Message from our Chief Learning Officer (March 25, 2021)
Nancy Duranteau
Director, Learning and Organization Development (L&OD)
The last year has tested us. When we reflect on the challenges we face, we see the power of working together to advance our mission while upholding our values. The UCSF community has shown its commitment to both in these difficult times. We will continue that focus as UCSF continues to address the COVID-19 pandemic, the financial health of UCSF, and racial injustice in our society and organization.
2020 upended so many of our plans, including the Staff Engagement survey. I am excited for this year’s survey, which will run from April 27 until May 21, 2021. It will have been two years since our last staff engagement survey, and I hope that each of you will participate and share your perspective. This survey is an opportunity to check in and see how we’re doing as a workplace.
While our community has navigated these uncertain times with resiliency and courage, employee engagement has never been more vital. The innovation and change agility that a pandemic requires is bolstered by teams that know how to deploy the strengths of all their people. The trust and commitment needed to dismantle systemic racism will require each of us to be catalysts for change, made more effective when accompanied by a sense of belonging. Our engagement matters not just to us as individuals, and team members, but to the local community we serve, and to advancing health worldwide.
We, in Learning & Organization Development, stress engagement action planning that includes understanding survey results, making courageous decisions and taking transformative steps to create an inclusive environment where we can all engage and use our talents in service of UCSF’s mission.
We remain committed to providing a wide variety of resources that foster engagement. Some developments of note that I’d like to highlight are:
- In August 2020, we surveyed our community of staff, learners and faculty to understand more about how COVID-19, financial recovery and racial injustice drive our community’s experience. In response to the results, UCSF has adopted three competencies for all staff: Achieving Results, Building Relationships, and Creating the Future. These competencies will help shape the culture we aspire to create. You will discover them as the foundation for our updated offerings and leadership development strategy that includes Action Labs for managers and supervisors.
- Additionally, we continue to support efforts aimed at improving engagement where previous surveys have shown we have opportunities. These can be seen in our 2018 - 2022 Staff Engagement Organization Wide 4 Year Action Plan and Road Map which focuses on Building an Inclusive Strengths Based Organization.
We appreciate your dedication and unwavering engagement during these challenging times.
Be healthy and well,
Nancy Duranteau
