The Scorpion and the Frog

There was a scorpion that happened onto a river on his journey home. Being a scorpion, he couldn’t swim across the river so he needed help. The scorpion spotted a frog sitting on the edge of the river. He approached the frog and asked him to let him climb on the frogs’ back and ride across the river. “I can’t do that,” said the frog. “You are a scorpion! You will sting me!” “I won’t sting you, “said the scorpion. “If I did, I would only be hurting myself because if you drown, so do I!” The frog thought it over and finally agreed. The scorpion climbed onto the frog's back and they started across the river. Halfway across, the frog felt a painful sensation in his back. The scorpion had stung him! “I can’t believe you did that,” said the frog. “Why?” Why did you do it?" asked the frog going down for the last time. “Because I am a scorpion,” he replied, “and that’s what scorpions do.”

What is the moral of this story? You must accept the fact that your corporate culture is a real entity, not just a buzzword. The definitions given above can be cold and well, “dictionary-like.” Once you have accepted the fact that your corporate culture is a living, breathing thing, then and only then can you initialize true change in your organization. You must realize that your culture has a heart and a head and that you must deal with both. The scorpion in this story is your current culture. Your warning is that you do not claim victory with your service culture change initiative too early. On the outside, the scorpion convinced the frog (management in this scenario) that he was all for change and would not practice old habits. But the further across the river (culture change) the frog and scorpion got, the harder it was for the scorpion to accept this “head” decision and he started to follow his heart and stung the frog.

You will get stung continually unless you accept the fact that true culture change is much deeper than a few rules and policy changes. That it goes so much further than dressing casual and calling everyone by his or her first names. You must get to the heart of the culture and change its identity.