FITCHBURG, Mass. – Business leaders know their enterprises thrive on efficiency and productivity. But learning to capitalize on those goals for maximum returns – well, that's another challenge altogether.
A need for greater efficiency led $1.2 billion Workers' Credit Union to tap into Connections Online, a cloud-based management software program from consulting firm Cardwell Leadership, based in Westlake, Ohio. The ability to create a balanced scorecard that enabled management-level staff to work more effectively as a team in accomplishing organizational goals and objectives provided definite advantages for the credit union, according Doug Petersen, WCU's president and CEO.
"We needed a system everybody could access that allowed all of us to be on the same bus and work toward the same goals," Petersen said. "Connections Online really fit those needs."
The program is designed to help enterprises like WCU increase productivity by centralizing goals and objectives so that critical staff members have access to the same set of data, consultant Jim Cardwell explained. Working from a uniform data set helps staff function more effectively as a team in accomplishing overall institutional goals.
"Doug Petersen wanted to build the team of the future," Cardwell said. "He was looking for a cross-functional shared focus that would help him create a high-performance credit union culture that focused on teamwork, accountability, better service to external clients and ongoing learning."
The software program provided a platform that enabled all staff to see and understand the credit unions' goals in serving its 85,000 members, according to Petersen. Both the clarity and transparency of the program promote a greater understanding of credit union objectives and encourages more effective staff participation by breaking down the proverbial "silos" of self-interest that can plague even the most effective organizations.
The program also measured progress on both an organizational and departmental basis, allowing managers to track their efforts in ways meaningful to overall credit union goals. The shared focus and consistent process have dramatically increased teamwork and productivity, he added.
"As a result, all managers will be better able to focus on their job function, as well as the most important tasks each month," Petersen explained. "Our supervisors and employees sit down and dialogue, creating an opportunity to have a constructive conversation regarding performance and project progression instead of playing the blame game."
Cardwell Leadership's six-month installation process included monthly consulting with staff, as well as lessons in using the program. Thanks to successful implementation, WCU is on track to complete twice as many organizational projects this year compared to last year.
Connections Online also has helped WCU improve its ROA and operating expense ratio, which in turn has enabled the credit union to better serve its members, Petersen added.
"We know the key to our success comes with our managers using the program as a tool to do their jobs," he said. "If we use it merely to report results, then we are not using it as effectively as we could, but when managers use it to help them manage their department it helps them to deliver better results."
