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Case Study

DBS (B): Managing through customer journeys

By Seán Meehan, Goutam Challagalla and Pallivathukkal Cherian Abraham

14 pages

December 2024

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Reference: IMD-7-2634

To stay ahead of competitors, DBS knew it needed to continue to innovate and improve customer centricity. To do so, it decided to move to a horizontal organizational structure, an approach it named Managing Through Journeys (MtJs). This involved bringing together representatives from all functions that touched the customer journey from the beginning to the end. This would allow DBS to deliver a more seamless and integrated customer experience. The bank introduced a few pilot MtJs in 2021. By 2024, more than 60 MtJs were in operation, accounting for over 60% of the bank’s revenues. The MtJs had nine elements, which collectively led to a new way of working. Three foundational elements provided the initial momentum and specified how to measure impact. These were performance cells, cross-functional teams focused on a specific product or customer segment; performance management architecture, which specified the common set of KPIs for each performance cell; and performance development and compensation, which enabled MtJ members to be evaluated and rewarded for their contributions. Six interconnected elements created a flywheel effect for continuous improvement. These were the value map and control tower, which mapped the relationship between levers, drivers and outcomes; customer obsession, which drove customer research; experimentation using a structured approach; artificial intelligence/machine learning to create faster feedback loops; innovation using a structured approach to accelerate the ideation and production process; and workflow workbench which ensured information flowed seamlessly across all performance cell members. The move to MtJs allowed DBS to stay on top of the customer service rankings in Singapore’s banking sector The operational improvements from the bank’s transformation improved the bank’s business performance significantly. The bank’s leadership knew that keeping the customer front of mind would need to be an ongoing priority.

Learning Objective

To introduce participants to a whole new way of organizing to achieve optimal effectiveness in the provision of services to the customer.
To showcase best practices in implementing AI and Ml at scale.

Keywords

Customer Centricity, Digital, Organizational Change, Organizational Design, Digital Transformation, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning

Settings

South-Eastern Asia, Singapore
Development Bank of Singapore, Finance and Insurance, Banking
2009-2024

Type

Field Research

Available Languages

English

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This case study is part of a series

DBS (A): “Damn bloody slow” to best digital bank in the world
DBS (B): Managing through customer journeys

This case study is part of a series

DBS (A): “Damn bloody slow” to best digital bank in the world
DBS (B): Managing through customer journeys

DBS (A): “Damn bloody slow” to best digital bank in the world

By Seán Meehan Goutam Challagalla and Pallivathukkal Cherian Abraham
Case reference: IMD-7-2633 ©2024

Summary

Since becoming DBS Bank’s CEO in 2009, Piyush Gupta led its transformation to become a standard setter globally for digitalization and customer cen...

Reference IMD-7-2633

Organization Development Bank of Singapore

Industry Finance and Insurance, Banking

Available Languages English

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Customer Centricity

Digital

Organizational Change

Organizational Design

Browse all topics

DBS (B): Managing through customer journeys

By Seán Meehan Goutam Challagalla and Pallivathukkal Cherian Abraham
Case reference: IMD-7-2634 ©2024

Summary

To stay ahead of competitors, DBS knew it needed to continue to innovate and improve customer centricity. To do so, it decided to move to a horizon...

Reference IMD-7-2634

Organization Development Bank of Singapore

Industry Finance and Insurance, Banking

Available Languages English

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Customer Centricity

Digital

Organizational Change

Organizational Design

Browse all topics

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Reference IMD-2705

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