Organizational Change in Umpqua Bank - Case Study Example

Customer service had to feel like it was being done the same as before. The new culture of efficiency was difficult to maintain because it was so different than anyone and never worked before. There were even major changes with positions that needed to happen. When Davis discussed the changes that needed to be made with this staff, he found that there was not enough power in the positions that were directly related to customer service and would be difficult to maintain a culture and in those circumstances.

In this case, Davis used many things to make sure that the culture stayed on track. As Davis said," our people are required to walk the walk and talk the talk." In order to assure that this is what happens daily motivational moments were established in the store. These included things like tossing balloons, having 2 min, sharing interests, or having treats. It was meant to bring the staff together and continue keeping the morale of the employees up. Incentive pay was provided for staff directly related to customer service.

There were different levels of incentive paid which of course incentivize those who were moderate workers to become stronger and to understand the culture better. The empowerment that was given to the employees helps maintain the culture itself. Everyone assumed a little more power than they had before, including those that worked in the back." Our culture is our greatest asset but also the greatest risk. As we grow the culture gets stretched." This statement was made by Davis and helps us understand why the culture was difficult to maintain.

He actually made a vice president position related to cultural enhancement in order to ensure that the culture was maintained. Any Internet within the Corporation was put together to allow better information for the employees throughout the Corporation.Future Challenges Future challenges definitely include the expansions that Umpqua Bank has had to make. The Perl was not only beautiful and functional but expensive. Not every bank that was brought into the fold could afford to do that kind of expansion.

How do you add a bank, maintain the culture, and have fewer dollars for the building? Many of the banks that were purchased already had high numbers of customers which meant they had to figure out how to fit the customers into the new culture as well. This was done by taking a long look at what was then that the Perl, attempting to replace that, by using less expensive materials. It worked. This culture is very tightly run, meaning that there are many employee meetings, a lot of employee buy-in, and a large amount of information flowing between the Corporation and the local store.

As Umpqua gets larger, it will become more and more difficult to maintain this kind of communication. It will also be more and more difficult to maintain the beauty of the stores. Remembering that this is a local bank, or the culture of a local bank, the larger the corporation gets the less likely it is to feel that way. There is also the possibility that his Umpqua Bank expands into more and more small communities, some of those people that would-be customers will be intimidated by the buildings themselves.