Data, facts and instruments on the German health system
What it’s all about
Factors that are decisive for the performance quality of a general practitioner or specialist practice, such as the commitment of the staff, their efficiency and productivity or the degree of patient orientation, are largely determined by the professionalism of the leadership. However, it is precisely in this important area of action that most practice owners weaken.
Leadership in input-output comparison
There is a multitude of models to determine leadership behaviour in general and of doctors in particular in order to derive necessary and possible recommendations. But the whole thing only becomes practicable through a parallel determination of the leadership effect and through an analysis of whether the leadership instruments used are suitable for ensuring „real“ teamwork.
A nice relationship is not leadership
Determining the above parameters is important for every practice, since the average leadership intensity of general practitioners and specialists, determined with the help of the key performance indicator „Leadership Materialisation Quality Score (LMQS), is only 42%. This means that almost two-thirds of the tools, regulations and behaviours needed for smoothly functioning teamwork are not being used.
An unhealthy ratio
The LMQS makes it clear that only very few practices use best practice leadership. What is most pronounced is exactly the opposite behaviour, leadership passivity. However, doctors do not realise that non-leadership also has direct, but invariably negative consequences. But faulty implementation can also counteract the intended effects.A rather rare scenario, mainly limited to very small companies, is the so-called focused leadership, in which a low input intensity nevertheless achieves a good effect.
Output equals input
Another consequence of a lack of or inadequate leadership is the fact that in most practices it is not teams that work but groups, because the impact counterpart to the LMQS, the Teamwork Quality Score (TQS), is at a level of only 43%. Such cooperation is characterised by a low synergy of individual activities: people work together, but only within the framework that is given. Personal initiative or helping out with problems are rather rare. Moreover, the cooperation is often characterised by unresolved conflicts. Although every medical assistant strives to do her job well, there is no sustained commitment to continuous improvement.
Collaboration in team form, on the other hand, is characterised by common goals, largely autonomous task completion, mutual complementation and support, as well as self-direction to solve problems and self-initiated measures to improve work results. The prerequisite for this, however, is an adequate leadership framework.
Optimisation with a company comparison
The measurement of the two aforementioned parameters LMQS and TQS is – in addition to the determination of all other action areas of practice management – a central component of the Practice Management Operational Comparison©.
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