New Hire Onboarding:
How Dandy Works as an Organization
Start
Lesson 1: Setting the Tone
How we build on our previous sessions
Previously, you explored:
The Master Plan: manufacture in-house, become world-class at restorative design and clinical support, build the best digital lab for every dentist, and eventually build the full Operating System for dentistry
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How Dandy’s digital workflow supports dental practices through Dentistry 101 and The Dandy Difference.
The Dandy Drivers: eight behaviors that define how Dandy works, and a guide to high performance
How Dandy's...
An overview of how Dandy’s teams are organized at a high level
The Master Plan...
An Overview...
The Dandy Drivers...
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Lesson 1: Setting the Tone
What This Course Focuses On
This course focuses on three core ideas that connect directly to the Master Plan:
1. Structure
2. Performance
3. Alignment
Lesson 1: Setting the Tone
Reflection: Stepping Into Today’s lesson
Before moving forward, take a moment to reflect:
- The Master Plan calls out three priorities: vertical integration, customer experience, and efficiency. Why might all three need to work together inside the organization for any one of them to succeed?
There are no right or wrong answers here. This reflection is designed to help you start connecting the internal systems you are about to explore with the mission and Drivers you already learned previously.
Lesson 1: Setting the Tone
Up Next
Now that you understand the focus of this module, we will begin by exploring how Dandy is structured internally and how that structure is directly tied to solving the Truly Hard Problem at scale. Let’s move forward.
Lesson 1: Setting the Tone
Lesson 2: The Map of the Machine
You’ve seen the Master Plan.
You know we’re solving a Truly Hard Problem; one that requires dentistry, software, and heavy-duty manufacturing to work in perfect sync.So here’s the real question: how do you organize thousands of people to solve one problem without it turning into chaos?You don’t do it with a traditional, dusty org chart.You do it with Cross-Disciplinary Velocity.
Lesson 2: The Map of the Machine
The Concept: The Truly Hard Problem Requires a New Kind of Machine
In the Master Plan, Dan and Toni describe the Truly Hard Problem. Solving the dental lab crisis isn’t about better tech or better logistics in isolation, it’s about both, happening at the same time, at scale.
Lesson 2: The Map of the Machine
At Dandy, structure isn’t about who sits in which chair or who reports to whom. It’s a coordination tool. We are built to ensure that a clinical expert in Utah is perfectly aligned with a software engineer in New York and our manufacturing leads running our labs across multiple locations. When that alignment breaks down, you get the Silo Trap.
Click and slide to reveal
Lesson 2: The Map of the Machine
Win as One
Here is the Dandy secret: no team wins alone. Vertical Integration isn’t just an “Ops” goal, it’s a collaboration between Manufacturing, Engineering, and EPD. Think of Dandy’s functional groups as gears in a single high-performance engine. While each group provides the specialized power needed for its specific function, the real "torque" is generated in the mesh—the points where those gears connect.
Lesson 2: The Map of the Machine
Interactive Experience: Explore the Org Map
Next
Click through the functional groups on the following pages to see how each toolkit plugs into the Master Plan.
Lesson 2: The Map of the Machine
Technical Teams
Lesson 2: The Map of the Machine
Business Teams
Lesson 2: The Map of the Machine
Knowledge Check: The Dandy Way
At Dandy, we don’t resolve cross-functional friction by escalating to a manager or waiting it out. We refer back to the mission. Which path actually moves us toward vertical integration, design, or operational efficiency? That’s the difference between a silo and a machine. The machine has a shared North Star.
Lesson 2: The Map of the Machine
Up Next
Now you have the map. Next, let’s look at the compass, how we actually collaborate in motion, and the specific Drivers that make cross-functional work feel fast instead of frustrating. Let’s dive in.
Lesson 2: The Map of the Machine
Lesson 3: How Teams Work Together at Dandy
You have seen how Dandy is organized.
Now let’s talk about what it actually feels like when real work starts moving. Because here is the truth: most meaningful projects at Dandy do not stay inside one team. A case improvement initiative might start in clinical design, move through operations and engineering, and land with the customer experience team. A new digital feature might begin in product and touch six other functions before it reaches a dentist’s inbox.
Lesson 3: How Teams Work Together at Dandy
The Dandy Drivers exist precisely because of this reality.
They are not just personal values, they are the behavioral blueprint for how cross-functional work actually gets done. This lesson connects four of those Drivers to what collaboration looks like in practice.
Lesson 3: How Teams Work Together at Dandy
Driver: Win as One
Win as One: Work transparently, support teammates, and collaborate across silos. At Dandy, cross-functional work is not a special project type. It is the default. This is baked into the problem Dandy is solving. The Master Plan calls out that solutions must be cross-disciplinary, combining operational excellence, UI/UX technology, and 3D manufacturing. No single function owns that combination. Winning as one means sharing information proactively, not just when asked. It means not protecting your team’s lane so tightly that the broader work suffers. And it means recognizing that the outcome belongs to everyone who contributed, not just the team whose name is on the project.
