Leadership development initiative means new choices for UPMC managers
As UPMC continues to grow nationally and internationally, leadership development remains a top priority. Identifying high-potential candidates to fill the “leadership pipeline” and developing both new and existing leaders are critical missions of both executive leadership and Human Resources at UPMC.
Over one year ago, the Learning and Development Taskforce and its associated subcommittees were formed to examine best practices in leadership development, determine the learning needs of new and current leaders, and introduce new programs that meet these needs. By seeking feedback and involvement from various business units, two new management resources were introduced: iLead, a leadership development program that offers management and leadership development courses, and the Management Resource Portal (MRP), a centralized, online workspace that supports the ongoing informational needs of UPMC managers.
iLead (Inspiring Leaders through Education, Association, and Development) focuses on developing leadership “bench strength” by building knowledge, skill, and overall competency in critical areas that are relevant to all management. Core management courses focus on building knowledge in policies, procedures, and the legal environment. Leadership courses focus on topics such as coaching, conflict resolution, and feedback models. Courses are delivered in the classroom and online through uLearn, UPMC’s learning management system.
MRP is a management-only site that provides UPMC managers with access to documents pertaining to human resources, finance, the employee assistance program, and other topics; a library with information on a wide variety of important management and leadership issues; Web links for managers; and information on leadership development courses. The MRP also serves as an electronic community where management colleagues can share questions, issues, and management best practices, and can also receive alerts notifying management of critical up-to-the-minute information.
In addition to these programs and resources, the Leadership Development Intensive (LDI) was inspired and directed by the vision of UPMC chief nursing officer Pamela Triolo, PhD, RN, FAAN. The LDI, partially sponsored by the Beckwith Institute for Innovation, provides assessment and developmental opportunities for those individuals from all disciplines who are selected as high-potential leaders throughout UPMC. Both the Center for Nursing Excellence and Innovation and Corporate Human Resources are partnering to formalize and refine the process for selecting and developing high potential leaders through the Talent Management Review (TMR) process to further enhance the leadership pipeline for senior and executive positions.
“Exciting managers about their own development, utilizing technology to create and deliver just-in-time learning, and offering a Web space where managers can seek resources and work together as a learning community are critical for enhancing UPMC’s management bench strength,” says Anthony Gigliotti, MHRM, PHR, director of Corporate Learning and Development.