VetX International discovers link between leadership actions and practice culture

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VetX International—a United Kingdom-based veterinary consultancy, community, and education platform—conducted research that uncovered a direct correlation between leadership and practice culture. The study collected data from veterinary leaders including practice owners and managers during a dvm360^® Fetch conference and the SPVS-VMG Congress 2020.

According to a company release, the data explored veterinary leaders' ability to successfully address toxic behaviors, implement core values, hire and retain staff, and manage their own time and how these variables impact the overall practice culture. Additionally, the study strived to establish the steps leaders can take to streamline practice operations amid an international industry shortage.

The study results reported by researchers Dave Nicol, BVMS, Cert Mgmt, MRCVS, founder of VetX International, and Dermot McInerney, BVSM, BVSc, head of veterinary partnerships and research at VetX, indicated 4 actions that can have a heavy influence on the quality of workplace culture:¹

• Implementing a clear vision in practice
• Addressing and resolving inappropriate staff behavior
• Effectively managing [leaders] time to be able to perform non-clinical activities
• Recruiting clinical talent effectively

Additional highlights from respondents are as follows:¹

• A total of 3 out of 4 respondents struggled with designating time to work on leadership priorities
• 40% of respondents struggled with managing and addressing toxic behaviors
• 65.2% of respondents found attracting and retaining new talent difficult

“We’ve long suspected that time-poor leaders were causing untold long-term harm to their practice performance by neglecting essential leadership activities in favor of more urgent clinical ones,” Nicol disclosed in the release.

“The implications for such choices are now clear: good leadership simply cannot be left to chance. We’re really proud of the fact that we’ve been able to show not just that these factors matter, but also show what things in particular leaders should be doing with their time to help grow healthy cultures that support practice objectives,” he continued.

Overall, Nichol and McInerney hope the findings help leaders discover new methods for curtailing clinical work, forging and communicating an impactful vision, hiring and retaining the right individuals to best match the clinic’s vision, and dealing with the toxic behaviors that can degrade workplace culture.

Reference

Study Reveals Definitive Link Between Leadership Actions & Vet Practice Culture. News release. September 28, 2021; Basepaws. Accessed October 5, 2021. [email]