MEECO DESIGNATION REPORT 2017: MD ANDERSON III Issue May 18, 2017 | Page 3

SECTION TWO
Evaluator Comments

The members of the Evaluation Committee were asked to comment on the Criteria where
they felt MD Anderson was doing better relative to the other criteria. What follows are their
comments themed by criteria.

COACHING CULTURE (An average score of 24.2 out of a possible 25) – All five members
of the Evaluation Committee commented on the Culture/Coach Branding:
My highest score was on MD Anderson's coaching brand. I think they have taken a very thoughtful and
thorough approach to coaching.

As I would expect in the devotion of employees engaged in the important work or eradicating cancer,
servant Leadership is clearly woven into the fabric of The MD Anderson Cancer Center. This rater
thought this was well branded in the pyramid graphic that depicts MD Anderson’s Strategic Focus
areas. The graphic ‘coaching as a systematic strategic advantage’ is a crisp summary of the ecosystem.
This rater assumes that managers have access to information about how this ecosystem work on an
online dashboard. As evaluators, we look for ways the center broadcasts this expectation to all
employees. I was pleased to see that ‘coach and develop’ is part of the Anderson’s leadership 360° that
is standard across the center. I think this also represents double loop learning across the center
because people are measured on how well they coach and then to debrief the 360° they are using
coaching skills and feedback to reinforce the culture of coaching. While this is fairly standard across
companies today, it is remarkable in the medical community where not everyone is an employee of the
hospital, specialists tend to be siloed, and there has often been a traditional hierarchical division
among nursing staff, physicians, administrators, and other employees. All are critical and enlightened
organizations are finding new ways to break down the walls of hierarchy to have everyone working
better as a team and coaching upward, laterally, downward in a way that supports the mission.

Demonstrates an Existing Culture of Coaching: Provided great context and background for value of
coaching and how it aligns with the culture, talent strategy, and how it serves leaders during times of
change/transition. Excellent description of the roles for coaches and how it ties to corporate values.
Outstanding description of overall leadership model/competency framework and the specific
expectations for leaders.

I had no idea MD Anderson places such an emphasis on a coaching culture. They are a model for all
Category IV institutions. In every category, they are outstanding.

Robert Parker, the world's most famous wine critic, will on rare occasion assign a wine a perfect score
of 100 points; MD Anderson is my 100-point coaching organization. In every category, and in every
aspect and facet of their program, the scope, breadth and depth of their endeavor is truly exceptional.
The principles underlying the program are reflective of more than just a program, but rather a true

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