Lesson 3: How Teams Work Together at Dandy
Driver: Be an Owner
Be an Owner: Take initiative, find solutions, and be accountable. Ownership at Dandy does not mean doing someone else’s job. It means not walking past a problem just because it is not technically yours. In practice, it looks like:
- Asking a clarifying question before moving forward when something feels off
- Flagging a risk early instead of assuming someone else will catch it
- Confirming who owns the next step before a handoff happens
- Raising your hand when you see confusion, even mid-project
These are small behaviors. But they are what prevent big problems from forming quietly in the background.
Lesson 3: How Teams Work Together at Dandy
Driver: Walk the Floor
Walk the Floor: Operate at the lowest level of detail and understand how work happens in practice. This Driver has a specific meaning at Dandy. It comes from the reality that most decisions about how dental restorations are made, quality-checked, and delivered happen at a very operational level. Walking the floor means understanding how work actually happens — not just how it is supposed to happen on a slide. For people who are not in manufacturing or operations, this Driver still applies. It means getting close to the actual work: understanding the real friction in a workflow, or the real bottleneck in a process, before assuming you know what the solution should be. Collaboration improves when people have genuine knowledge of what other teams are dealing with day to day.
Lesson 3: How Teams Work Together at Dandy
Driver: Move at Dandy Speed
Move at Dandy Speed™: Act with urgency and intention, balancing speed with thoughtful decisions. Dandy Speed is not the same as rushing. The Master Plan is clear that one of the greatest risks to Dandy’s mission is losing focus — trying to move fast in too many directions without a stable foundation. Moving at Dandy Speed means acting with urgency AND intention. It means being willing to pause briefly for clarity so you do not have to backtrack later. In cross-functional work, this shows up when teams:
- Confirm shared assumptions before beginning execution, not after
- Make decisions at the appropriate level instead of escalating unnecessarily
- Communicate early when something changes, rather than hoping it works itself out
Lesson 3: How Teams Work Together at Dandy
A Realistic Scenario
Scenario:
- A cross-functional initiative is underway. Progress is steady. Midway through the week, one team receives new information that slightly shifts the direction. They adjust immediately — but do not communicate the change.
- A second team continues working under the original plan. By Friday, timelines feel compressed and outputs are misaligned.
- No one made a bad decision. The breakdown happened in alignment.
Lesson 3: How Teams Work Together at Dandy
In moments like this, the instinct is often to speed up.
But speed without clarity produces rework, which is the opposite of Dandy Speed.
Lesson 3: How Teams Work Together at Dandy
The better move:
Pause, confirm what changed, re-align on the goal, clarify who owns the next step, and move forward together. That is Win as One, Be an Owner, and Move at Dandy Speed all showing up at once.
Lesson 3: How Teams Work Together at Dandy
Reflection Moment
Think about this: Think about a time in a previous role when a project felt frustrating or chaotic. Was it because people were not working hard? Or because something was unclear?
Lesson 3: How Teams Work Together at Dandy
Reflection Moment
As you begin working at Dandy, pay attention to how the Drivers show up in meetings, handoffs, and updates. Strong collaboration often looks effortless on the surface but it is usually built on alignment underneath.
Lesson 3: How Teams Work Together at Dandy
Key Idea
At Dandy, collaboration is not a one-time event. It is how the work moves. The Drivers, particularly Win as One, Be an Owner, Walk the Floor, and Move at Dandy Speed, give us shared language for what good collaboration looks like. When teams speak that language together, complexity becomes manageable.
Lesson 3: How Teams Work Together at Dandy
Up Next
Now that you understand how teams work together, let’s look at how performance is defined at Dandy, and why it is connected directly to our customers.
Lesson 3: How Teams Work Together at Dandy
Lesson 4: Understanding Performance at Dandy
Let’s talk about performance.
At Dandy, strong performance is not just what you deliver, it’s how you deliver it. That distinction matters. The best performers at Dandy can deliver high-quality results while exemplifying the company Drivers. Both halves count.
Lesson 4: Understanding Performance at Dandy
The ‘What’ is measured through role-specific rubrics that define what excellence looks like at your level.The ‘How’ is evaluated through the Dandy Drivers — the behaviors that define how you show up, collaborate, and make decisions every day.
Simply put:
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Performance = What (Rubrics) + How (Dandy Drivers)
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Lesson 4: Understanding Performance at Dandy
Why Dandy Sets a High Bar
Dandy maintains a high-performance culture because it is the essential foundation for achieving our ambitious goals and successfully solving complex problems for our customers.
we expect commitment to continuous improvement and the initiative to constantly ask: “How can this be better?”
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is not an aspiration. It is a necessity for scaling the business.
The high bar...
At Dandy...
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Lesson 4: Understanding Performance at Dandy
By embracing tough feedback and challenging the status quo, every team member drives the innovation that ultimately benefits our customers every day. Performance is not just about you, it is directly connected to the dentists and patients who depend on Dandy to deliver.
Lesson 4: Understanding Performance at Dandy
Performance Reviews: The Purpose
Performance reviews at Dandy are an opportunity for both managers and employees to align on success, celebrate achievements, and define clear paths for future development and impact. They are not a bureaucratic formality. They are the mechanism that keeps the feedback loop running, so strong work gets recognized, development areas get addressed, and the bar keeps rising.
