New York Life Insurance Company’s Management Development Initiative (MDI): Leading Change module is designed to provide leadership training to 300 in-force customer service managers, spread throughout 120 different sales offices.
Program Details
The program is an eight-week cohort-based blended learning journey that combines a two-day in-person kickoff with seven weeks of online modules and action learning. Each online module includes readings, videos, and simulation activities. Participants also meet weekly with a five-person “consulting group” to discuss the learning and how it applies to issues faced on the job. All participants also are actively involved in an MDI: Leading Change social networking community (JIVE), where they share ideas and lessons learned.
Results
- 97 percent of participants reported the program was an effective way to learn.
- 94 percent of participants reported the program met its stated objectives.
- 91 percent of participants reported the program was aligned to business priorities.
- 97 percent of participants reported they learned a lot from the program.
- 94 percent of participants reported they gained valuable skills during the program.
- 100 percent of participants reported they applied the learning from the program back on the job.
The MDI program also had an important impact on employees’ perceptions of the frequency with which their managers performed specific managerial behaviors. Following the MDI program, service center employees whose managers went through MDI reported their managers were more likely to “hold regularly scheduled one-on-one meetings with direct reports” (71 percent favorable versus 62 percent favorable) and to “keep direct reports informed about matters that affect their job” (86 percent favorable versus 74 percent favorable) than managers who did not go through the MDI program. New York Life Insurance Company determined that managers’ frequency of one-to-one meetings with direct reports has a direct, positive correlation with first-call resolution in its service centers. The company then linked performance on these key managerial behaviors to service center managers’ key performance indicators: customer and sales agent service satisfaction ratings. The MDI program effectively impacted customer satisfaction ratings such that managers who went through MDI learned new skills (specifically, effective communication), which, in turn, led to improvements in call center team performance for these managers. Managers with upward feedback suggesting greater frequency of “holding regular, informal performance discussions,” “spending time out on the floor assisting and supporting the team as necessary,” and “being available to address issues in a timely manner” had more favorable customer satisfaction scores (94 percent favorable versus 86 percent favorable, and 86 percent favorable versus 74 percent favorable, respectively).
Following the implementation of MDI, the company also has seen the following improvements on survey items for managers who went through MDI:
- “My immediate manager shows he/she truly cares about the people in my work unit”: +7 percentage points.
- “My immediate manager takes an active interest in my growth and development”: +12 percentage points.
The MDI: Leading Change model now is being adapted elsewhere in the organization. Employees outside of the target population, including senior leaders, have learned about the MDI program, and asked to participate in the next cohort.
New York Life Insurance Company also currently is developing an Emerging Leaders Program, targeting the development of high-potential entry-level employees with organizational tenure of one to two years. The Emerging Leaders Program is being designed in the image of MDI: Leading Change, with a cohort-driven, module-based approach that utilizes a “learning journey” framework. In-person work will be combined with online training and action learning projects.
