Information
EXCHANGES
Bank notes
14
as good as the best
WHAT'S NewS Issue 7 November 1995
With five dedicated divisions and almost two-thirds of CBSers
abroad, communication is essential if we are to combine our
efforts to make the bank even better than the best. So it is
hardly surprising that internal communication was a priority
within the framework of the 'Success through partnership'
campaign. We review a number of direct actions designed to
get us all talking.
The kick-off meeting held last September
at Rabobank offices around the world was
a two-parter. The official section - with
the videos and the speeches - was intended
to generate enthusiasm for the concept of
'Success through partnership'. The party
that followed it was an ideal opportunity
for us all to let our hair down and get to
know co-workers better over dinner and a
drink.
The evening proved such a success that it
will be repeated in Rabobank operations
in all corners of the globe on December 1.
Without giving anything away about the
'official side' of the program, you can re-
ckon on videos and speeches once again
(content is still secret) informing you
about how we have done over the past
year and what is expected from us all in
the next - the party side is left to the indi-
vidual offices to celebrate in the manner
they prefer. The only order is to enjoy
yourself as you mark the first period of
what it is hoped will be an ongoing suc
cess through partnership.
SCREEN SUCCESS
In between those two 'milestones', the
bank's internal Communications work
group has come up with a number of
other ways to improve our contact with
each other. One is the now familiar (at
least to Utrecht CBSers) log-in screen
which means a great deal pops up on your
screen each time you switch on your com
puter. The criteria for selection here are
INTERNE COMMUNICATIE
^■1 Een belangrijk project van 'Zo Goed als
de Beste' was de interne communicatie. Con
crete resultaten van dit project zijn de CBB-
dag,het inlogscherm op de PC en uiteraard
What's NewS.
cooperation with either another division
and/or an international office. You are ac-
tually reading another.
WHY WHAT'S NEWS?
The bank has never been short of all kinds
of internal media. We have our own video
journal, magazines, and even a newspaper,
although this is still in the pilot stage.
What we didn't have was a medium aimed
specifically at CBSers. This is how the
concept of What's NewS emerged. The
idea behind it was to create an informative
newsletter designed to cover all five div
isions, including the international net-
work. In order to ensure the information
was topical and relevant, an editorial com-
mittee drawn from all divisions was instal-
led. Every month, co-workers from
throughout CBS meet to decide what will
go into What's NewS.
Regular readers of What's NewS will
know the concept has undergone - and is
still undergoing - changes. It began as an
eight-pager - four in English, four in
Dutch. It soon became apparent that this
was not the ideal formula and we then
switched to eight English with Dutch sum-
maries.
The reason was that the majority of the
information turned out to be relevant for
people all around the world, so it became
increasingly difficult to decide which items
were placed in which language section.
And developments didn't stop there. As
you will see from this issue, it now con-
tains 16 pages and will continue to do so
in the future.
What's NewS still has a long way to go
before it becomes a solid, informative
medium for all CBSer - the editors are
more than aware of that. By continually
discussing the concept and the content
with co-workers they hope to achieve real
communication exchanges between all
CBSers wherever they may be.
(CBS organization)
The very specific nature of the Rabobank or
ganization, in other words, its cooperative
background and the mergers between the
two national Farmers'credit cooperatives
back in 1972, has led to an equally specific
organizational structure. Let us now try and
explain in clear,concise language just how
that structure is put together.
Here goes.The first concept you have to un-
derstand is that Rabobank is not only com-
prised of, but is also 'owned' by the member
banks networked throughout the country.
Unlike the local offices of other large banks,
the member bank is not merely an outlet or
unit. Each is a semi-independent operation
and has a relatively high level of autonomy
and discretion in its dealings with cus-
tomers.
You could say that a member Rabobank
operates like an exclusively community-
oriented financial institution in the specific
location where it operates.That means it is
an integral part of the community, rather
than just a bank presence whose policy is
dictated by a central organization else-
where. Perhaps a good example of this is
the decision by one member bank, in Hoog-
vliet-Poortugaal,to get itself an ISO certifi-
cate (see page 16).
As a result of this 'ownership', member
banks define the services they require from
the central organization - not the other way
around.
This is perhaps the most vital concept we, as
the Central Banking Sector, have to under-
stand.There is a continual dialogue be
tween us and the member banks. And every
year, they send representatives to the so-
called Algemene Vergadering (General
Meeting) and it is here that major decisions
are taken - in consultation with them and
guided by them. It is for this reason that
when you see a graphic explanation of our
structure,you will always find the member
banks on top, with CBS quite a long way
down the hierarchy.
We'll look at the bodies that come in be
tween next month. Keep watching this
space...
