How to help your team thrive when there’s a change in ownership

Dr. Samson Liu discusses how to make practice transitions more productive

A change in ownership can be a fretful time at any dental practice as team members wonder what the future holds for them under the new management. But it doesn’t have to be that way. The right moves can help make the transition smoother and alleviate the unsettled feelings people naturally experience when the world they have grown accustomed to shifts beneath them.

Alleviating those concerns is necessary because a happy, engaged office leads to higher morale, better decision-making, and greater creativity. If the team’s concerns are allowed to fester, and rumors and gossip fill the void left by a lack of communication, then the opposite can happen. This impacts how everyone in the office interacts with the doctor, patients, and others.

Fortunately, there are steps leaders can take to avoid such undesirable results, and this is true whether the dentist who previously owned the practice is retiring and will no longer be actively involved, or whether that dentist plans to continue to practice under the new ownership.

It begins with what could be viewed as a new ownership version of the medical adage, “First, do no harm.”

Less is more

As much as possible, and contrary to common beliefs, it is preferred to keep changes to a minimum, when legally feasible. Check with your legal counsel for your individual situation. Unless there is an overriding necessity to do so, don’t rename the practice or create a new sign that greets patients when they arrive. Keep the same website and the same phone number, so that these simple things patients are accustomed to will remain comfortingly familiar. Ideally, the patients won’t even know or care that new ownership has taken over.

Certainly, some things may need to change, but the team will feel less stress if those changes are minimal –– especially early on –– and patients will not feel so disoriented when they arrive for an appointment.

Another reason to avoid rushing in with too many changes is that we need to spend time with the team to learn and understand what makes the practice successful in the first place. (Or, conversely, where any problems lie.) Every practice has its unique path to success, and there will always be a few nuggets, ideas, or takeaways that we can gather so that we don’t unwittingly change a process that has proved successful for the practice. Once we have handled this fact-finding mission, we will have a much better idea of what works and what doesn’t with the practice, why certain procedures are followed, and what was found to not work in the past. This will put us in a better place to understand where improvements are needed so we can make them in a strategic way. The team will be more open to this type of change, rather than if we had thoughtlessly proclaimed, “This is the way we are going to do it now.”

These learning conversations also allow us to begin building a relationship and trust with those who work in the practice. Who are they? How long have they been there? What are they passionate about? What are their concerns? If we show that we care about them, their well-being, and their successes, they will be more open to our recommendations later.

At the same time, if we rush in and begin implementing significant changes without building relationships first, we will be perceived as a threat and create within the practice a mentality of us versus them. Even good, well thought-out improvements may be met with resistance if the new ownership becomes viewed as the enemy rather than an ally.

The need for transparency

If we do deem that some changes are necessary early in the transition, though, it’s imperative to be transparent with the team about what those changes are and how the decisions we make will affect each of them. This is not a one-way conversation. Allow them to express their thoughts without judgment, and tell them we are available to hear their questions or concerns and listen to any ideas or suggestions.

Having such open and honest conversations with team members helps establish trust, which promotes respect and a willingness to do what needs to be done. People feel valued when we take the time to communicate with them. This also helps pave the way for good working relationships going forward. The team is more likely to respond well if we explain why a change is needed, set clear expectations, and expect positive results. The biggest mistake I have made in the past is taking advantage of the communication and trust we had built with the team and implemented too many changes which ultimately backfired.

Of course, there are many communication styles and approaches, but for me, communicating with team members is similar to communicating with patients. As a clinician, I use the Problem-Consequence-Solutions-Benefits (PCSB) concept to communicate to patients about the current state of their oral health. First, I identify the problem/issue. Then I explain the consequences of doing nothing with whatever that issue might be. Next, we discuss a solution and finally, I confirm the benefits of the solution.

When used to communicate with team members, PCSB can be a great tool that allows us and the team to be transparent with each other about any issues we are facing. This will help with understanding the consequences of doing nothing and the benefits of a proposed solution. All of this can help improve the quality of the work, reduce turnover, and provide excellent patient care.

Even as we encourage the team to be open about what works, and where there may be a problem, we also want to welcome their input to improve operations. Keep communication open, productive, and positive. They will be more effective in carrying out their duties when they know we have their back and support them as a team.

Celebrate the past, look to the future

One final important lesson I have learned as an entrepreneur and leader is that micromanaging great employees is not necessary or productive. They will chafe at this, especially if they suspect a new owner doesn’t trust them to do their jobs correctly. They will worry that the new owner’s excessive control of even the most minute details isn’t just for the transition but will be what they can expect for their long-term future. They may decide they want to spend that future somewhere else –– and the best employees usually have the option to do so.

By empowering and trusting team members, we will let them do what they do best and will often find that they do the job better than we (and our micromanaging) could. Every time I have put a skilled team member in a position that I feel they will do well in, it works out better than I could ever imagine.

There is no getting around the fact that a change in ownership can be challenging as the new owner and the existing team learn about each other and begin to demystify the unknowns that lie between them. But this also can be a time to celebrate the past by acknowledging the successes of the practice under the previous owner, while embracing the future and generating optimism about the days and years ahead.