Vi: Defining Learning for Senior Living

Transcription

1 Vi: Defining Learning for Senior Living

2 The LearningElite Benchmarking Program Chief Learning Officer magazine s LearningElite program honors the best organizations for learning and development. This robust, peer-reviewed ranking and benchmarking program recognizes those organizations that employ exemplary workforce development strategies that deliver significant business results. First developed in 2010, the program has benchmarked the learning and development function of hundreds of learning organizations from small enterprise to large the LearningElite program exists to provide a tool for detailed analysis of organizational learning models. The aim of the LearningElite is to: Identify and recognize industry leaders. Promote recognition of the critical role that learning and development plays in organizational success. Support learning organizations in achieving best-in-class levels of performance. Identify and share best practices, principles and strategies for learning and development. Provide powerful benchmarking data for world-class learning and development. The LearningElite program will afford any size organization an opportunity to highlight and be recognized for outstanding outcomes in the field of learning and development. The LearningElite assess organizations through five key dimensions that represent the most critical characteristics of learning organizations. These dimensions include: BUSINESS PERFORMANCE RESULTS LEARNING STRATEGY with communication, but how leaders directly contribute to learning in the organization through direct participation and development of learning deliverables. Learning execution examines systematic rollout of learning strategy and how organizations achieve success regardless of scale. Learning impact determines the value of learning in the organization by examining metrics to determine the effectiveness of the learning strategy and learning solutions internally. Finally, business performance reflects what positive business results are generated from the L&D performance at an organization. LearningElite ranking is determined based on the calculated scores provided by the LearningElite judges. Aggregated information is used to determine the benchmark of performance across all dimensions. Of the hundreds of organizations that participate each year, only a few are selected to join the ranks of the LearningElite. Those organizations whose performance qualifies as LearningElite are organized within a band designed to represent the performance of the organization compared to the pinnacle performance of LearningElite organizations. LearningElite Gold Performing near or at the pinnacle in four or more dimensions LearningElite Silver Performing near or at the pinnacle in two to three dimensions LearningElite Bronze Performing consistently above the benchmark in all dimensions LearningElite organizations represent the best learning offerings in the industry; these organizations are innovative, forward thinking and working continuously to improve learning and development industry-wide. The valuable participation of organizations each year contributes to the overall health of the learning industry. LEARNINGELITE ORGANIZATION LEADERSHIP COMMITMENT The 2014 LearningElite Program LEARNING IMPACT LEARNING EXECUTION The dimensions of the LearningElite benchmark represent areas of L&D performance that contribute significant value to the organization. Learning strategy indicates how an organization directly links business goals with the learning strategy from initial implementation to final results. Leadership commitment examines how leadership not only supports L&D 58 Finalists 2 Winner s Circle Organizations 58% were 2013 LearningElite Organizations 40% have been LearningElite organizations for the past three years 33% of 2014 LearningElite organizations are first time applicants 2 Chief Learning Officer

3 Vi: The History and Future of Senior Living Vi, pronounced (VEE), is a name that is taken from Latin meaning life. It is a name that is perfectly positioned to represent Vi, an organization dedicated to life: providing community, care, and companionship as a developer, owner and operator of residential centers for older adults. For more than 25 years, Vi has served the senior living industry by providing high quality environments, services and programs designed to enrich the lives of its residents. Vi is home to nearly 4,000 residents in 10 continuing care retirement communities (CCRC s) across the United States. The company was founded in 1987 by Penny Pritzker as Classic Residence by Hyatt. Pritzker, a member of the Hyatt founding family, believed that Hyatt s expert skills in hospitality services would have much to offer the retirement industry. After opening the first location in Reno, Vi continued to evolve as needs in the industry changed. Originally founded Vi s mission is to enrich the lives of older adults. Leaders at Vi credit training and development as a key reason for the organization s success. SVP Operations Bill Sciortino notes Our key performance benchmark is resident satisfaction. We ask residents Are you satisfied? and in our survey 93 percent of our respondents said Yes. We ask Would you recommend Vi to family and friends and 90 percent said Yes, we already have. We know these scores are a direct result of the training and development opportunities we provide our staff. CLO Judy Whitcomb concurs, adding that The training that we offer staff helps us lead the industry now, and positions us to remain at the forefront of senior residential services for the future. Living and Learning With Vi More than 25 years as Developer, Owner and Operator in the Residential Care Industry as an enterprise building on the Hyatt brand, Vi continues to independently develop, own, and operate their communities. Vi s mission is to enrich the lives of older adults. At the core of this mission is a resident-centered approach with a goal of providing whole-person wellness, which includes extensive physical, social, and intellectual programs in an environment that encourages positive participation. As an organization dedicated to residential care, Vi well-trained staff provides a variety of services including: Assisted Living Independent Living Skilled Nursing Concierge Fitness Spa Facilities Fine Dining In order to provide the best possible service, Vi has developed an award-winning learning program to meet the developmental needs of the organization. Vi trains and maintains a knowledgeable and skilled staff of nearly 3,000 employees. Additionally, Vi continues to train and develop staff to maintain the standards of quality expected by residents at the organization. This includes developmental staff training in: Culinary Dining and Service Housekeeping Protocols Nursing Chief Learning Officer 3

