For many senior living executives, organizational culture is a source of pride and one of the keys to success.
But culture is fragile. In fact, we often hear leaders say they hesitate to consider strategic partnerships with service providers because they fear the impact on organizational culture. But a struggling dining program can have as big an impact on organizational culture as a misaligned strategic partnership.
The good news is that you can leverage the expertise and substantial resources of a dining management company and partner with a provider that is committed to supporting your organizational culture. NEXDINE integrates seamlessly to align with your culture while delivering the exceptional dining experience your residents and employees expect.
Why Cultural Alignment is Important
It has been said that culture happens by design or default. That’s a tough lesson for leaders who haven’t prioritized organizational culture and find themselves facing the monumental task of fixing a dysfunctional or toxic culture. But for the many strong and capable leaders who do prioritize organizational culture and recognize its value – not only to the success of the organization but also to the lives of employees and residents – maintaining and protecting that work is a primary concern.
When leadership is clear about values and culture, and the people in the organization understand what is expected and why it matters, your people will love and value their work. The result is transformational for the resident experience. Therefore, it is perfectly reasonable to ask how outsourcing some functions or services to a third party might impact culture. The answer, of course, is: It depends.
Why NEXDINE Prioritizes Cultural Alignment
Most mission-driven senior living and aging services providers are not global mega-corporations. (In fact, it’s probably safe to say that none are.) Shareholder-driven organizations necessarily have different priorities from mission-driven organizations. So, it is not surprising that cultural alignment can be problematic when a mission-driven organization hires a shareholder-driven organization to manage critical operations, like dining or facilities services.
NEXDINE Hospitality is privately held and continues to be led by its founder, David Lanci. David worked for other contract foodservice companies in the past and was driven to create something different. He understands the frustrations of dining and hospitality professionals who work in organizations where culture happens by default, not design, and who struggle within their organizations to get the support they require to successfully serve a client. He has made it his mission to create something different.
The philosophy behind NEXDINE’s organizational culture is simple. We value our people. We provide them with the support and the resources they need to take care of each client. And as David likes to say, we take care of our people so they can take care of our clients, and then everything else will take care of itself.
In other words, the NEXDINE colleagues who work on behalf of any of the communities that we serve are empowered to deliver an experience that uniquely aligns with and maximizes value for each client, rather than the demands and expectations of corporate shareholders. And if our clients love us, we know the company will be successful. That’s why we prioritize cultural alignment. That’s why we consistently attract the best talent in the industry. And that’s why NEXDINE is expanding so rapidly in senior living and aging services.
What Your Residents Experience
If you haven’t outsourced dining management in the past, NEXDINE’s commitment to cultural alignment means that those values that attracted residents to your community in the first place won’t change. What will change is that all the behind-the-scenes resources that NEXDINE brings to each community will ensure a more consistent and consistently higher-quality experience.
We work closely with you to address all the areas in which your vision is strong, but your ability to execute consistently and effectively falls short. And then we leverage our expertise, resources, scale, and extensive industry experience to support and strengthen your brand with innovative ideas, sophisticated dietary and culinary programs, and a team that is energized, fully supported, and committed to providing the most responsive and caring service.
But if you currently outsource to a provider that does not prioritize cultural alignment, your residents’ experience with NEXDINE will be a refreshing change. The characteristics and values your brand represents will be restored to the dining program. Corporate-generated cycle menus will be replaced with custom menus that prioritize local, seasonal, and signature flavors and experiences. And our on-site team, regional management, and clinical and dietary support will be aligned with your resident experience priorities. We will collaborate with all your departments to ensure a seamless, engaging, and deeply satisfying experience.
What You Experience
If you’ve struggled to maintain a consistent and consistently high-quality dining program, either because you don’t have access to the resources, infrastructure, or people you need, or because your dining partner is not aligned to deliver the brand experience you envision, your experience with NEXDINE will be transformational.
With more time, less worry, and a strategic partner committed to your success, you are freed from responding to crises, and you can return to the strategic leadership that makes your community unique and successful. Your dining team is supported to be their best for you every day and incented to embody the values of your brand and organizational culture. And collaboration between dining and other departments will improve to deliver a more seamless and impactful brand experience. Plus, morale improves, both within the dining team and in departments that collaborate with the dining team.
Ensuring Accountability
In most organizations, the culture values accountability, and at NEXDINE, it’s no different. We hold our colleagues accountable for meeting their commitments, and we hold ourselves accountable for meeting your expectations.
When you partner with NEXDINE, you have access to real-time operational and financial metrics from our cloud-based systems. You also have real-time insight into resident feedback and NEXDINE follow-up actions. And we hold ourselves accountable by offering performance-based compensation models that put our management fee at risk based on meeting or exceeding mutually agreed key performance indicators and performance metrics.
Supercharge Your Organizational Culture
If you’re ready to learn more about how NEXDINE Hospitality can transform the dining experience within your community while supercharging your organizational culture and positioning your community for success, contact NEXDINE today.