Case Study: Adaptability Insurance With The Co-operators
Who They Are:
The Co-operators is a leading Canadian insurance provider with over 47 billion dollars of assets and over 6,200 employees.
We were approached by Nicole (Learning Consultant) and Melissa (Manager of Underwriter Operations) in late 2020. They were initially interested in having us support their Underwriting Leaders (VPs, managers, trainers). After impressive preliminary results, they requested we rollout a similar program to 100+ underwriters.
Why They Called:
The role of an underwriter is no longer box-checking and doing what the system says. With that automated, what's left are complex problems that require adaptability, critical-thinking and strong communication skills.
Nicole and Melissa were looking for ways to shift the team’s mindset from “the doberman to the doorman.” In other words, teams were accustomed to holding guard and defending from risk, but now, doing good work means inviting others in to collaborate, something their teams were unaccustomed to.
What We Did:
Two 2-hour sessions with groups of 20 via Zoom. We moved through a series of interactive activities in small groups and as a whole focused on flexing mental muscles that can increase tolerance for uncertainty and change.
What They Said:
Many people on the team were nervous before the session. But after the sessions organizers said:
“The data tells me the group is more ready for meta-skills training experiences than I thought. Our team was wary coming into it but you could see the light bulb go off. People were like: Oh! I can really use this at work!”
In fact, every participant reported having fun. And the data shows that people left feeling more connected.
100% of 39 participants reported having fun
We asked the group: Is it clear to you how this type of training can benefit you at work? (1 = least, 5 = most). Average answer following the session was 4.42 / 5 (an increase of 35% from session outset)
Participants reported an increase in both mood and team connection following the session
What Happened as a Result:
The impact showcased here led to a roll out to over 100 underwriters across Canada. This expanded program, called Agents of Adaptability also included a session en français.
Nicole and Melissa also started including The Making-Box’s free online Introduction To Applied Improvisation lunch-and-learn session in a list of internal learning resources. Since then more than 40 Co-operators staff have joined.
What WE LEARNED:
The term “meta-skills” — we’ve been teaching them for years, we just didn’t have that word for it.
A less senior staff member felt comfortable enough in their session to talk about “drunks in Russia” with their Vice President.