THE STATISTICS NETHERLANDS TRAINING ACADEMY AS AN INSTRUMENT FOR
ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE
Ellen Bastiaens-Krabbe
Statistics Netherlands
The need for a coherent training and development programme for Statistics Netherlands (SN) is
described on the basis of a framework for the new organisational changes. SN tries to meet the
need through a central training and development unit: the CBS1 Academy. In its first three years
the Academy will operate as a project, symbolising its independence of other departments and
emphasising the important function that training and development have in the development of the
whole organisation. Two examples of activities of the Academy are described in this paper. This is
followed by a list of dos and don’ts when founding a corporate Academy. The list is based on the
experiences of the past year.
INTRODUCTION
The increasing demand for knowledge, the increasing importance and influence of Europe
(e.g. Eurostat and the European Central Bank), the growing internationalisation of the economy
and the rapid developments in information and communication technology (ICT) are important
external influences on Statistics Netherlands (Statistics That Count, 2001). One example of such a
development is the speed in which Statistics Netherlands (SN) has to produce and present
statistical information to clients. Politicians, society at large, and the scientific community need
statistical information right away, or else they will start producing their own statistics. Further, SN
needs to be flexible in order to adjust rapidly to the changing demands for statistical information.
The need for specific statistical information can change almost daily. In order to keep up with
these trends SN has to transform itself from a factory of figures to a knowledge-intensive
organisation. This will lead to a transformation of most of its statistical processes. Examples of
these transformations are electronic data collection and data collection from registers (e.g., central
population administration records) instead of data collection at the primary sources. This requires
not only changes in the primary processes (development of information and production of
statistics), it also changes the support processes. Two key support processes are ICT and
operational management, which include the integration of planning and control processes as well
as human resources management (HRM) and development. Within SN it is acknowledged that
human capital is a key factor in successfully transforming the organisation. Training and
development activities are important tools for the development and distribution of knowledge in
the organisation (i.e., training as a management tool) (Mulder, Nijhof & Brinkerhoff, 1995).
DEVELOPMENT OF A CENTRAL POLICY ON TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
One of the strategic goals in the 1996-2000 SN business plan (CBS 2000, 1996) was
‘equipping SN with adequately trained and motivated employees’. In practice this did not lead to a
central policy on training and development, nor to the definition of a central vision on skill
development. Instead there were numerous ad hoc initiatives on training and development, some
good and some bad. There was no central unit to co-ordinate and organise training and
development activities within SN. The main problem with decentralised training activities is that it
is difficult to relate training activities to the strategic goals of an organisation. A second problem is
that it is difficult to gain insight into how training fits in with the personal development of an
employee. A third problem is that training and development are expensive HRM-instruments. If an
organisation cannot determine how training fits in with organisational or individual development,
it is almost impossible to determine the effectiveness of the training, let alone provide any insight
into the return on investment of the activities.
Continuing this situation would have led to several problems. First, the reorganisation and
the changes in the statistical processes have consequences for all employees. Hence, a general
upgrading in skills and knowledge is needed. It has to be determined where the skills and
knowledge are insufficient, and this has to be translated into training and development activities.
Secondly, a match between organisational goals and generic training goals is needed. Training and
development activities need to be embedded in the development of the organisation.
Central co-ordination has become the solution for SN that must give training and
development the place it deserves in developing an organisation and its employees. With this as its
leading principle the CBS1 Academy was founded. In the next section the Academy will be
described in detail. But first a short description of the central policy on training and development
will be given to help the reader put the description of the Academy in context.
DESCRIPTION OF THE CENTRAL POLICY ON TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
The central policy on training and development at SN can best be described by the
following five general statements (Krabbe, 2000a):
1. Training and development activities must at all times be embedded in a generic strategy on
human resources management and human resources development. They cannot and must not
be viewed and used as stand-alone instruments.
2. Training and development activities are deliberate interventions, focusing on learning and
applying knowledge and skills, attitudes and competencies in order to improve the functional
performance of employees, and thereby realising organisational goals. Training is primarily
viewed as a management tool.
3. Training and development activities are deliberate interventions to start a whole new
awareness process. Training and development must occupy a structural place in the
development of employees, but only if training is the solution to problems that have been
detected.
4. The organisation’s need for training and development is given top priority, as opposed to the
individual’s need for training and development.
5. Training and developmental goals can be divided into three categories:
 maintenance, focusing on consolidation of knowledge and skills in order to perform at the
required level;
 improvement, focusing on improving the performance;
 innovation, focusing on the integration of new statistical or ICT techniques in the everyday
practice of the primary processes of SN (Schramade, 1998).
DESCRIPTION OF THE CBS ACADEMY
Based on these five statements, the organisation of the project of an Academy was started
towards the end of 2000. The mission and tasks of the Academy are described in a project
proposal, as is a sketch of the project organisation itself (Krabbe, 2000b). The five general
statements on the central policy for training and development are translated into the mission
statement and tasks of the CBS Academy. Figure 1 provides an overview of the mission statement
and tasks.
