Transforming TSB Group (D): The Second Wave (1992-1995)

After leading a successful rationalisation effort peter Ellwood, now Chief Executive of TSB's Retail Banking and Insurance unit, moved to the second phase of the bank's transformation process. Following two years of intense downsizing, this second phase (1992-1995) aimed at generating more sustainable sources of continued profit growth. Ellwood placed less emphasis on developing a "grand vision" than on successfully implementing a few simple principles: excellent customer service grounded in flawless execution, continued cost savings due to improved management of key processes, and revenue generation through cross-selling and successful integration of TSB's banking and insurance operations. The case describes the company's initiatives on these fronts and their impact on customer satisfaction and employee morale.

This case is the last of a four-part series examining various aspects of TSB Group's transformation between 1989 and 1995. It can be used at two levels: At a"global level", as an example of an organization trying to move to a"revitalisation" phase after undergoing a successful"restructuring". At a more specific level, the case discusses the bank's experience with the introduction of a quality improvement programme and the continuation of its process management efforts. On this latter subject, the case illustrates how managers ended up identifying three levels of processes, and organized theses processes into a three-dimensional "rubik's cube" that had a profound impact on the way they thought of the bank's activities. The case can be used on its own, or in combination with the (A) case (which provides more background on the company and the industry), the (B) case (which describes the 1989-1991 process-based rationalisation), and/or the (C) case, which focuses more specifically on the role and management of dedicated teams of full time change agents.