In the late 1980s and early 1990s, no baseball team won as much as the Oakland A's. Their roster was headlined by superstars such as Rickey Henderson, Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco and Dennis Eckersley, and they played in three consecutive World Series.
The A's also led the league in player salaries. But in the mid-90s, that changed.
A new ownership group took over in 1995 and slashed payroll. The superstars all left, leaving the team's leadership with some tough choices:
"What will we do without X?" and "How can we compete?"
As big banks spend millions on customer-facing computing software, gobble up online customers and continue to shift customer expectations, many credit union execs may feel the same way when considering their software options.
When your organization finds itself falling short of those expectations, and some of the old ways are outmoded, what course will you set? Will you make a like-for-like replacement, aiming to do the same things you have always done with a new employee, process or tool?
Or will you use this moment to add capabilities: an employee who could redefine the open position, a process that increases customer service, or a system that improves revenue and efficiency?
The latter approach is harder — but it's usually worth it. When it comes to software and systems — our specialty — here are a few reasons why:
Selective, smart design can make you competitive – without having to spend like a big bank.
Your organization's response in a moment like this can make a huge difference. What will you do?
If you read "Moneyball" — or saw it in theaters – you know what the Oakland A's did. Instead of replacing their high-dollar roster, they looked at their goals and redesigned the team based on a smart combination of individual capabilities, rather than star-power. The A's became the first team to use extensive data in making personnel decisions.
That's how many winning teams are built to this day.
How you choose to adapt to succeed in today's market challenges may not inspire a movie that stars Brad Pitt — but if you seize the opportunity to build a system that provides real value you will almost certainly move forward. In business, that's a victory.
Originally published on CUInsight.com
The A's also led the league in player salaries. But in the mid-90s, that changed.
A new ownership group took over in 1995 and slashed payroll. The superstars all left, leaving the team's leadership with some tough choices:
"What will we do without X?" and "How can we compete?"
As big banks spend millions on customer-facing computing software, gobble up online customers and continue to shift customer expectations, many credit union execs may feel the same way when considering their software options.
When your organization finds itself falling short of those expectations, and some of the old ways are outmoded, what course will you set? Will you make a like-for-like replacement, aiming to do the same things you have always done with a new employee, process or tool?
Or will you use this moment to add capabilities: an employee who could redefine the open position, a process that increases customer service, or a system that improves revenue and efficiency?
The latter approach is harder — but it's usually worth it. When it comes to software and systems — our specialty — here are a few reasons why:
- Upgrading systems can improve your entire organization and boost morale company-wide.
- Improving efficiencies as well as revenue-generating systems can make the upgrade pay for itself quickly.
- System upgrades customized to your organization can be designed to grow with your organization. Iterative, market-sensitive future upgrades become a real possibility, keeping your organization on top of trends instead of playing catch up.
Selective, smart design can make you competitive – without having to spend like a big bank.
Your organization's response in a moment like this can make a huge difference. What will you do?
If you read "Moneyball" — or saw it in theaters – you know what the Oakland A's did. Instead of replacing their high-dollar roster, they looked at their goals and redesigned the team based on a smart combination of individual capabilities, rather than star-power. The A's became the first team to use extensive data in making personnel decisions.
That's how many winning teams are built to this day.
How you choose to adapt to succeed in today's market challenges may not inspire a movie that stars Brad Pitt — but if you seize the opportunity to build a system that provides real value you will almost certainly move forward. In business, that's a victory.
Originally published on CUInsight.com
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