As Ralph Muller’s 17-year tenure as the Health System’s CEO comes to a close, his approach to organizational development as a lever for change still impacts the work that Penn Medicine Academy (PMA) does today.
PMA is a multidisciplinary team that works on strategic initiatives and projects that span the Health System. Its mission is fourfold: develop strong leaders, build a skilled workforce, enable engaged teams and deliver successful change. Last year alone, PMA worked on over 250 projects, from tools and resources to build a feedback-rich environment to team building and strategic planning. It also launched a suite of on-demand tools and resources in charge management, performance improvement, improving the patient experience, onboarding and talent development. It trained over 35,000 employees using multiple modalities including simulation, classroom-based training, online training and DIY tools.
“Ralph understands the importance of aligning the skills and resources of the workforce to the work that needs to be done. His early investments have put us ahead of our competitors across the country on many levels,” said Cindy Morgan, VP of Learning and Organizational Development, who leads the PMA team. “He has instilled the importance of evidence-based approaches to learning and development, as well as culture change as a way to drive health care forward.”
Culture change is at the core of what PMA does. The Penn Medicine Experience Standards and Definition, which were championed by Muller, were created to ensure a consistent patient experience across all Penn Medicine locations. With input from over 200 staff, providers and family members, “it’s the first systemic approach to a shared patient experience goal that has touched every single employee,” said Craig Loundas, AVP for the Patient Experience.
The PMA website (pennmedicine.org/PMA) has over 100 tools, templates, job aids and microlearnings available to every employee in the organization. PMA has also partnered with LinkedIn Learning to offer over 10,000 free online courses accessible to all employees so that they can take their growth and development into their own hands. “We know attending classes isn't the only way to make something stick … the practical application needs to be factored in,” said Gretchen Kolb, PMA’s director of Learning Innovation.
“Our employees are the change agents to help us realize our potential as an organization,” Morgan said. “Unique and innovative strategies to develop our workforce will be essential to advance the future of Penn Medicine.”
For more information on PMA, please type “PMA” into your IE Windows browser, visit pennmedicine.org/pma while connected to the Penn Medicine Network or email pma@uphs.upenn.edu.