Lesson 4: Understanding Performance at Dandy
Performance Cycles
Dandy runs two official performance cycles to ensure continuous feedback and equitable talent assessment:
Lesson 4: Understanding Performance at Dandy
Ratings and What They Mean
Executes at the very highest level against their expectations, and sets a new standard for what it means to achieve and execute with excellence. Consistently raising the bar for what it means to be a successful Dandian.
Performance is inconsistent or developing — it sometimes meets expectations but not often enough to be considered meeting the high bar at Dandy.
Consistently fails to meet the expectations of their level. Unable to execute autonomously and independently.
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Performance is meeting the expectations of the high bar we hold for all Dandians.
Exhibiting strong performance overall, above and beyond the standard expected at Dandy.
Meets Most Expectations
Does Not MeetExpectations
Greatly Exceeds Expectations
MeetsExpectations
Exceeds Expectations
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Lesson 4: Understanding Performance at Dandy
Team Rubrics: Where to Find Yours
At Dandy, performance expectations are defined by role-specific rubrics. Your rubric is the clearest guide to what “Meets Expectations” and “Exceeds Expectations” actually looks like for your level and function.Click the rubric table on the right to enlarge and find the rubric that applies to you:
Click to enlarge
Lesson 4: Understanding Performance at Dandy
Lesson 4: Understanding Performance at Dandy
Up Next
Now that you understand how performance is defined and measured at Dandy, let’s look at how goals are structured across the organization through OKRs, the system that connects your work to the Master Plan. Let’s continue.
Lesson 4: Understanding Performance at Dandy
Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
You’ve seen how Dandy is organized. You’ve learned how performance is measured.
Now let’s answer the question that ties both of those together: How does everyone at Dandy move in the same direction?
Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
The answer is OKRs.
And at Dandy, OKRs are not a corporate checkbox. They are how the Master Plan becomes your daily work.
Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
See Tomorrow Clearly.
Connect the dots, challenge assumptions, and plan with the future in mind. OKRs are the operational expression of this Driver. They translate a long-term vision into decisions we can make today.
Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
What OKRs Are
OKR stands for Objectives, Key Results, and Initiatives. Each part has a specific job:
Plain Language Definition: Goals that inspire and set direction. Think of it as... The destination on the map.
Plain Language Definition: Tasks required to drive progress of key results. Think of it as... The actual steps you are taking to get there.
Plain Language Definition: Steps that measure progress towards an objective.Think of it as... The mile markers telling you if you’re on track.
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Key Results
Objectives
Initiatives
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Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
Understanding Dandy OKRs: Who and When
Dandy’s OKR system is strategy-driven and execution-focused. Here is how it actually works:
Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
Who.
The Executive Team sets direction.
Each quarter, ELT ( Dan, Toni, and their leadership team) defines the high-priority Objectives for the company, ensuring all teams move together and prioritize the most essential work. OKRs are not assigned top-down without input. But the strategic direction comes from the top, anchored in the Master Plan.
Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
When.
Continuous cycles, not a once-a-year event.
OKRs drive a continuous cycle of improvement through quarterly reviews. This also includes monthly reflections. OKR leaders run a weekly objective meeting to track progress, and a monthly fireside reflection chat to assess what’s working and what needs to adjust. This cadence is how Dandy stays aligned without becoming rigid.
Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
Strategy Driven. Execution Focused.
At Dandy, OKRs operate on two levels simultaneously:
Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
This split is intentional. Strategy without execution is just a plan. Execution without strategy is just activity. OKRs are how Dandy keeps both connected.
Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
Interactive Experience
Follow the Goal
Dandy has set a company-level objective focused on improving reliability and consistency in delivering restorations to practices. You will see three statements. Your task is to identify which one represents:
- The Objective
- A Key Result
- An Initiative
Start
Click and drag the concepts on left to the corresponding statement on the right.
Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
How This Connects to Your Role
You will receive your team’s current OKRs as part of your onboarding. Your manager will walk you through them in detail.
Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
As you review them, ask yourself three questions:
Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
You can also review past OKRs — including 2025 H1, Q3, and Q4 — to understand how Dandy’s priorities have evolved.
Fun Fact
Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
Coming up in today’s live session: Performance & OKR Review (8:30 – 9:15 AM)
This lesson gives you the conceptual framework. In the live session, you’ll connect it to your team’s actual current OKRs and understand what your first quarter’s contribution looks like. Come prepared to ask: how does my team’s Objective connect to one of the three Master Plan priorities?
Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
Key Takeaway
OKRs are alignment tools. They give Dandy Clarity, Alignment, Focus, and Accountability — all at once. They connect the Master Plan to quarterly priorities. They connect team priorities to individual initiatives. And they create a visible, shared language for what progress looks like at every level of the company.
Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
Up Next
You have now explored structure, collaboration, performance, and goal alignment. In the final lesson, we will zoom out, reflect on what it all means, and prepare you for the live sessions ahead. Let’s continue.
Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
Lesson 6: Reflection, Growth, and What Comes Next
Over the past day and a half, you have been introduced to a lot of ideas.
Some concrete, some strategic, some cultural. It can feel like a lot. That is normal. This final lesson is not about introducing something new. It is about helping you see how the pieces connect — and setting you up for the live sessions ahead.
Lesson 6: Reflection, Growth, and What Comes Next
The Story so Far
Dandy’s mission and the Master Plan. You learned that Dan and Toni built Dandy around a Truly Hard Problem, the dental lab market that no company has been able to solve at scale.
