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Accountability is an essential part of any successful and lucrative team and workplace. Having accountability on a personal level may seem easy enough, but many people actually don’t take ownership of their responsibilities and mistakes in the moment. This can cause a great disruption to the everyday flow of the workplace. This is why it is important to build accountability with your team, and within your dental office as a whole. 

Accountability in the dental office is extremely valuable and important, as accountability is vital to the team’s success. While it can’t really be controlled, it can be a part of the team’s culture. This allows every member of the team to be accustomed to it in their day-to-day work lives. One person's mistake can essentially push back the schedules of the entire team, which can lead to bigger issues as the day and week goes on, and things need to be changed to accommodate that one mistake.

Culture of Accountability in the Dental Office

Accountability in the dental office is about team members taking ownership of their own responsibilities and mistakes at work, and for them to make decisions during the work day based on what is best for the dental office as a whole. A culture of accountability in the dental office is when team members feel safe and comfortable to speak openly about their problems and concerns, and can admit mistakes that they made without being scared of the repercussions. It means they can also focus their energy on properly treating their patients rather than worrying about being a better employee than other team members.

How To Increase Accountability Within a Dental Office

There are many different ways that you can increase accountability within a dental office. First of all, it is important to maintain a heavy focus on providing feedback, and conducting regular check-ins with team members. This allows team members to know what they are doing right and what they are doing wrong so they can make proper adjustments to their processes if needed. This will help them to make correct decisions on their own, and to feel comfortable with giving their opinion on difficult issues. It is crucial that you are clear about the results you are looking for with each task that has to be completed, so that your team understands your expectations.

Another way to increase accountability within a dental office is to provide deadlines for tasks, so that your team members always know when they need to complete certain responsibilities. While some tasks aren’t completed everyday but are completed on a consistent basis, you should classify them by how often they should be done, such as daily, weekly, and monthly.

Creating a supportive and trusting environment is also a great way to build accountability within a dental office. If there is no trust within a workplace, team members will not speak up when things are going wrong or when they personally did something wrong, which will lead to larger problems within the dental office. When team members trust each other and their management, they will stay accountable with their actions and will do what’s best for the success of the dental office as a whole, and not just for themselves.

Ways to Be Accountable Within a Team

To be accountable within a team, there are multiple factors to ensure are happening in your dental office. First off, make sure that each team member knows exactly what their role is within the company, and what job they have. Each person needs to be clear on their specific roles and responsibilities, and where they fall within the job spectrum in the company. Every team member should also know and understand how their job performance will be evaluated, and what the expectations of their job are. This will help them know what is required of them, and will give them confidence when it comes to doing their job, and speaking up if something is not working out. If a team member is expected to perform duties outside of their main job description, they need to know exactly what they need to do and how to do it.

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