The founders of Yale's Organizational Development and Learning Center (ODLC), which is celebrating its fifth anniversary this year, can remember a time not long ago when training opportunities at Yale were few and far between.

"Until just a few years ago, Yale had only one small office to oversee 'training' for all University faculty and staff," says ODLC director and co-founder Laura Freebairn-Smith. "The office had only one staff member and very few resources and training opportunities came and went over the years." There was almost no coordination of training and organizational development initiatives between different departments within the University, she adds.

The idea of creating a more centralized and influential center for organizational learning took shape after a benchmark study found that Yale's training programs were not on par with those at four Ivy League schools and two for-profit organizations. The study was conceived by Freebairn-Smith; Peter Vallone, then associate vice president of human resources (now retired); and former Yale Provost Alison Richard. The three -- with support from then-trustee John Pepper, now vice president for finance and administration -- met with University administrators to propose the creation of the ODLC.

Today, the Learning Center is housed in offices and classrooms at 221 Whitney Ave. It boasts a staff of 14 employees, as well as interns and several visiting instructors, who work to carry out its mission of making Yale "a civil, effective and innovative place in which to teach, learn and work."

One of the striking examples of the progress that has been made over the past five years, says Freebairn-Smith, is the improvement in the New Employee Orientation Program, one of the center's most popular offerings. Once the main focus of the program was on the benefits available to Yale employees; now the New Employee Orientation consists of a day-long series of sessions covering Yale's history and organizational structure, issues and initiatives that are important to new and current employees. It also includes a bus tour of Yale and Greater New Haven, a walking tour of Central Campus, and lunch at a local New Haven restaurant. As of September 2003, about 3,000 employees had participated in the New Employee Orientation.

The ODLC also offers a wide array of courses. These include workshops in most major computer programs, workplace communication and conflict management classes, and career development programs, such as interviewing skills and resume writing. An especially popular group of courses is the WorkLife series, which helps employees "juggle the demands of work and personal life," says Freebairn-Smith. By attending classes such as "RECHARGE! A Realistic Approach to Work-Life Balance," "Kindergarten Readiness" and "College Admissions: How to get started on the process," faculty and staff can learn how to better take care of themselves and their families, thus improving their performance and well-being both at work and at home, she notes.

Employees who attend courses at the Learning Center consistently give rave reviews, says Freebairn-Smith, noting that all classes and programs have satisfaction ratings of 5 or higher on a scale of 1 to 6. One participant in the Employee Performance and Development series said, "This is the best all-day class I've ever attended. I recommend making workshops like this mandatory for professional development."

Maureen Cunningham, academic administrator in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, has taken courses at the Learning Center ranging from "technical and programmatic skills to better understand employee development and office management" to "courses like feng-shui for the inner self."

"The Learning Center has been and continues to be an invaluable University resource," she says. "The trainers' and instructors' experiences and training have illuminated the study materials and encourage development both personally and professionally."

In addition to its ever-growing list of course offerings and other opportunities, the Learning Center is currently embarking on a project to evaluate its success in making Yale a supportive place to work. The "New Conversations, New Culture" initiative is "a program to create positive change in how Yale does business and how we relate to each other every day," says Freebairn-Smith.

The centerpiece of this new endeavor is the Yale Workplace Survey, which underwent its initial testing phase in October. Staff in the Finance and Administration Department, the Yale libraries, the Office of Development, the School of Drama and Medical School Information and Technology Systems answered questions that focused on training, teamwork, benefits, communication and leadership. The ODLC plans to implement the survey University-wide in 2005, and to repeat it every two years after that.

"A workplace survey is a good way for us to measure how we're doing at being a great place to work," says Freebairn-Smith, the project leader for the survey. "It's a first for us and it should go a long way toward increasing dialogue, commitment, and a shared sense of responsibility in making Yale a better place to work."

Other sponsors of the program are Pepper and Rob Schwartz, associate vice president and chief human resources officer.

The Workplace Survey consists of 70 questions that take about 20 minutes to complete, and will be offered online through a confidential website. Towers Perrin, a consulting firm, will analyze the survey results and make suggestions to specific departments based on their findings. The departments themselves will create action plans to make improvements. These action plans will be monitored against results of future surveys to ensure that progress is being made, notes Freebairn-Smith.

Project leaders will consider the survey a success if workplace satisfaction grows each time the survey is done, the number of staff who participate grows, and more and more departments and managers use the survey results to make workplace improvements, she adds.

Information about the Learning Center, as well as complete course listings and registration, can be found at the website www.yale.edu/learningcenter. Information about the Workplace Survey and the "New Conversations, New Culture" program is available at www.yale.edu/conversations. Questions and comments about both programs can be sent to laura.freebairn-smith@yale.edu, or call (203) 432-5660.

-- By Erin McCreless

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