Innovation in banking: the need
In the Bank's ongoing process of redefinition towards the “bank as a platform” paradigm, the Managers who meet business clients every day were actively involved.
The project made it possible to overcome the risk of innovation staying confined to a lab disconnected from the real context, or to an inspirational workshop: interesting ideas never tested with clients, and people going back to business as usual.
Positioning oneself as an innovation partner requires, instead, a shared approach, built with those who will use it and consistent with the bank's culture.
For HR the question becomes: how can a team of managers develop a more innovative and entrepreneurial mindset, producing concrete results for the bank and its clients, and not just new knowledge?
How we worked: Design Thinking and Agile on-field
For the managers of the Business Clients area of an Italian bank we designed an on-field acceleration programme, with Design Thinking and Agile and the support of Base 9 mentors. These are the advantages of how it is built:
- Real challenges, not exercises. The starting point is challenges defined together with the managers in charge and with HR. What gets applied is the result of the participants' own work: engagement stays high and learning transfers straight into work, in line with the principles of action learning.
- A team, not a sum of individuals. The programme creates synergy between managers working in different territories and consolidates ways of collaborating that continue in day-to-day work.
- Training and work together. A blended programme — digital content, in-person workshops, online acceleration sessions — limits classroom time and provides continuous feedback from mentors and colleagues.
- Less risk, more value. Ideas are prototyped and validated with real clients, with success metrics defined in advance: the course is corrected before investing, not after.
- Proposals that leverage the bank's ecosystem. Each proposal identifies the internal resources that can support the client's innovation, for a sales strategy consistent with the “bank as a platform” model.
- A finale that connects to the business. The solutions tested are presented to the bank's top management, linking the work of the programme to the organisation's priorities and encouraging their adoption.
The results of innovation in banking
- A cohesive team, with a more innovative and entrepreneurial mindset.
- 8 innovative, validated proposals, for internal projects and client services.
- 2 projects implemented.