Knowledge Center: An Interview with UnitedHealth Group Training & Development VP Deborah Wiest
As Vice President of Training & Development at UnitedHealth Group, Deborah Wiest makes it her priority to ensure that knowledge is transformed into results.
“I think there is a shift going on from the traditional study-teaching model towards really making sure people are actually learning.”
“We look at how best to measure how successful you are once you’ve learned something. “
“Traditional tests and assessments just won’t tell you what you need to know when it comes to making a difference. We really need to look at how we’re changing behaviors. To do that, we have to partner with our leaders and learners.
If we look at a learning initiative -- maybe you’ve attended a learning event, you’ve had some coaching , we then ask ‘is it really making a difference in your performance?”
“Learning & Development isn’t out in the field all day, but the learners and the managers are. So, it’s really up to them to let us know if that performance is happening.”
“And so, you have to have a really tight partnership and train leaders on how to look for signs that learning has occurred. It’s as much training the leaders to be teachers as it is training the learners on new content.”
“In metrics-driven environments like call centers or sales, it’s easy to measure performance based on hold time, abandon rate, revenue and so on. But in an environment where you’re trying to build trusted relationships, how do you measure results?”
“We taught people EQ skills, steps to connect with people, how to assess needs, how to build a relationship and then, 60 or 90 days out -- asked them to tell us what they were applying and the difference it made in the relationship.”
“So, we have people tell us a story about how they’ve used a particular skill in a new way and, how they achieved a result. That’s where learning occurs.”