Dandy’s teams are organized, plus the Dentistry 101 and Dandy Difference context that shows why this market matters.
The Dandy Drivers: the behaviors that shape how we show up every day.
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You got a first hand look at how...
You explored...
Earlier, you reviewed...
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Lesson 6: Reflection, Growth, and What Comes Next
The Story so Far
The Drivers (Win as One, Be an Owner, Walk the Floor, Move at Dandy Speed, Deliver Quality Results, Obsess over Customers, See Tomorrow Clearly) are not just values on a wall. They are how cross-functional work actually gets done.
the organization. You saw how Dandy’s structure connects to the three Master Plan priorities.
OKRs translate the Master Plan into shared direction across every team and every role.
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Today, you looked inside...
You learned how...
You saw how...
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Lesson 6: Reflection, Growth, and What Comes Next
Taken together, those lessons tell one story: how Dandy operates as a modern dental technology company solving a problem no one else has solved at scale, with quality, and with a culture built to sustain it.
Lesson 6: Reflection, Growth, and What Comes Next
Understanding the System You’re Joining
One of the most valuable things onboarding can give you is context. You now understand that Dandy’s structure exists because the problem requires cross-disciplinary coordination. You have seen that collaboration is the default, not a special event, because the Truly Hard Problem cannot be solved by any single function. You have explored how performance connects to real outcomes: on-time delivery, reduced refabrications, and the kind of clinical experience that makes dentists rave about a product in an industry where that almost never happens.
Lesson 6: Reflection, Growth, and What Comes Next
When a dentist submits a case to Dandy, they are not interacting with one individual.
They are interacting with the coordinated effort of many teams — all aligned around the same Master Plan. The internal clarity you have built this morning is what makes that external experience feel seamless.
Lesson 6: Reflection, Growth, and What Comes Next
A Moment to Reflect
Take a few minutes:
Where does your role connect to the three Master Plan priorities: vertical integration, customer experience, or efficiency?
Which of the Dandy Drivers do you expect to use most in your first few weeks, and why?
What questions do you want to bring into your first 1:1 with your leader?
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Lesson 6: Reflection, Growth, and What Comes Next
Closing This Module
As Dan and Toni wrote in the Master Plan: there is no one else solving this Truly Hard Problem except Dandy. Our success or failure is entirely in our hands. That includes yours. In just a moment, you will move into the final knowledge check for this module. Take your time. Think through each question. Use it as a final opportunity to connect the dots before the live sessions begin. When you are ready, close this window, complete the knowledge check.
Lesson 6: Reflection, Growth, and What Comes Next
EPD — Engineering & Product Design
What They OwnProduct, Engineering, UX, and Data work together to deliver the world-class digital experience that sits between the practice and the lab. The Data team builds insights that power both day-to-day decisions and long-term strategy. Who They Lean On Operations & Customer Success: To ensure what’s built matches how dentists actually work.
OKR leaders drive weekly objective meetings and monthly fireside reflection chats, and are accountable for rigorous, measurable success criteria.
Which of the three Master Plan priorities does this Objective support?
Finance & Accounting
What They OwnPartners with the business to ensure Dandy is growing efficiently and sustainably — the financial foundation the Master Plan requires before expanding to new products. Who They Lean On ELT & all teams: Provides the visibility that allows smart, long-term investment decisions.
People & Talent
What They OwnAttracts, develops, and retains the most essential resource at Dandy: its people. Supports the Driver Build Winning Teams across every function. Who They Lean On Every function: Hiring, performance, and culture are everyone’s business.
Which Initiatives am I contributing to — and how does that connect to the Objective?
What is my team’s Key Result, and how will I know if we are on track?
Manufacturing Automation Engineering (AME)
What They OwnBrings automation and critical technology to Dandy’s labs and manufacturing processes — the engine behind vertical integration at Lehi. Who They Lean On EPD & Operations: To align automation investments with production priorities and quality targets.
Alignment.
How goals connect across company, team, and individual levels through OKRs, so that everyone moves toward the same destination.
General Counsel
What They OwnEnsures Dandy operates with the appropriate risk mindset as the business scales into a highly regulated industry. Who They Lean On Every function: Provides the legal and compliance guardrails that protect the company and its customers.
At dandy every list is a prioritized list. Your manager or People & Talent team can point you to the right links.
The Objectives that reflect where the company needs to go this quarter to advance the Master Plan.
Go-To-Market — Sales, Marketing & Post Sales
What They OwnSales signs new dentists to Dandy. Marketing grows Dandy’s brand in the dental industry. Customer Success (Training, Account Management, CX) onboards and supports practices for their entire lifetime with Dandy. Who They Lean On EPD & Operations: To ensure what’s sold and what’s delivered are the same thing.
Operations
What They OwnEnsures hundreds of thousands of orders are delivered on-time and at the highest quality. The team closest to the physical throughput of the Master Plan. Who They Lean On AME & EPD: To translate technology investments into real-world operational gains.
Structure.
How Dandy’s organization is built to execute on building products and experiences that our customers will tell their friends about.
Performance.
How success is defined beyond task completion, connected to real outcomes for our customers.