Given this mission and core tasks the CBS Academy can best be described as a second
generation corporate university (Walton, 1999). The choice was made to start the Academy as a
project. After three years the project will be evaluated and a more definite structure and position
will be determined. The project team consists of two groups:
1. The development group, which is responsible for the development and implementation of
curricula in the field of ICT, statistics, methodology and generic skills and knowledge.
2. The implementation group, which is responsible for all organisational and administrative tasks
concerning training and development activities. This group also provides support and advice to
the organisation on the development of curricula for departments and individuals.
The project team is managed by a senior project manager, and operates under a steering committee
chaired by the Deputy Director General of SN. Having project status guarantees a certain level of
independence in terms of tasks and procedures, thereby giving actual meaning to the Academy as an
instrument for organisational change, operating as a linchpin combining training and development with the
general policy on human resources management and development. It is also a linchpin for innovation in
statistics, ICT and methodology. In Figure 2 the Academy is symbolised as this linchpin.
Goal
Mission
Co-ordinating the implementation of the training and
development policy to match the strategic goals of SN
The Academy is:
A positive but critical instrument for the professionalisation of SN
management and employees
Partly responsible for stimulating the new culture
Core tasks
Development
of policy on
training and
development
in statistics,
ICT,
management
and generic
skills
Translating
Training
&Education (T
& E) policy in
coherent
training
programmes
Values and
standards
Pro-active
Result-oriented
Critical
Organising
and
facilitating
all training
activities
within SN
Profession
-alising
the task of
T&E (e.g.,
by
research
on elearning)
Teamwork
Professional
Client-oriented
Figure 1. Mission and core tasks of CBS Academy
Organisation strategy
in general
Steering committee
Policy on statistical
innovation
Project
CBS Academy
Policy on ICT
innovation
Project manager
Policy on HRM
Development group
Implementation group
Policy-making
Advises on T&E
Cultural innovation
Development of training Organisation and administration
programmes
Figure 2. The Academy as a linchpin
Two examples of the activities of the Academy will be given in the next sections. The first
example describes the development of a coherent training programme for SN employees,
integrating not only statistical and ICT knowledge but also generic skills and knowledge (attitudes
and competencies). The second example elaborates on the training programme for new employees.
EXAMPLE 1 DEVELOPMENT OF A COHERENT TRAINING FRAMEWORK
The training activities within SN used to be rather fragmented, so the need for a coherent
training framework became more pressing over the years. Such a framework must define a
complete holistic presentation of possible training and development activities for various groups
and levels (Bruining, 2000).
Figure 3 diagrams such a coherent training framework, with functional groups shown
horizontally and the functional levels vertically. The framework makes the training programmes
more transparent, as it presents an overview of minimal training and development activities needed
for each group. Furthermore, it outlines the coherence between the various functional levels and
groups. So, it presents a transparent framework for possibilities in career development, job rotation
and employability.
The realisation of the framework will require the following steps:
a. Determining the actual functional levels and groups
b. Performing job and task analyses for functions in each group
c. Formulating job descriptions and competence profiles for each function
d. Developing a coherent training programme for each function, thereby outlining training and
development activities in statistics, ICT, generic skills and management skills (if applicable).
Functional Level / Functional group
Function 1
University
Training X, Y and Z
Development
activities A, B and C
Higher vocational education
Secondary vocational education
…
Et cetera
Function 2
Function 3 Etcetera
…
…
Et cetera
Et cetera
Figure 3. Preliminary diagram of the coherent training framework
EXAMPLE 2 TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME FOR TRAINEES
SN has focussed on attracting new young employees in recent years. This group is referred
to as the trainee pool. The young university and higher vocational education graduates enter a twoyear apprenticeship, during which they follow an extensive training programme. They get to know
the organisation by working on three or four projects where they learn about the different
processes and instruments used in the production of official statistics.
The main goal of the training programme is to turn the trainees into broadly employable
professionals. In the programme a link is provided with other human resources (HR)-instruments
such as negotiating tasks, performance evaluations and career interviews. HR-managers supervise
the trainees both in their projects and in their training programmes.
The training programme for trainees consists of three types of training:
a. An introduction to Statistics Netherlands by a general three-day introduction programme
showing the organisation of SN that also includes a basic course in official statistics,
discussing all phases of the statistical process. This course is divided into one module per
phase, starting with data-collection processes and ending with the presentation of data using
STATLINE (the free electronic database accessible to anyone wanting statistical information
about The Netherlands).
b. Training focusing on the development of generic skills and attitudes. Examples are writing
skills, working and functioning as a project member, and personal effectiveness. In total this
portion of the training takes about 20 days.
c. Training focusing on the development of functional skills. There is no standard programme for
this type of training yet. The training that needs to be given will depend upon the projects a
trainee is participating in or will participate in.
