Leaders to support expansion in dental clinics
Issue is in area of development of leaders who are motivated to grow our company.
Hi. Currently my organization is lacking middle top management who is able to support our company expansion and sustainable growth.
As of end of 2015 we have launched 14 dental offices(each consist 4-8 dental chairs) in addition to 23 that we launched in between 1998 and 2014.
Not all the clinics are running according to our expectations for the timebeing. We’re working based on cash-paid model(1-2% of total turnover is insurance, the rest is cash-paid).
Our org structure looks as following: 5 top managers(not doctors) are managing 37 clinics + back-office(IT, Legal, Finance, QA, 5 dental laboratories, Patient service team, HR etc). Each clinic is managed by 2 heads: chief doctor and manager.
So far we each year 5-7 chief doctors are leaving company due to various reasons(either they find better company than we are or we fire them). Each change leads to drop in turnover and quality of treatment.
Our struggle is how to create the team of cheif clinicians and managers who will lead to sustainable growth and will drive the change. How do find within our organization future potential leaders who will be motivated to develop and also to grow our company.
The right people are the greatest asset of an organization.
1) This has to be determined at hiring . Make sure you advertise your posting with a detailed job description at your dental organization , journals and also let your current employees know if they find the dentist for you, after 90 days from the date of hire, you will give them a finder’s fee. Do not hire someone based off a resume. Before you interview them , do a background check. If the interview goes well then make sure to ask for references that you can call and verify. Some corporations ask for a drug test.
2) hire and retain emotionally intelligent people who expect more from their employers. Job enrichment motivates employees by giving them a career track that includes a higher pay with a bonus structure in place ( 30% of collection + bonus). Offer benefits. The employees feel more involved as the work environment becomes more interesting and they feel valued. This has a positive impact on atttitude and productivity. It allows employees to have more control planning their work and making sure it is accomplished.
3) a well designed orientation program . Have a preceptor ( staff member) explain practices and procedures and accompany the newbie for the first 2 weeks around and made to feel welcomed. Introduce the new hire to everyone around in the practice
4) have a hand book for your organization .
5) Evaluate the new hire in 3 months. By now you should know if this new hire will work for you or not.
6) Set expectations and goals for your new hire after 90 days if you decide to keep your new hire. Tailor goals to each employee based on their strengths and weaknesses.
7)Deal with poor performance issues right away. Have a Performance Improvement Plan in place which explains in detail what is expected to correct it and the consequences of not making the changes would result in termination. This way there are no surprises.
I like the answer above. In addition, think about stock option/ownership program for top performing midlevel employees. This could be tied to perfomrance and time with company.
You tell that each clinic is managed by 2 heads: chief doctor and manager. I do not believe in shared responsibilities. One has to be on top of the other. As your 5 top managers are not physicians and you have a health-care organisation, I would have chief doctors managing the clinics with the help of financial and other staff. As your dentists are the key persons delivering the high quality services, I would listen very carefully the ideas of chief doctors and other dentists how to develop your services and business. And then reciprocally, the chief and other dentists are to commit to your financial goals.