Manufacturing Automation Engineering (AME)
What They OwnBrings automation and critical technology to Dandy’s labs and manufacturing processes — the engine behind vertical integration at Lehi. Who They Lean On EPD & Operations: To align automation investments with production priorities and quality targets.
New Hire Onboarding: How Dandy Works as an Organization
Laura Cadranel
Created on April 21, 2026
Today we begin by shifting the focus inward. Earlier / Previously you learned what Dandy is building and why it matters. This course helps you understand how we operate to get there.
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Transcript
New Hire Onboarding:
How Dandy Works as an Organization
Start
Lesson 1: Setting the Tone
How we build on our previous sessions
Previously, you explored:
The Master Plan: manufacture in-house, become world-class at restorative design and clinical support, build the best digital lab for every dentist, and eventually build the full Operating System for dentistry
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How Dandy’s digital workflow supports dental practices through Dentistry 101 and The Dandy Difference.
The Dandy Drivers: eight behaviors that define how Dandy works, and a guide to high performance
How Dandy's...
An overview of how Dandy’s teams are organized at a high level
The Master Plan...
An Overview...
The Dandy Drivers...
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Lesson 1: Setting the Tone
What This Course Focuses On
This course focuses on three core ideas that connect directly to the Master Plan:
1. Structure
2. Performance
3. Alignment
Lesson 1: Setting the Tone
Reflection: Stepping Into Today’s lesson
Before moving forward, take a moment to reflect:
- The Master Plan calls out three priorities: vertical integration, customer experience, and efficiency. Why might all three need to work together inside the organization for any one of them to succeed?
There are no right or wrong answers here. This reflection is designed to help you start connecting the internal systems you are about to explore with the mission and Drivers you already learned previously.Lesson 1: Setting the Tone
Up Next
Now that you understand the focus of this module, we will begin by exploring how Dandy is structured internally and how that structure is directly tied to solving the Truly Hard Problem at scale. Let’s move forward.
Lesson 1: Setting the Tone
Lesson 2: The Map of the Machine
You’ve seen the Master Plan.
You know we’re solving a Truly Hard Problem; one that requires dentistry, software, and heavy-duty manufacturing to work in perfect sync.So here’s the real question: how do you organize thousands of people to solve one problem without it turning into chaos?You don’t do it with a traditional, dusty org chart.You do it with Cross-Disciplinary Velocity.
Lesson 2: The Map of the Machine
The Concept: The Truly Hard Problem Requires a New Kind of Machine
In the Master Plan, Dan and Toni describe the Truly Hard Problem. Solving the dental lab crisis isn’t about better tech or better logistics in isolation, it’s about both, happening at the same time, at scale.
Lesson 2: The Map of the Machine
At Dandy, structure isn’t about who sits in which chair or who reports to whom. It’s a coordination tool. We are built to ensure that a clinical expert in Utah is perfectly aligned with a software engineer in New York and our manufacturing leads running our labs across multiple locations. When that alignment breaks down, you get the Silo Trap.
Click and slide to reveal
Lesson 2: The Map of the Machine
Win as One
Here is the Dandy secret: no team wins alone. Vertical Integration isn’t just an “Ops” goal, it’s a collaboration between Manufacturing, Engineering, and EPD. Think of Dandy’s functional groups as gears in a single high-performance engine. While each group provides the specialized power needed for its specific function, the real "torque" is generated in the mesh—the points where those gears connect.
Lesson 2: The Map of the Machine
Interactive Experience: Explore the Org Map
Next
Click through the functional groups on the following pages to see how each toolkit plugs into the Master Plan.
Lesson 2: The Map of the Machine
Technical Teams
Lesson 2: The Map of the Machine
Business Teams
Lesson 2: The Map of the Machine
Knowledge Check: The Dandy Way
At Dandy, we don’t resolve cross-functional friction by escalating to a manager or waiting it out. We refer back to the mission. Which path actually moves us toward vertical integration, design, or operational efficiency? That’s the difference between a silo and a machine. The machine has a shared North Star.
Lesson 2: The Map of the Machine
Up Next
Now you have the map. Next, let’s look at the compass, how we actually collaborate in motion, and the specific Drivers that make cross-functional work feel fast instead of frustrating. Let’s dive in.
Lesson 2: The Map of the Machine
Lesson 3: How Teams Work Together at Dandy
You have seen how Dandy is organized.
Now let’s talk about what it actually feels like when real work starts moving. Because here is the truth: most meaningful projects at Dandy do not stay inside one team. A case improvement initiative might start in clinical design, move through operations and engineering, and land with the customer experience team. A new digital feature might begin in product and touch six other functions before it reaches a dentist’s inbox.
Lesson 3: How Teams Work Together at Dandy
The Dandy Drivers exist precisely because of this reality.
They are not just personal values, they are the behavioral blueprint for how cross-functional work actually gets done. This lesson connects four of those Drivers to what collaboration looks like in practice.
Lesson 3: How Teams Work Together at Dandy
Driver: Win as One
Win as One: Work transparently, support teammates, and collaborate across silos. At Dandy, cross-functional work is not a special project type. It is the default. This is baked into the problem Dandy is solving. The Master Plan calls out that solutions must be cross-disciplinary, combining operational excellence, UI/UX technology, and 3D manufacturing. No single function owns that combination. Winning as one means sharing information proactively, not just when asked. It means not protecting your team’s lane so tightly that the broader work suffers. And it means recognizing that the outcome belongs to everyone who contributed, not just the team whose name is on the project.
