FOCUS | ISSUE 6 | 2010
Legislative Days
THE DENTAL TEAM PRACTICE PEARLS RULES & REGULATIONS
recent elections Re-thinking workplace conversations
by Glenn Pace, SPHR
We have been subjected to several weeks of campaign rhetoric recently, and the televi- sion advertising took on a disturbing trend. Increasingly, the candidates talked less about their relative merits and more about perceived demerits of their opponents.
These “attack ads” may be refl ective of a trend in our society toward negativism, where if you dare to disagree with me, “you are wrong”. With this in mind, now is the time for dental professionals and offi ce managers to re-think conversations at the workplace, and guide the discourse toward team building.
Employees bring their personal values to the workplace, and those values are representative of what they watch and hear in their home environments. Much of the popular television shows today display rudeness, general lack of civility, and talking over one another as com- mon place activities. The guidelines suggested below will assist the Professional/Manager in encouraging behaviors that are desirable at the offi ce.
First, the practice is a place of business, so all conversations need to be professional and acceptable to any customers who might be listening. While episodes of “Desperate House- wives” might be funny, some customers could be offended by the nature of the conversation in replaying incidents of the show.
Second, the right of free speech needs to be tempered by the surroundings. While any small group usually will fi nd everyone’s posi- tion is known by all other members of the
group, is a continuing argument healthy in respect to team building? For example, is a dialogue about abortion necessary between team members if it threatens team unity? Once positions are known, it may be construc- tive to move the group to another topic.
Third, it might be helpful to the team to as- sign responsibilities that guide discussions. For example, an employee who has indicated an interest in a topic might be asked to pres- ent both sides of an issue at a future team meeting. Another person might be assigned to present a set of facts; e.g. how many Senators from which states are up for election in 2012?
Fourth, are any topics off limits? Depend- ing on the team, it might be appropriate to encourage certain topics, while discouraging others.
Finally, what are the rules for the offi ce? I recommend three: No Personal Criticisms; No Profanity; and No Sex-Based Harassment (de- rogatory comments against males or females as a group).These set boundaries for discus- sions and limit problems that could arise.
Helping people understand your expectations and limitations assists in building teams. All of us need to work together to restore civility to our conversations.
Glenn is acting director, Manage- ment Development Institute, Mis- souri State University. He teaches Human Resources, Labor Relations and Operations/Strategic Manage- ment at its College of Business Administration. Email him at
gpace@missouristate.edu.
lessons from
Plan to join us at the 2011 Legislative Days
• February 2 Dental Student Day
• March 1 Eastern Missouri Day
• April 20 Western Missouri Day
Participation is easy. Just let us know you will be attending (call or email). We’ll make your appoint- ments, have information for you to provide to legislators and even take care of your breakfast! Contact Aaron at
aaron@modental.org
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