Strong Core Values Help Cultivate Positive Company Culture
Merriam-Webster dictionary defines culture as the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization.
What does company culture look like in a dental practice, and who is responsible for helping to cultivate it?
If you have been in dentistry for years, as I have, you may be wondering what company culture looks like and how to achieve it as an office leader.
Define Your Core Values
To get started, you should have established your practice’s core values. Making sure everyone on your team is aware of them and understands them. Once your values are determined, the leaders of the practice must live by and embody these values.
Our practice’s core values include:
- Accountability – We acknowledge and assume responsibility for our actions, decisions, and communications, both individually and as a practice.
- Balance – We believe in creating and maintaining a healthy work-life balance for our team.
- Commitment – We are committed to providing exceptional patient care and attentive service.
- Community – We believe in positively contributing to our community.
- Diversity – We respect and encourage diversity in employment.
- Empowerment – We encourage employees to take the initiative, give their best, and treat challenges as opportunities to gain experience.
- Innovation – We act with honesty and integrity without compromising truth.
- Safety – We are committed to ensuring the health and safety of employees and go beyond the legal requirements to provide an accident-free workplace.
- Teamwork – We learn from each other and are stronger as a team working towards a common goal.
- Gratitude – We are grateful for each day and the patients who keep us in business. It is also important to have a practice mission statement that goes hand in hand with your core values.
Define your core values that help guide the practice’s mission and attitude. Be sure that these values are consistently reflected in your day-to-day activities and by your leadership.
Implementing Value
Here are a few ways that can create culture or help improve your dental practice’s culture:
- Leading
- Communicating
- Recognizing
As a practice manager, you should always lead by example, embodying the practice’s mission and values to set a positive example and environment for your employees. By clearly communicating your practices, mission, values, and goals, you provide them with a sense of direction and shared purpose.
Strongly encourage open, honest communication between all team members. Help build trust and understanding within the practice by having clear, consistent, and open communication and allowing all team members to voice their feedback and suggestions to improve the practice.
Encouraging feedback from your team members gives them a voice, which leads to better team problem-solving, conflict resolution, and ultimately a more cohesive and productive practice. Giving your team members a voice makes them feel like a greater part of the team. Be sure to listen to your employees actively. Being sure your employees are heard will give them a greater sense of belonging.
Recognize your team members’ contributions. Recognition can be shown in many ways, including verbal praise, written notes, incentives, and public acknowledgement. A successful recognition strategy is consistent, aligns with company values, and acknowledges both big and small achievements to boost morale, job satisfaction, and productivity.
Building a Strong Culture
Poor practice culture can lead to miscommunication and breakdowns in teamwork, which may result in a negative patient experience and lower quality of care. A strong practice culture can positively impact your patients’ overall experience. Patients can feel the energy in your practice. This positivity can lead to more referrals, making your practice more profitable.
With employee turnover among the highest in recent years, good practice culture is essential. An employee will go above and beyond for your practice and your patients if they feel valued.
Cultivating a positive culture for your employees will improve their engagement and satisfaction, which, in turn, goes hand in hand with efficiency. Cultivating a positive culture leads to higher staff morale, less employee turnover, better patient experience, and long-term success for the practice.
About the Author
Coreen Thompson, MAADOM
Coreen Thompson has been in dentistry for over 30 years, starting out as a CDA and working her way up to practice manager. Thompson is involved with her local and state dental associations, serving as a consultant on the professional development committee for the Connecticut State Dental Association.
Coreen has been a member of AADOM since 2020, received her FADDOM in 2024, MADDOM in 2025, and has been nominated twice for the Dental Office Manager of the Year award. Coreen is currently working on starting an AADOM DPLN in her state. She enjoys giving back to her community by volunteering with Mission of Mercy Projects.