Lesson 3: How Teams Work Together at Dandy
Driver: Be an Owner
Be an Owner: Take initiative, find solutions, and be accountable. Ownership at Dandy does not mean doing someone else’s job. It means not walking past a problem just because it is not technically yours. In practice, it looks like:
- Asking a clarifying question before moving forward when something feels off
- Flagging a risk early instead of assuming someone else will catch it
- Confirming who owns the next step before a handoff happens
- Raising your hand when you see confusion, even mid-project
These are small behaviors. But they are what prevent big problems from forming quietly in the background.Lesson 3: How Teams Work Together at Dandy
Driver: Walk the Floor
Walk the Floor: Operate at the lowest level of detail and understand how work happens in practice. This Driver has a specific meaning at Dandy. It comes from the reality that most decisions about how dental restorations are made, quality-checked, and delivered happen at a very operational level. Walking the floor means understanding how work actually happens — not just how it is supposed to happen on a slide. For people who are not in manufacturing or operations, this Driver still applies. It means getting close to the actual work: understanding the real friction in a workflow, or the real bottleneck in a process, before assuming you know what the solution should be. Collaboration improves when people have genuine knowledge of what other teams are dealing with day to day.
Lesson 3: How Teams Work Together at Dandy
Driver: Move at Dandy Speed
Move at Dandy Speed™: Act with urgency and intention, balancing speed with thoughtful decisions. Dandy Speed is not the same as rushing. The Master Plan is clear that one of the greatest risks to Dandy’s mission is losing focus — trying to move fast in too many directions without a stable foundation. Moving at Dandy Speed means acting with urgency AND intention. It means being willing to pause briefly for clarity so you do not have to backtrack later. In cross-functional work, this shows up when teams:
Lesson 3: How Teams Work Together at Dandy
A Realistic Scenario
Scenario:
Lesson 3: How Teams Work Together at Dandy
In moments like this, the instinct is often to speed up.
But speed without clarity produces rework, which is the opposite of Dandy Speed.
Lesson 3: How Teams Work Together at Dandy
The better move:
Pause, confirm what changed, re-align on the goal, clarify who owns the next step, and move forward together. That is Win as One, Be an Owner, and Move at Dandy Speed all showing up at once.
Lesson 3: How Teams Work Together at Dandy
Reflection Moment
Think about this: Think about a time in a previous role when a project felt frustrating or chaotic. Was it because people were not working hard? Or because something was unclear?
Lesson 3: How Teams Work Together at Dandy
Reflection Moment
As you begin working at Dandy, pay attention to how the Drivers show up in meetings, handoffs, and updates. Strong collaboration often looks effortless on the surface but it is usually built on alignment underneath.
Lesson 3: How Teams Work Together at Dandy
Key Idea
At Dandy, collaboration is not a one-time event. It is how the work moves. The Drivers, particularly Win as One, Be an Owner, Walk the Floor, and Move at Dandy Speed, give us shared language for what good collaboration looks like. When teams speak that language together, complexity becomes manageable.
Lesson 3: How Teams Work Together at Dandy
Up Next
Now that you understand how teams work together, let’s look at how performance is defined at Dandy, and why it is connected directly to our customers.
Lesson 3: How Teams Work Together at Dandy
Lesson 4: Understanding Performance at Dandy
Let’s talk about performance.
At Dandy, strong performance is not just what you deliver, it’s how you deliver it. That distinction matters. The best performers at Dandy can deliver high-quality results while exemplifying the company Drivers. Both halves count.
Lesson 4: Understanding Performance at Dandy
The ‘What’ is measured through role-specific rubrics that define what excellence looks like at your level.The ‘How’ is evaluated through the Dandy Drivers — the behaviors that define how you show up, collaborate, and make decisions every day.
Simply put:
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Performance = What (Rubrics) + How (Dandy Drivers)
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Lesson 4: Understanding Performance at Dandy
Why Dandy Sets a High Bar
Dandy maintains a high-performance culture because it is the essential foundation for achieving our ambitious goals and successfully solving complex problems for our customers.
we expect commitment to continuous improvement and the initiative to constantly ask: “How can this be better?”
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is not an aspiration. It is a necessity for scaling the business.
The high bar...
At Dandy...
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Lesson 4: Understanding Performance at Dandy
By embracing tough feedback and challenging the status quo, every team member drives the innovation that ultimately benefits our customers every day. Performance is not just about you, it is directly connected to the dentists and patients who depend on Dandy to deliver.
Lesson 4: Understanding Performance at Dandy
Performance Reviews: The Purpose
Performance reviews at Dandy are an opportunity for both managers and employees to align on success, celebrate achievements, and define clear paths for future development and impact. They are not a bureaucratic formality. They are the mechanism that keeps the feedback loop running, so strong work gets recognized, development areas get addressed, and the bar keeps rising.
Lesson 4: Understanding Performance at Dandy
Performance Cycles
Dandy runs two official performance cycles to ensure continuous feedback and equitable talent assessment:
Lesson 4: Understanding Performance at Dandy
Ratings and What They Mean
Executes at the very highest level against their expectations, and sets a new standard for what it means to achieve and execute with excellence. Consistently raising the bar for what it means to be a successful Dandian.
