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Case Study: Brighterkind Care Homes

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How a focus on leadership invigorated a care group’s culture 

The problem

When Antony Smith joined brighterkind in January 2015 to head up training and development across the group’s 71 care homes, he discovered an over-reliance on e-learning as the main method of developing its 4,500-strong workforce. A historic focus on keeping staff compliant, rather than empowering them to make positive change, had led to a high turnover at manager level, with few succession plans in place. “I think it’s a general feature of the care sector: people look for convenience rather than deciphering what makes people learn,” says Smith. “Staff were crying out for hands-on, experiential learning.”

The employees had taken the requisite training, “but in terms of leadership and customer service skills, they had very little or none”, says Smith.

The appetite for learning was clear, but one of the biggest hurdles was breaking down the mindset that developing personal skills was self-indulgent. “We had to convince them that they will care much better for their residents if they look after their team first.”

 

The solution

Smith and his colleagues began by creating a set of values. From here, a team of volunteer trainers – called Pacesetters – were put through a centralised ‘train the trainer’ programme and tasked with delivering cultural training back into their homes. The bespoke sessions were designed in 20 to 30-minute bursts, to be delivered over two to three months, Smith says, so every member of staff, regardless of responsibility or schedule, could attend: “These sessions were linked to the values. How do we create a high-service culture? How do we foster a strong community?  How do we encourage independence?”

Next, the group’s leaders were sent on a two-day leadership development programme, with information from this cascaded down to the next level of managers – who historically hadn’t received any training of this kind. “The care sector has been very poor at developing people, and in particular their leadership skills,” says Smith. “I believe better leaders will deliver better care experiences. What if I’m a carer, or a gardener, and I want to be a home manager? Previously there was no career route, so workers got to this stage then left, taking their skills with them. We had to determine how to help people fulfil their aspirations, and encourage them to stay and make it their career.”

 

The outcome

Although it’s early days, Smith says the majority of homes feel different. “New managers have said they’re joining because they like the culture and the fact these values are embedded in every home,” he says. “Quite a few said it wouldn’t work, but we’ve managed to empower them, and give them the chance to shine, and the amount of ideas and the passion they have has truly surprised me.”

 

Learn more about cultural change at the CIPD Organisational Development Conference and Workshop. Find out more at: bit.ly/CIPDOD16

 


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