In co-operation with the HR-management of the pool, the third type of training will be
further developed and elaborated soon. Three or four training development profiles will be defined
(e.g., statistician, policy-maker, manager, and ICT-specialist). Subsequently, a detailed training
programme will be developed for each profile, thereby linking it to the coherent training
framework described in the previous section. These profiles will serve several purposes. First, they
can be used as a selection instrument where the new trainees can be directed towards areas when
and where the organisation needs them the most. The second purpose can be derived from
everyday practice. Because everyday practice has demonstrated that most trainees will match
closely one of these profiles, it is better to make these profiles explicit to direct the training and
development of groups of individuals. Third, it is sometimes hard to define and provide the just-intime functional training needed for trainees. With profiles in place functional training programmes
can be organised more efficiently for training and development activities.
DOS AND DON’TS WHEN FOUNDING A CORPORATE ACADEMY
Looking back on the last twelve months, there were numerous challenges and problems.
Developing and determining a central policy on training and development is the first and by far the
easiest step. Implementing the policy is far more difficult and requires a project team well-versed
in strategic planning and implementation. At the same time the organisation has great
expectations. All employees and managers quickly found their way to the Academy.
Some dos and don’ts when organising all training and development activities from a
central point of co-ordination are:
1. Get organisational support
Organisational support, not only in words, but also in action is a must. Commitment is
needed to realise the goals. No project starts under optimal conditions, but a minimum is required
in terms of capacity to get the job done and in terms of support instruments (e.g. software and
training rooms). Without these the team faces an impossible task.
In our case the organisational support is shown by placing the Academy directly under a
steering committee chaired by the Deputy Director General. The CBS Academy is embedded high
in the organisational structure of SN. Commitment is shown by the independent position the
Academy has as a linchpin. This means an integration of training and development activities with
the organisational policy in general, and with policies on statistics, ICT, and Human Resources.
2. Modesty pays
Even a modest working plan cannot, and will not, be fully realised due to organisational
influences, changes in the team, et cetera. Making sure that priorities are well-defined and realistic
is crucial. Focus on these priorities. Start with small, well-defined, useful projects. Ask how much
commitment there is for these projects in the organisation. Trying to realise everything at once will
lead to many loose ends. It is far better and wiser to take small but successful steps.
The Academy, for instance, started small with a pilot course on personal effectiveness for
trainees. Two training centres within SN participated in the pilot, each using its own approach. It
will be a long selection process to find training that meets our goals. After extensive evaluation
with HR-managers, trainees and the training centres a definite choice will be made.
3. Be visible
Start with a communication plan. The activities of the project team must be visible for the
organisation. Lack of visibility can damage the level of commitment by the organisation, the
management and the employees.
The CBS Academy has his own Intranet site with information about the activities by the
project team and a discussion forum for answering pragmatic questions and discussing specific
issues. Before the Academy started, and even before the central policy on training and
development was formulated, a major Intranet discussion was undertaken to involve the
organisation in the Academy’s policies and to gain commitment.
4. Define tasks
Try to exclude the possibility of misunderstandings about the tasks of the project team,
both in relation to other departments (and projects) and in relation to the individual members of the
team. Within the CBS Academy each team member has a detailed job description, specifying who
is responsible for what. However, there may be quite a difference between theory and practice.
This requires constant discussion and consideration.
5. Match the needs of the organisation
It is very easy to translate the central policy into training programmes that do not really
match the needs of the organisation. If the Academy’s activities are not embedded in the
organisation, there is a risk that it will end up unsuccessful.
For each specific subject area (statistics, ICT, generic skills) the CBS Academy has an
advisory body, representing the organisation. They function as a sounding board for training and
development activities proposed by the Academy, again creating commitment.
6. Integrate with other HR-instruments
Training in itself never is the sole solution to a problem. Therefore training should always
be embedded in other HR-activities. Skills and knowledge learned in a course must be embedded
in everyday practice. For instance, combine training activities with job rotation and traineeships.
Most training programmes use cases from day-to-day practice in the course materials
illustrating the theory. The present courses in writing press releases and in general statistics do so,
as does the course for secretaries. Soon, a general training for secretaries will be organised
together with two other organisations. During the training, the students will work in one of the
participating organisations for a few weeks.
CONCLUSION
There are numerous reasons for founding a corporate academy: the need for a coherent
vision on training and education, the ability to match training and education with corporate
strategies, the ability to efficiently adapt to new developments requiring strong educational
support, and the evolution of the training and development function in an organisation
(Schramade, 2000). Before starting a corporate academy it is necessary to clearly understand why
a corporate academy is needed. The mission, goals, and core tasks of a corporate academy must be
determined on the basis of this. The corporate academy should be implemented on a step-by-step
basis. The only thing required after this is hard work, perseverance and patience.
NOTES
1. CBS is the acronym for Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek, the Dutch name for Statistics Netherlands
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