A regional bank, owned by a leading Swedish bank, and that previously generated the most satisfied customers and the highest profitability, experienced a dramatically increased competition.
A number of measures were conducted in order to manage this competition, where one was to develop the organization’s culture in a purposeful manner, as a means to increase customer-focus in its daily operations.
The senior management team of the bank asked Momentus to help them to conduct this initiative. This started with a joint formulation of the operational effects that were desired the executive team. These were summarized in terms of two key objectives:
(i) Increase customers’ perception that the bank fulfills their needs and expectations.
(ii) Increase the operational pro-activity within the bank’s processes, with regard to the customer interactions and relations.
Given the formulated key objectives, and some other conditions, a change program was designed, constituted by two key projects, which focused on the development of the managers with the bank.
One of the projects focused 10 of senior and very experienced directors while the other project included 40 of younger managers within the bank. In both cases, the developmental effort included a close dialogue with the managers followed by their education and training. The work was situation-based, with exercises including concrete working situations followed with reflections and evaluations. These concrete situations were taken form the bank’s actual operations, including both ordinary and extra ordinary cases, with their challenges and alternative means of management.
The managers were equipped with conceptual tools to diagnose their own operations and with concrete tools to develop these operations in the desired direction. They are now busy with utilizing their new capability with the aim to develop the organization’s culture.
The following are some comments received from the participants in this developmental program:
"The most beneficial developmental initiative during my entire career."
"Gave me both an insight and improved my capability."
"I am proud to have participated and contributed to this program."
"I have really acquired a better image of myself."
"Now I know what I want and what I must do in order to succeed!"
In this assignment, Momentus contributed with practical experience and its methodological arsenal to link together the culture of the organization with its business objectives, and to do this by equipping that organization with a capability to conduct this development by them selves, in a naturally integrated and continuous manner, rather than an en externally imposed measure..
