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Firm Achieves Teamwork Through School of Hard Knocks

Dynamic teamwork has proved a cornerstone of success for many O&P companies. Some have gleaned their team-building experience from the school of hard knocks. One of these is TMC Orthopedic, Houston, Texas. Chief Executive Officer Joe Sansone frankly described his experiences and conclusions:

Although teamwork may not be as important to a "Mom and Pop shop" with an orthotist, a billing clerk, and a few technicians, it is increasingly more important for larger multi-location O&P facilities, Sansone noted. "TMC Brace Place has learned the hard way that there is much more involved in running a successful O&P division than setting up policies and procedures, hiring the "warm bodies" to do the work, and sitting back and watching the money roll in," Sansone pointed out, adding, "Throughout the years, we have experienced an arduous learning process."

At first, Sansone hired one practitioner. "In this 'Mom-and-Pop' type environment, we flourished," he recalled. As time progressed and more practitioners were hired, the problems began, Sansone said, citing on-call disagreements; incorrect, incomplete, and tardy paperwork; and disagreements among practitioners. "The larger we became and the more practitioners we hired, the more frequently these problems occurred," he said.

However, after over four years of struggle, trial, and error, Sansone feels the company has solved many of these problems. He listed what his company has learned about building a successful team:

• Commitment Towards a Common Goal: "In order for any O&P team to succeed, employees must all believe in a common goal. TMC Brace Place had a dream that we could provide unsurpassed quality in O&P service, and we would not sacrifice this goal. However, management quickly learned that, without buy-in from the practitioners and their support staff, these goals would never be achieved and management's grandiose plans would be resented."
• Commitment from Management: "We have found that the management team must not simply hire the 'warm bodies,' set up the brace shop, and wait for the money to come in."
• "It is absolutely impossible to regulate an O&P business from behind a desk. If management is not nurturing its practitioners and constantly seeking to assist in minimizing their problems, management will become the problem, not the solution."
• Practitioners: "Practitioners must 1) juggle accountability with profitability, 2) support the management team, 3) make patients and referral sources happy, 4) while always subscribing to the company's commitment to a common goal or mission statement." "Obviously, accomplishing these goals is no easy task, since ultimately practitioners are the ones held accountable for making everyone happy. Since they are the contact persons for patients, referral sources, management, and other company personnel, the practitioners' work is the most closely scrutinized."
• Practitioners' Commitment to One Another: "In order for a team to succeed, practitioners also must keep one another happy. This is perhaps the most important aspect of teamwork. Nothing is accomplished if practitioners and their office staff work well with one another, but bristle at the thought of helping out a fellow orthotist from another location."

"While it may be hard to discern exactly what teamwork is, I have a few examples."

• "Teamwork is listening to managers when they say 'all on-call brace referrals must be done at the time of the call, regardless of when the call comes in,' even if it means crawling out of bed at three A.M. to deliver a cervical pillow. I've seen it done! Teamwork is not saying 'I'll deliver the three A.M. order at eight A.M. the next day and then getting busy in the office and passing the order off to another coworker at noon.
• "Teamwork for the practitioner is committing to working extra hours until a highly qualified candidate is hired as a fellow practitioner, rather than moaning about the lack of help and forcing management to hire a mediocre applicant. Teamwork for management is increasing the pay of the remaining practitioners while the search continues for additional help.
• "Teamwork for a practitioner is going to a patient's house to deliver an orthosis because the patient is a personal friend of a large referral source. Teamwork for management is springing for airfare and hotel and golf a day early so that all the practitioners can attend the local O&P meetings.

"In summary, teamwork is giving your colleagues the benefit of the doubt. Teamwork is management trusting practitioners, and practitioners trusting management. Without trust, teamwork will never happen!"

Joe Sansone, TMC Orthopedic

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