Performance is inconsistent or developing — it sometimes meets expectations but not often enough to be considered meeting the high bar at Dandy.
Consistently fails to meet the expectations of their level. Unable to execute autonomously and independently.
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Performance is meeting the expectations of the high bar we hold for all Dandians.
Exhibiting strong performance overall, above and beyond the standard expected at Dandy.
Meets Most Expectations
Does Not MeetExpectations
Greatly Exceeds Expectations
MeetsExpectations
Exceeds Expectations
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Lesson 4: Understanding Performance at Dandy
Team Rubrics: Where to Find Yours
At Dandy, performance expectations are defined by role-specific rubrics. Your rubric is the clearest guide to what “Meets Expectations” and “Exceeds Expectations” actually looks like for your level and function.Click the rubric table on the right to enlarge and find the rubric that applies to you:
Click to enlarge
Lesson 4: Understanding Performance at Dandy
Lesson 4: Understanding Performance at Dandy
Up Next
Now that you understand how performance is defined and measured at Dandy, let’s look at how goals are structured across the organization through OKRs, the system that connects your work to the Master Plan. Let’s continue.
Lesson 4: Understanding Performance at Dandy
Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
You’ve seen how Dandy is organized. You’ve learned how performance is measured.
Now let’s answer the question that ties both of those together: How does everyone at Dandy move in the same direction?
Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
The answer is OKRs.
And at Dandy, OKRs are not a corporate checkbox. They are how the Master Plan becomes your daily work.
Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
See Tomorrow Clearly.
Connect the dots, challenge assumptions, and plan with the future in mind. OKRs are the operational expression of this Driver. They translate a long-term vision into decisions we can make today.
Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
What OKRs Are
OKR stands for Objectives, Key Results, and Initiatives. Each part has a specific job:
Plain Language Definition: Goals that inspire and set direction. Think of it as... The destination on the map.
Plain Language Definition: Tasks required to drive progress of key results. Think of it as... The actual steps you are taking to get there.
Plain Language Definition: Steps that measure progress towards an objective.Think of it as... The mile markers telling you if you’re on track.
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Key Results
Objectives
Initiatives
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Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
Understanding Dandy OKRs: Who and When
Dandy’s OKR system is strategy-driven and execution-focused. Here is how it actually works:
Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
Who.
The Executive Team sets direction.
Each quarter, ELT ( Dan, Toni, and their leadership team) defines the high-priority Objectives for the company, ensuring all teams move together and prioritize the most essential work. OKRs are not assigned top-down without input. But the strategic direction comes from the top, anchored in the Master Plan.
Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
When.
Continuous cycles, not a once-a-year event.
OKRs drive a continuous cycle of improvement through quarterly reviews. This also includes monthly reflections. OKR leaders run a weekly objective meeting to track progress, and a monthly fireside reflection chat to assess what’s working and what needs to adjust. This cadence is how Dandy stays aligned without becoming rigid.
Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
Strategy Driven. Execution Focused.
At Dandy, OKRs operate on two levels simultaneously:
Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
This split is intentional. Strategy without execution is just a plan. Execution without strategy is just activity. OKRs are how Dandy keeps both connected.
Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
Interactive Experience
Follow the Goal
Dandy has set a company-level objective focused on improving reliability and consistency in delivering restorations to practices. You will see three statements. Your task is to identify which one represents:
Start
Click and drag the concepts on left to the corresponding statement on the right.
Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
How This Connects to Your Role
You will receive your team’s current OKRs as part of your onboarding. Your manager will walk you through them in detail.
Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
As you review them, ask yourself three questions:
Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
You can also review past OKRs — including 2025 H1, Q3, and Q4 — to understand how Dandy’s priorities have evolved.
Fun Fact
Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
Coming up in today’s live session: Performance & OKR Review (8:30 – 9:15 AM)
This lesson gives you the conceptual framework. In the live session, you’ll connect it to your team’s actual current OKRs and understand what your first quarter’s contribution looks like. Come prepared to ask: how does my team’s Objective connect to one of the three Master Plan priorities?
Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
Key Takeaway
OKRs are alignment tools. They give Dandy Clarity, Alignment, Focus, and Accountability — all at once. They connect the Master Plan to quarterly priorities. They connect team priorities to individual initiatives. And they create a visible, shared language for what progress looks like at every level of the company.
Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
Up Next
You have now explored structure, collaboration, performance, and goal alignment. In the final lesson, we will zoom out, reflect on what it all means, and prepare you for the live sessions ahead. Let’s continue.
Lesson 5: OKRs and Goal Alignment
Lesson 6: Reflection, Growth, and What Comes Next
Over the past day and a half, you have been introduced to a lot of ideas.
Some concrete, some strategic, some cultural. It can feel like a lot. That is normal. This final lesson is not about introducing something new. It is about helping you see how the pieces connect — and setting you up for the live sessions ahead.
Lesson 6: Reflection, Growth, and What Comes Next
The Story so Far
Dandy’s mission and the Master Plan. You learned that Dan and Toni built Dandy around a Truly Hard Problem, the dental lab market that no company has been able to solve at scale.
Dandy’s teams are organized, plus the Dentistry 101 and Dandy Difference context that shows why this market matters.