4 A Committed Leadership How Vi leverages leadership commitment to maintain an Elite learning organization Leadership and Learning From the perspective of the LearningElite program, leadership commitment defines how leadership supports, empowers, and contributes to the learning function. To demonstrate leadership engagement, organizations are asked to tell a story that clearly outlines how leadership is involved in the learning strategy, execution and impact of learning in the organization. Vi receives a LearningElite Award at the 2014 Spring Chief Learning Officer Symposium. Year after year, Vi consistently ranks amongst the members of Chief Learning Officer s LearningElite. What s more interesting, Vi ranks in the same gold performance band as larger Elite organizations. What is Vi doing in learning that places it so firmly each year among the ranks of the LearningElite? While Vi performs well across all areas of the LearningElite framework, there is one area where Vi has consistently demonstrated exceptional performance: leadership commitment. Vi has cultivated a learning culture starting with leadership support that has allowed L&D to demonstrate profitable organizational change. Leaders at Vi see learning as something that benefits everyone in the organization. With each skill learned, with each person developed, the entire organization is stronger. Leaders at Vi are committed to cultivating the strength of the entire organization through targeted learning programs; helping to secure buy-in from its large and varied employee population. To do this, Vi uses learning to engage with employees at all levels of the organization. Vi has consistently excelled and provided solid evidence of how leadership supports learning and has gone further to show how learning is valued by the organization; an organization where demonstrating success is synonymous with creating an environment of high customer satisfaction with the quality of care provided. This requires an understanding of the needs of the residential clients Vi serves, the type of learning that will best support everyone from the sous chef in the kitchen to on-site hair dressers to the highly trained nursing assistants who improve the quality of life for the older clientele. Leadership has the knowledge it needs to make decisions, because learning is tied to leadership. 4 Chief Learning Officer

5 Judy Whitcomb At Vi, this starts with a seat at the table. Judy Whitcomb, head of Human Resources and Chief Learning Executive, sits on the executive management team, which allows her to communicate the value and needs of L&D directly. Further, it provides her with a clear sense of business priorities in the organization. As learning and the executive team are closely aligned, the development strategy process is collaborative with the executive team participating in the discussion surrounding L&D initiatives at team meetings; with thoughtful consideration of how initiatives benefit employees, leaders, and the residents they serve. One example of how Vi leverages leadership commitment to plan strategy, execute learning, and create impact can be seen in how the organization recently addressed issues identified during an employee survey. Results indicated that there was a significant opportunity to improve collaboration across the organization. Vi realizes that collaboration is critical to employee engagement and a positive resident experience. Vi used employee survey results, and leaders across the organization considered potential solutions and avenues for direct action: HR leaders met with employee groups to brainstorm strategies that would improve collaboration, as senior leaders at Vi led discussions about employee collaboration during cross functional meetings. The learning team then utilized resources to implement trainings and initiatives to directly address the gap. Leaders Leading Learning Leaders at Vi also demonstrate support of learning through their roles as subject matter experts who develop content and promote and teach at Vi s Leadership Institute Program. The institute manages a curriculum that contains courses designed specifically to improve employees across the organization; a further indication that learning is about employee development as a means to organizational success. At the institute, executives and leadership go above and beyond by becoming direct mentors to support employees who are engaging in year-long development programs. Program participants and their mentorsuse toolkits and a wide-range of learning resources as well as direct support to improve performance and gain valuable leadership skills. Senior leadership further engage learners through the Management Development program by meeting with participants to discuss local projects, management and leadership concepts, articles, books and learning tools. Leaders engaged in mentoring and supporting learners are also given tools for success through the Corporate Learning & Organizational Development program, which provides mentors with kits containing resources for leaders to aid in the development of mentees.. Learning Ambassadors Besides an education partnership with the Culinary Institute of America, Vi s Sous and Pastry chefs are mentored by the Company s Executive Chefs. Leadership at Vi promotes a culture of learning through video messages and other departmental communications and by celebrating individual achievement. One of the best examples of how leadership demonstrates commitment to learning is through Vi s E-Campus learning portal, as well as through the company newsletter Connections which dedicates at least 25 percent of its content to sharing employee development success stories. Vi shares how individuals have grown, developed and excelled through participation in learning. Participation in industry benchmarking and awards programs further demonstrates Vi s commitment to learning. These include Training Magazine s Top 125, the LearningElite benchmarking program, the Learning100 awards, and Workforce Chicago awards. Vi leaders, including the president of Vi, Randy Richardson, communicate their support of these achievements across the Vi community and celebrate the organization s success. However, the story of Vi as a learning organization is not one of winning awards or achieving recognition. Vi stands out as a learning leader because it recognizes that developing people improves the quality of life for everyone in the organization and this in turn results in high levels of resident satisfaction and employee retention and satisfaction. Chief Learning Officer 5

