem. Any problems should be addressed at regular intervals with specific directions for improvement. The evaluation should only report the need for continued improvement or acknowledge success.
Learn More about Fostering a Positive Practice Culture
Creating a positive practice culture isn’t always simple, but the reward is well worth the effort. To learn more about how your practice can implement these strategies, contact your Warren Averett advisor directly, or ask a member of our team to reach out to you.
