Frog Fact... A frog’s call is unique and can be heard up to a mile away
Did you know that a frog’s call can identify its species? Not only this, but did you know that individual frogs have unique voices, and even regional dialects?
For some frogs, their unique call can be heard a mile away.
Any frog will tell you (albeit in a series of unintelligible croaks) that the ability to be able to project your voice across a vast territory is crucial for survival. For our amphibious friends, this comes down to the usual squabbles around territoriality and securing a mate. But for professionals with an interest in training (and a warped imagination) there is a definite link, here, to the human realm and the world of organisational culture.
Many of us have experienced how organisational growth impacts on the culture of an organisation and there is no doubt that the smaller you are, the easier it is to foster a strong, vibrant, coherent culture. In start-ups, with low headcounts, it is far simpler. A small group can be enthusiastic and full of energy. In many ways that energy, that enthusiasm, is the culture of the organisation. In such a culture, everyone understands their importance in the organisation’s mission; and have a sense of the impact they are having.
At this stage of its growth, an organisation doesn’t have to work too hard to maintain a healthy staff culture. To compare it to our little frog, the pond here is small and there is no need to croak too loudly. Infact, at this stage, a relaxed culture of informal chirps and ribbits keeps the organisation alive.
In these early days, the staff know each other, they work together. The organisation’s culture lives and breathes amongst its people. Moreover, an organisation is more transparent when there are fewer staff. In smaller organisations, we can see what everyone is doing, and determine how they are doing. We are close enough to know when a colleague needs support (personal or professional) and can put basic processes in place to make sure all are safe and compliant. This means that we can support the wellbeing and personal development of our team, while making any necessary adjustments.
For a small organisation, a healthy company and happy staff, proficient through a culture of transparency and ongoing development and support, is relatively easy to maintain.
But as the organisation grows…
The frog needs to equip itself to croak more and more loudly. And it’s not just about being loud. Just as our intrepid frog broadcasts its individuality far and wide, so your organisation must get its personality out – its culture, and its brand – so it is reflected in the attitudes and behaviour of your most hard-to-reach members.
This was a particular issue with Wessex Water, when they implemented their LMS. With more than 4000 staff spread across a wide geographical area, the L&D team had huge challenges in delivering essential staff training.
As a utilities company with so many engineers in the field, training was not optional; yet the costs and logistics involved in bringing the engineers together for training were not sustainable.
In this case, Wessex Water used their LMS as a route to provide training for staff. The LMS allowed them to croak loudly and get their message out. Importantly, it also gave them the means to croak out training that was tailored to the exact needs and circumstances of their engineers. It was like taking the agility of a small organisation and amplifying it.
A similar use of an LMS for delivering training was used by Civica, who were keen to ensure a consistent organisational culture, across a global staff population of nearly 5000 people.
With offices across the world, maintaining a core people culture was a challenge Civica was determined to overcome. Starting with the Sales functions, the L&D team at Civica used their digital platform to train global Sales staff on how to sell “the Civica way”. The success of this initiative paved the way for culture-based training across all teams and departments.
It isn’t just about permanent staff, either. Temporary staff and volunteers are just as important in the success of many organisations. Ensuring that these people are versed in both their role and the culture of the organisation they represent impacts on that organisation’s overall success and longevity. Civica Xpress is used by polling stations across the UK to deliver democracy through volunteers, and keeping these workers properly trained has constitutional significance! This works at a national scale and the frog that is Civica Xpress’s training team needs to croak its unique voice extremely loudly, to help oil the wheels of British democracy.
These – and many other similar examples – demonstrate how important it is to be strategic in delivering staff training across large working populations. It truly does impact on the survival of an organisation. Staff wellbeing, competency, professionalism, behaviour and attitude all contribute to overall success. For larger organisations – those no longer ribbiting in a small pond - online platforms are a great support for the delivery of efficient training and to track organisational health through its people and processes.
Having an online mechanism that not only delivers training, but allows tailored training to reflect organisational culture, not only supports growth - it ensures survival.
Get your message out there to ensure survival - just like our Frog.
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