6 Living the Business Case Why Learning and Business Mean the Same thing at Vi At Vi, learning is a way of life. Bill Sciortino, Senior Vice President of Operations, fully believes in the culture of learning at Vi. Today, at Vi, learning is not a learning thing, or an HR thing, it s a Vi thing. From the C-Suite to staff in our communities to our residents, we care about learning. There was a vision for how learning could work at Vi long before the learning program was fully realized. We asked, How can we be our best today and how can we be even better tomorrow? and then we sketched out a program we called Classic Bill Sciortinio University, said Sciortino. We outlined two kinds of training. First, we would focus on functional and tactical skills, like how to properly clean a room or set a table for fine dining. Then, we would focus on management and leadership skills, to grow our employees and help them realize their individual goals.. With a vision planted, and a few stops and starts along the way, Vi began the process of committing fully to learning, hiring Judy Whitcomb, a talented organizer with a strong background in learning and human resources development, to help bring about change in the organization. As Judy entered the scene, the executive team finally had a person in place who could help realize a fully operational learning organization. To me it was like, our day has arrived. We get to tear into this and make this all together; and everybody had a seat at the table then, said Sciortino. With Whitcomb s expertise, the learning team was able to work to develop an L&D function that would best support the organization. Her first priority was to create programs to target one of the biggest areas of need at the organization: employee attrition. Like many other companies in the healthcare industry, Vi faced high turnover and struggled to retain skilled employees, especially among its nursing staff. Judy really got to the heart of the issue: We could offer training, but the people we most wanted to retain were already highly skilled. We needed to give them something more. But what was that something? Leadership, said Sciortino. Whitcomb s insight led to the a series of year-long development programs focused on leadership, including what leaders do, how they are accountable to the organization and how they are accountable to people. As the leadership program and other learning programs took off, though, it became apparent that there was one thing that could elevate the program beyond other leadership programs. What [our trainees] really needed was exposure to what the company thinks, reflected Sciortino, so we brought them to [our headquarters in] Chicago and had them talk to the president, talk to the CFO. We are all very busy, and it wasn t easy for everyone to make time for these meetings. But I quickly saw the value. I know others did too. We quickly learned what it meant to the participants of this program to have quality time with senior executives in the organization to share leadership perspectives and gain greater insight into our business. That time with Vi executives helped staff see themselves as members of the Vi family, rather than just employees on the Vi payroll. The reflective leadership being used with training developed more thoughtful individuals who were not only gaining the skills necessary to be better leaders, but who were also becoming more committed to the organization that was developing them. The results were impressive. In just two years, Vi saw a 73 percent increase in employee retention with nurse leadership program participants. What sets us apart, what we are trying to say, is that not only is it training people up, but having employees feel the pride they get in the work they are doing for Vi; they can take ownership, said Sciortino. The culture of learning has become so ingrained that employees talk about the residents they work with as if they are family. We have put that in the culture that they are getting individually what they want as well as feeling like they are a part of the community and the community is the residents we serve. Using learning to create a culture that builds leadership and a sense of community has been good for the entire organization. Learning at Vi communities is directly correlated with resident satisfaction. Where we have the highest satisfaction among our employees we also have the highest satisfaction from our residents, said Sciortino. And this commitment to learning is the best demonstration of return on investment for Vi. As Sciortino put it We are not a company that makes profit on our day to day operations where we succeed is people being satisfied and getting people to tell their friends and encourage them to move to the community. 6 Chief Learning Officer

7 TRAINING campus Vi s e-campus hosts 1,000 courses Vi offers employees Training resulted in completing and exceeding sales targets in exceed sales goals by 37 % LearningElite BEST SMALL COMPANY CUSTOMER SATISFACTON Employees ranked training 11 % higher than the industry average Employees ranked the training new hires receive, 13 % 17 % 14 % higher than of High Performing (HP) companies. higher than the industry higher than the norm of HP companies % of Housekeeping & Engineering Directors passed their certification exam. 93 % of employees understand how they contribute to business goals of Vi s sales come from resident referrals. free continuing ED courses or classes % Growth in E-campus course use per person since Vi has the one of the lowest attrition rates in the industry attrition dropped 23 % in Average number of Oracle Learn Center s online courses completed by employees in % 95 % of residents are satisfied with the quality of the service they receive at Vi of residents would recommend Vi to others Vi s internal newsletter Connections dedicates of content each month to employee stories. Chief Learning Officer 7

8 Chief Learning Officer magazine focuses on solutions for enterprise productivity in the enterprise learning market. Named Best New Publication of 2002 by the American Society of Business Publication Editors, Chief Learning Officer features top experts in the corporate training industry writing to executives and officers about the importance, benefits and advancements of a properly trained workforce. Chief Learning Officer has its own family of supporting publications, including the CLOmedia.com website and the Chief Learning Officer Executive Briefings electronic newsletter. Human Capital Media Advisory Group is the research division of Human Capital Media Group, which publishes Chief Learning Officer, Diversity Executive, Talent Management and Workforce magazines. HCM s mission is to focus on human capital issues that are relevant and important to senior leaders. It specializes in partnered research solutions, creating completely customizable and proprietary deliverables. HCM s capabilities include thought leadership research and custom content creation (white papers, research reports, webinars, presentations), as well as market research on customer segments in the human resources industry. If you have any questions, contact HCM at skimmel@humancapitalmedia.com.