NATIONAL CITY BANK OPERATING GROUP?MDNM?
?FL? In 1973, the First National City Bank Operating Group (OPG) was in the process of recovering from the trauma of a radical change in management style and the organization of tasks. The changes implemented were necessary, because of chronic operating errors, slipping productivity, backlogs, and customer complaints. However, it appears that there were some weaknesses in the plan-ning and implementation of the change process, and this inevitably resulted in some lingering conflicts and problems.
Among several issues which are cause for concern, the highest priority should be given to a significant morale problem among the OPG employees. The magnitude of the changes caused a great deal of stress, and the attitude of a new group of managers was not exactly reassuring. People have been intimidated, and the inter-views suggest that they felt excluded from the change process, continue to question the decisions of the managers, and have concerns about their future job security.
Customer relations is another important issue. Problems with handling the work flow and keeping up with increasing demands were part of the motivation for the organizational change. But the change process itself led to some enormous short-term problems which did not improve customer relations. The most serious crises have been resolved, and improvements in managing the paper flow have reduced errors and backlogs, so some progress has occurred which should help minimize customer complaints. Nonetheless, the organizational changes and restructuring of tasks have created an environment in which the degree of responsiveness to customer inquiries has been reduced. This sets the stage for potential problems which could lead to a loss of some customers, and has to be considered to be a current weakness in the organization.
Another issue of some relevance is the extreme demands placed on the managers themselves....