Innovating in internal team training

It is no coincidence that three technology companies have come together to lead a panel discussion on innovation; however, this R&D&I is not solely about technology, but about innovation involving people. 

Perhaps, precisely because they work with technology, these companies are more aware of the importance of people and their training. That is why, at EDUCA EDTECH Group, we have organised a round-table discussion on innovation in in-house staff training, an area that is increasingly becoming strategic for maintaining companies’ competitiveness.

The panellists include Iñaki Hidalgo, Head of People & Culture at Civica; Paola Cantaboni, Head of People & Culture at Novatech; and Viridiana López, CHRO of the EDUCA EDTECH Group. 

Welcome to a new episode of Generación EdTech, the EDUCA EDTECH Foundation’s podcast. Find out all about what we do at: https://educaedtech.foundation/ 

Transcript

I have to stay at home today but not tomorrow, but I think we’ll see a return to face-to-face meetings and some sort of training in companies that operate this way, because whatever the reasons may be, but in our case it’s: «Look, the space we’ve got is great, it’s comfortable, it’s welcoming, you’ll meet other people, and you’ll be able to have breakfast there. You’ve got all the resources you need for whatever you’re doing, a comfortable space so that it’s up to you to decide whether to come into the office.» And in a way, Mondays are trickier, but as the week goes on, it’s true that it’s happening. We’re starting to see people – both men and women – asking: «Hey, let’s find a space where we want to be and can socialise.» And it’s interesting, isn’t it? You guys anticipated this trend of wanting to see each other again. I think it’s about unlearning what we’ve learnt during the pandemic. We’re noticing that we have people all over Spain, just like them, and we only have the office in Granada, but people want to get together again.

So, for example, in the leadership training we’ve run an experiment: a ‘fun budget’ so that, when they’re here for training sessions or the usual summer or winter parties, they can use that budget to do other things together, like going for a game of skittles, or the other day they went to the axe-throwing place. I said, ‘That axe-throwing thing is a bit dangerous.’ ‘What’s axe-throwing?’ It’s a bar, a pub, where you can throw axes, basically. Don’t tell the health and safety officer about that – we haven’t mentioned it; it’s strictly off-duty. But ultimately, it’s one thing if you chat on Teams or Google, but the desire or need for interaction with another department is different. But as soon as you have a beer together or organise an event, you start to see the person as a human being.

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Villena, if you’d like to comment…

—Absolutely. What’s more, it’s very much in line with that. It’s true that we’ve introduced all these activities that are almost like «pushing» people, but it’s not really pushing because, at the end of the day, they love this space where they can let their hair down a bit and relax. We came up with our «Friday» initiative, where you come in and start getting to know who you are on a personal level, and begin to empathise with other people and other departments. What’s more, there’s always that typical inter-departmental friction, but once you get to know someone and talk to them in a different context, everything works itself out in the end.

So, there’s also this tendency to bring in the human element – the part of socialising that can’t be taken away from us – and take it to that level. The truth is, it’s difficult; the answer is complicated. Yes, but anyway, ultimately I think common sense should prevail in this case, and that’s something we know a lot about. We try to emphasise this a great deal in Civics lessons in this context too. In other words, as the saying goes: «The virtue of asking is in knowing how to give», or «The virtue of asking lies in knowing how to give». Well, we’re talking about a lot of things here – a wide range of training and knowledge.

And please, let’s not lose any customers. That’s where common sense comes in. The day a Russian, Swedish, American or Belgian customer walks through the door, you’ll be the first to sign up for the training so you can provide the necessary support. So, where are the limits? Well, you’ve got to use a bit of common sense. And that’s where we try to explain: «Look, I’m sure you’ll get what you’re asking for, but right now we have to prioritise a few other things.» It’s a joy to see a proactive person – someone who’s also a real asset to the company – who wants to grow because they’re contributing in this way.

Obviously, when we’re conducting the interview, we tell them: «Look, you’ve got this hour of training, OK? It’s work-related.» Because if they ask for Japanese cooking, the answer might well be «no». That doesn’t mean we might not organise a Japanese cooking workshop as a team-building exercise, but…

The results are a bit… the progress is a bit… it doesn’t quite match what you’re saying. Of course, there has to be a strategy. And at Viridiana, with 800 of us, the strategy has to be very clear, doesn’t it?

