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CASE STUDY: PHI Coaching Improves Cultures at Detroit LTC Organizations

May 9, 2014

Three Detroit-area long-term care organizations have seen improvement in their employees’ communication skills after participating in training in the PHI Coaching ApproachSM, a new PHI case study reports.

The case study details how the PHI Coaching Approach was introduced and spread throughout each of the three participating organizations, and shows the positive impact that the training has had on each organization’s overall culture.

The three organizations involved are:

  • AHS Community Services, which provides staffing supports and services to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in residential care homes;
  • Adult Well-Being Services, a social service organization that provides a range of services, including a day program for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities; and
  • Community & Home Supports, a small home care agency providing personal care services to elders and people with disabilities.

PHI began to roll out coaching communication skills training through these organizations in January 2013, when executive leaders from all three organizations participated in a leadership seminar in Detroit.

In the months that followed, select supervisors, managers, and direct support workers were chosen to take part in a shorter, two-day training focusing solely on communication skills.

Those workers became “champions” for coaching within their respective organizations, and assumed the task of training their fellow employees in PHI coaching communication skills.

Benefits Recognized

Asked about the benefits of coaching training, Diane Ciric, AHS senior program manager, told PHI, “We have a lot of good people who work for us. Coaching has opened our eyes to that… We’re very grateful and appreciative” for the PHI Coaching Approach.

The training has produced tangible benefits as well. A survey of direct-care workers at the three organizations found that, following the training, 61 percent felt that their “organization has programs or structures in place to support employees,” compared with just 51 percent before the training.

Additionally, seven out of 10 workers who went through the PHI Coaching Communication training said that they “often” or “always” practice the communication skills in the workplace.

The training project is one part of the Long Term Supports and Services Employer Partnership funded by the Detroit Regional Workforce Fund (DRWF), a collaborative funding effort aimed at helping employers address their workforce needs and connecting low- and moderate-income people to the jobs those employers are creating.

— by Matthew Ozga

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