With the recent hurricanes affecting Nova Scotia and Florida, you might wonder how companies mobilize during the recovery process. Restoring the lives of the people impacted by a disaster and addressing the damage, in many instances, falls on the property adjuster — the conduit between the insured and the insurer. Meanwhile, training, managing and directing resources falls on operational managers.
Sedgwick, the largest insurance claims management company in the world, has developed a program to build the future bench strength of its property claims leadership — generationNext Management. In this article, we discuss our model for collaboration between instructional design and students and the real-time impact it has on program direction and outcomes, including skills, engagement and team building.
Educating the industry’s future adjusters
Eight years ago, we recognized a need for advanced training for claims professionals specializing in complex losses. We began building a masters-level program designed for the industry and supported by experienced leaders. The goal was to fast-track an elite education in claims adjusting by synthesizing leadership’s knowledge into an engaging, hands-on program.
In 2016, generationNext launched its first invitation-only advanced degree in claims adjusting. Sedgwick invited carrier clients to nominate candidates for participation — sharing knowledge within the insurance industry. Based on the success of the program, Vale Training, a Sedgwick company, was engaged to develop an additional layer of the program’s technical and management syllabus.
Developing the program outline
In the early stages of designing the management program, the pace of learning was established to include three in-person sessions for one week, supplemented by several virtual sessions to conclude within a year. Each session was based on a central theme related to Sedgwick’s talent and growth strategies, segmented into dimensions of the market in a tell-show-do model of engagement and closing each day with an executive viewpoint. The first two sessions factored in the following topics:
Session No. 1: Critical thinking and decision-making
- Financial acumen – Profit and loss analysis
- Growth – Clients, service expansion
- Property products – Development, exceptional service, technology solutions
- Culture – Emotional intelligence, hiring, setting goals, delegation, empowerment and managing multiple generations
- Innovation – Artificial intelligence, business impact, disruptors
Session No. 2: Profitable growth
- Mergers & acquisitions strategy and valuation
- Acquisition integration strategy
- Service portfolio
- Operational excellence team activities
- Corporate finance
- Margin expansion
Through a collaborative effort, these operational excellence activities created an environment of safety and trust. The teams encouraged leadership to expand the scope of the program to include a series of projects they felt could substantially grow the business. The decision was made for the operational projects to extend to the final session as a capstone to the program.
From an engagement perspective, the standard classroom dynamic supported our objectives. With representation from the U.S., Canada and LATAM, the group spanned seven business units. Students were encouraged to share and lead various elements of the program. Each morning began with a poll about expected outcomes for the day, which served as a tool for presenters to better serve the interests of the class. The poll, which was available on participants’ smartphones, was also used to structure the executive viewpoint at the close of each session. Leaders reviewed and emphasized key points from each session and used the morning poll as a guide to make sure all areas had been sufficiently addressed. Polling became a tool not only to capture information but provide real-time voting analytics on concepts and ideas, facilitating deeper discussions.
Living our values
The sharing of common values proved to be a significant contributor to the information learned and the projects students choose to take part in. Colleagues’ feelings, thoughts and experiences were not only respected but embraced. Teams were selected by associating disparate functions and regions to emphasize individual contributions and eliminate groupthink.
We reinforced accountability by being transparent and delivering on our commitments. This collaboration enabled meaningful connections built on mutual trust — working together as a unified team toward a shared purpose. This process also helped students form networks beyond an individual’s region or business unit.
Technical infrastructure was a critical element in the success of the program; we infused various techniques and technologies, each designed to enhance absorption and extend the learning.
- Virtual sessions were used as preparatory information and collaboration forums. Video, chat and screen-sharing were encouraged to build familiarity with technology, concepts, and class relationships. These same sessions allowed for the inclusion of multiple executive guests to share insights. One particular result was a video pitch each participant made to introduce themselves – role, location and a personal perspective on their relationship to Sedgwick.
- Live polling provided immediate feedback that drove conversations and the direction of the program. The team embraced the use of the technology for ideation and reactions that were displayed and then ranked for interest and importance. The tool, originally designed as a simple icebreaker, became a platform heavily leveraged and ultimately used to inform subsequent learning sessions. Additionally, an infusion of learning technology has deployed surveys for feedback and the planned implementation of adaptive learning to extend knowledge well beyond scheduled events.
- Blended teaming was a critical strategy that yielded cross-pollination of information, resulting in shared strategies, infrastructure, and client relationships. This concept facilitated the introduction of service lines into new markets and optimization programs with global reach. From a participant perspective, this strategy delivered lasting relationships built on sharing, trust and accountability.
A common element of all generationNext programs is cultural discovery. Each live setting includes a field trip to an environment that showcases unique architecture, technical innovation or team strengthening.
Two examples of recent trips include the Piquette Avenue Plant — where Henry Ford established a room for innovation that yielded the design of the Model T and facilitated introduction of the automated assembly line — and the Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters and Practice Facility, which showcased the importance of team building and living and exhibiting a brand’s experience.
Investment in education
Recognizing the need to support career development, entry level programs including apprentice, intern and trainee have been established by Sedgwick to attract new talent to the industry. In 2022, the proprietary training and development program, Sedgwick University, was re-imaged for colleague personal and professional growth — it is the foundation for our culture of learning.
Colleagues can learn and grow on an ongoing basis with more than 15,000 courses on demand, as well as training specific to roles. For those who seek educational opportunities outside the organization, Sedgwick University provides tuition reimbursement for colleagues pursuing academic degrees and reimbursement for professional licensures, certifications and designations.
All Sedgwick University offerings are also available to colleagues starting from their very first day at Sedgwick. This investment will serve Sedgwick and the industry by establishing skills to support insureds and effectively adjudicate claims.
Results that matter
At this stage, leaders and participants agree that generationNext has met its learning objectives. In measuring program outcomes, scores for “relevant and beneficial to my role” and “able to apply the principles to improve my work” each placed in the high 80 percent range. Lastly, the program resulted in a 50-point improvement in concept knowledge upon completion.
Looking ahead, Sedgwick plans to continue the program and reap the benefits in terms of colleague learning and development, and the impact individual capstone projects can generate for the future.
