How to achieve economic growth the easy way

Kaizen, the Japanese terminology for “good change” or “change for the better” is a process of innovation that necessitates the cooperation of the entire workforce to simultaneously focus on a common goal for continuous growth. Once you have been indoctrinated in the sustainable principles of kaizen or continuous growth, you can aim to reduce inefficiencies and optimize workflow in your practice.

As the head of a dental practice, you must now ponder over the economic consequences and needs of your current situation. While it is true that the concept of kaizen can help build your patient base, it is a good time to shift your focus to achieve economic goals and subsequent growth that are favorable in the present.

Identifying economic goals within your system

Now that we are talking about money, you should ideally be inclined to identify your economic goals and communicate them clearly. For example, the number of new admissions, the number of patients receiving further treatment, etc. By bringing these values to light, you are also enabling your employees to understand how the practice is developing or how popular it’s getting.

Your patient’s evaluations are great tools to calculate your economic goals. It is not just the number of stars you should be concerned about but also the concrete indications, both positive and negative. For example,

• “It is difficult to find parking spaces close to the practice”
• “Friendly staff”
• “Long waits”
• “Hectic way of working”

Concrete measures can be derived from this, for example, pointing out on the website that about ten minutes should be taken out for the search for a parking space, and so on. You can also determine growth targets from this, particularly the percentage sales growth.

At this point in time, it is good to communicate to your staff that you need to achieve certain financial goals at a set duration of time so that salaries and rents can be paid and materials and equipment can be purchased. If an employee participates, knowing the full situation, it is easier for them to understand what it means in practice.

For example, if they want 10% more wages, but the collective bargaining has resulted in an increase of five percent, and at the same time there is an inflation rate of 1.7 percent.

For the sake of the practice and for the success of quality management, it is important that all employees are on the same page about the culture and structured approach and how they must work together on it. And that means far more than just following instructions (which can, instead, be counterproductive), it requires creativity and the implementation of ideas that are brought on by the collective of both bosses and employees.