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ePaper created 2014-11-07, 14:16:52 | version 1.30.01
I 03implants3_2014 editorial I _Team-work,teamplayer,teamspirit—thesetermsindicatecrucialsocialskillsinalmost every sphere of life. We can only succeed if we work as part of a team. In dentistry, as in many other fields, regardless of skill and the protocols in place for many treatment situations, cir- cumstances arise for which guidelines are lacking. Challenges like this can result in stress, anger and helplessness among the dental team.1 One way of determining the optimum response to such situations in dentistry is to consider what others are doing to overcome these problems. We could consider an example fromanon-medicalarea:theaviationindustry.Sometimesflightcrews,whoareexpectedto operateasateam,donotco-operateaswellastheyshouldandmiscommunicationcanthen arise.1 In order to address this, crew resource management training for flight crews was developedallaroundtheworld.Crewresourcemanagementisconcernedwithinterpersonal skills, including behaviour training and conflict resolution.1 It considers how we cope with everyday and unusual situations as a team, and the requirements of being a good team member.1 Feeling motivated and cheerful places the crew in a better position for dealing with conflict resolution and situations for which there is no checklist or protocol.1 Achieving the professional and relaxed atmosphere necessary for teamwork in such situations is the pilot’s responsibility.1 In order to do so, he or she should be able to make the rest of the crew feel valuedand,therefore,goodmannersandcourtesyareimportant.1 Furthermore,accordingto Lufthansa pilot Rolf Stünkel and aviation journalist and pilot Jürgen Schelling, a good pilot requires discipline, curiosity and a sense of humour.1 Discipline is needed to make reliable decisions in a fast-changing high-tech environment, and curiosity about one’s colleagues andnewprocedureshelpstofacilitatetheworkprocess,asdoesasenseofhumour,theystate in their article.1 Crew resource management was developed for the aviation industry but it has wide application. Try applying it in your daily practice. Just replace the word “pilot” with “dentist” or “implantologist” and “crew” with “dental team”. I hope you will enjoy our magazine and our annual meeting in Düsseldorf! Best regards Dr Rolf Vollmer Team-workinthe dentaloffice Dr Rolf Vollmer 1 Stünkel,Rolf & Schelling,Jürgen, “Team spirit in the cockpit”,thinkx,1 (Spring 2014),16–22.