The Dandy Drivers: the behaviors that shape how we show up every day.
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You got a first hand look at how...
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Lesson 6: Reflection, Growth, and What Comes Next
The Story so Far
The Drivers (Win as One, Be an Owner, Walk the Floor, Move at Dandy Speed, Deliver Quality Results, Obsess over Customers, See Tomorrow Clearly) are not just values on a wall. They are how cross-functional work actually gets done.
the organization. You saw how Dandy’s structure connects to the three Master Plan priorities.
OKRs translate the Master Plan into shared direction across every team and every role.
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Today, you looked inside...
You learned how...
You saw how...
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Lesson 6: Reflection, Growth, and What Comes Next
Taken together, those lessons tell one story: how Dandy operates as a modern dental technology company solving a problem no one else has solved at scale, with quality, and with a culture built to sustain it.
Lesson 6: Reflection, Growth, and What Comes Next
Understanding the System You’re Joining
One of the most valuable things onboarding can give you is context. You now understand that Dandy’s structure exists because the problem requires cross-disciplinary coordination. You have seen that collaboration is the default, not a special event, because the Truly Hard Problem cannot be solved by any single function. You have explored how performance connects to real outcomes: on-time delivery, reduced refabrications, and the kind of clinical experience that makes dentists rave about a product in an industry where that almost never happens.
Lesson 6: Reflection, Growth, and What Comes Next
When a dentist submits a case to Dandy, they are not interacting with one individual.
They are interacting with the coordinated effort of many teams — all aligned around the same Master Plan. The internal clarity you have built this morning is what makes that external experience feel seamless.
Lesson 6: Reflection, Growth, and What Comes Next
A Moment to Reflect
Take a few minutes:
Where does your role connect to the three Master Plan priorities: vertical integration, customer experience, or efficiency?
Which of the Dandy Drivers do you expect to use most in your first few weeks, and why?
What questions do you want to bring into your first 1:1 with your leader?
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Lesson 6: Reflection, Growth, and What Comes Next
Closing This Module
As Dan and Toni wrote in the Master Plan: there is no one else solving this Truly Hard Problem except Dandy. Our success or failure is entirely in our hands. That includes yours. In just a moment, you will move into the final knowledge check for this module. Take your time. Think through each question. Use it as a final opportunity to connect the dots before the live sessions begin. When you are ready, close this window, complete the knowledge check.
Lesson 6: Reflection, Growth, and What Comes Next
EPD — Engineering & Product Design
What They OwnProduct, Engineering, UX, and Data work together to deliver the world-class digital experience that sits between the practice and the lab. The Data team builds insights that power both day-to-day decisions and long-term strategy. Who They Lean On Operations & Customer Success: To ensure what’s built matches how dentists actually work.
OKR leaders drive weekly objective meetings and monthly fireside reflection chats, and are accountable for rigorous, measurable success criteria.
Which of the three Master Plan priorities does this Objective support?
Finance & Accounting
What They OwnPartners with the business to ensure Dandy is growing efficiently and sustainably — the financial foundation the Master Plan requires before expanding to new products. Who They Lean On ELT & all teams: Provides the visibility that allows smart, long-term investment decisions.
People & Talent
What They OwnAttracts, develops, and retains the most essential resource at Dandy: its people. Supports the Driver Build Winning Teams across every function. Who They Lean On Every function: Hiring, performance, and culture are everyone’s business.
Which Initiatives am I contributing to — and how does that connect to the Objective?
What is my team’s Key Result, and how will I know if we are on track?
Manufacturing Automation Engineering (AME)
What They OwnBrings automation and critical technology to Dandy’s labs and manufacturing processes — the engine behind vertical integration at Lehi. Who They Lean On EPD & Operations: To align automation investments with production priorities and quality targets.
Alignment.
How goals connect across company, team, and individual levels through OKRs, so that everyone moves toward the same destination.
General Counsel
What They OwnEnsures Dandy operates with the appropriate risk mindset as the business scales into a highly regulated industry. Who They Lean On Every function: Provides the legal and compliance guardrails that protect the company and its customers.
At dandy every list is a prioritized list. Your manager or People & Talent team can point you to the right links.
The Objectives that reflect where the company needs to go this quarter to advance the Master Plan.
Go-To-Market — Sales, Marketing & Post Sales
What They OwnSales signs new dentists to Dandy. Marketing grows Dandy’s brand in the dental industry. Customer Success (Training, Account Management, CX) onboards and supports practices for their entire lifetime with Dandy. Who They Lean On EPD & Operations: To ensure what’s sold and what’s delivered are the same thing.
Operations
What They OwnEnsures hundreds of thousands of orders are delivered on-time and at the highest quality. The team closest to the physical throughput of the Master Plan. Who They Lean On AME & EPD: To translate technology investments into real-world operational gains.
Structure.
How Dandy’s organization is built to execute on building products and experiences that our customers will tell their friends about.
Performance.
How success is defined beyond task completion, connected to real outcomes for our customers.
Manufacturing Automation Engineering (AME)
What They OwnBrings automation and critical technology to Dandy’s labs and manufacturing processes — the engine behind vertical integration at Lehi. Who They Lean On EPD & Operations: To align automation investments with production priorities and quality targets.