—Yes, well, the strategy… and, well, that’s what I was sort of saying at the start. We have a very clear direction, a very clear plan, but we have to adapt that plan quite a lot because a lot happens over the course of a year. And now a client or a specific project comes along that requires a different kind of training, even though that wasn’t what they’d specifically asked for to begin with. And then it also has a lot to do with how involved the staff are in the process, because it’s true that there’s a bit of everything: there are people who ask for a lot, but then don’t get involved to the extent that would be ideal for it to benefit them in their professional and personal lives.

Finally, we do have a track record, but the employer might actually be a bit at a loss. That’s where internal communication is crucial – knowing how to explain all this. Exactly. In fact, as we were saying earlier, when you first join Cívica, you and your practice leader come up with ideas for that «career path» – the trajectory you’ll follow at Cívica during your time here. From there, it’s true that on your first day you’re presented with 40,000 things, 40,000 pieces of information, and training content organised by topic – all of which is available to you.

Indeed, internal communication and focused communication sessions help to remind people that this is available here and that they can continue to use it. Practice leaders do the same in their meetings with teams: «Hey, I can see we’ve got some documentation here that you haven’t looked at yet.» You have to be persistent, exactly. It’s the reminder; it’s the best way to try… we have an intranet and a monthly newsletter. The newsletter sent out by marketing lists everyone’s birthdays, what’s been achieved, new recruits, open vacancies… and we throw in a little nudge. For example, in the latest newsletter we say: «Let’s see if people scroll all the way to the bottom», and we include «pizza taster» amongst the job vacancies. Let’s see if people get that far.

Or the intranet – which is very difficult for someone who is a «people lead» – they have a weekly coffee break where they bring up new things, and the «people leads» say to them: «Hey, there’s this new development, are you aware of it?» and they can discuss it, they can ask questions; the aim is to encourage very open communication. And anyone who asks you can be directed to where they can find the information, or you can give them the information straight away. It’s essential. Iñi mentioned a tool you have of your own; I think it’s really interesting. Here at home, too, we’re looking at how to keep communicating and ultimately reach our target audience, which is the staff.

We’re shaping it, running it past loads of people from the marketing, communications and HR teams, to make sure the message says what it needs to say and does so in a way that’s engaging enough for people to read it. And finally, Edys – this tool that helps us convey the information… well, I’d say Edys, but I could also mention this network of mentors, because people often get lost amongst all the things they have to do. You don’t know where it is, then you can’t remember how to access this tool, and ultimately the mentors are providing that guidance so that people can find their way, because very often the success of new recruits depends heavily on this support.

Because someone who’s really good at what they do – if they don’t know to speak up when they have a doubt and just let it slide… we’re particularly proud of this story. I think the knowledge-sharing sessions I organised at the start have been a success for many reasons and have gone down really well. It’s true that they’re held late on Fridays, just before the weekend begins, which helps too. That helps too – just before the three o’clock beer – but I think it’s a space where those who’ve signed up for these sessions… it’s very difficult to speak to someone, even if they’re a colleague giving a talk, who isn’t a boss, who isn’t the CEO, who isn’t one of the directors. So, you feel much more connected to that person as well, and I think it’s helped a lot with… well, not just talking about technology, but about other topics as well.

That’s great – in our case, you’ve mentioned the «happiness lab». I’d say that about a year ago we started creating a «happiness calendar», Niconico. It’s partly inspired by holidays and Christmas – they put a red Santa Claus on there – and the day hasn’t gone well. And we have a team called the ‘Feel Good’ team, which consists of two developers – myself included – but they dedicate part of their time to helping people feel a bit more at ease: ‘Hey, maybe there are things I don’t want to talk to my people lead about, whatever they may be.’.

So, looking at the calendar, you might say: «Hey, this person’s been in the yellow or light orange category for a few weeks now; let’s see if we can have a chat with their people lead, with the «Feel Good» team, to see if there’s anything we can do for them.» We’ve seen a few cases where things have started to move forward a bit. It’s been tricky, because it’s not like being in the office and not knowing if someone’s turned up. It’s a bit of a mix, isn’t it? We mustn’t forget that. Then, speaking of motivation – motivation beyond the technological aspect – we’ve also launched a Friday session called «Friday Free», where anyone can talk about whatever they like, as long as it’s of value to someone else in the company.

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