Redressing The Power Balance
I still recall the exact moment I became fully aware of the extraordinary impact of rules on the human psyche.
It was 2006, and in the process of preparing the dissertation for my MBA, I was interviewing dentists about occasions when they may have ended the professional relationship they had with their clients. I remember one dentist in particular who was rather timid and uncomfortable about being interviewed. Still, he eventually divulged an instance where he considered ending his relationship with a client. But it took some digging.
He told me the story of a patient seeing him for treatment, and on the way out the door, this man took some money lying on the reception desk. The dentist blamed himself for leaving the money available to take. However, he admitted he probably would still provide treatment if the patient returned to see him.
I was astonished by this and spent some time reflecting after the interview. I was puzzled. If the same person had walked off with a car from a car dealership, it is implausible that the car dealership would do business with that person again. So, why was it different with this dentist?
Finally, I realised. As a dentist myself, I am aware we are obliged to operate by the limitations set down by the General Dental Council. A set of rules this dentist took very seriously. A main standard of which states:
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