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    Case Study

    Empowerment at Julius Baer

    By Robert Hooijberg, Bruno Ambar, Olena Gorobets, Ulyana Laporte and Darius Vezeteu
    11 pages
    November 2020
    Order this case study
    Reference: IMD-7-2219

    The case reveals the challenges faced by a traditional Swiss wealth management firm, Julius Baer, which is trying to modernize amidst the industry transforming changes in regulation and technology. At the same time, the bank needs to integrate the myriad of acquired cultures and address a sudden change in the top leadership. To achieve this, one of the directions initiated by the bank was to focus on empowering the middle-level management to enable them to operate more independently from senior management, decentralize decision-making and promote collaboration at all layers of the organization. To boost this initiative the bank introduced a customised firmwide training program for selected employees to develop their in-depth understanding of the leadership culture and learn other aspects to drive their teams’ performance. This case explores the experiences of three middle managers, with varied functions, years of experience and career trajectories who were asked to lead larger teams under this new style of organization.

    Learning Objective
    • What does the term empowerment mean in the contextof organizational design?
    • Why does empowerment matter?
    • How should an organization empower its employees?
    • What are the conditions necessary for empowerment to succeed as a strategy?
    Keywords
    Empowerment, Cultural Change, Leadership, Strategy, Talent Management, Human Resources
    Settings
    World/global
    Julius Bär Group, Finance and Insurance, Banking
    2018 - 2019
    Type
    Field Research
    Copyright
    © 2020
    Available Languages
    English
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    Copyright ©2024
    Copyright owner IMD Copyright
    Organization Daikin Industries
    Industry Consumer Goods, Home Appliances
    Available Languages English
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    Case reference: IMD-7-2620 ©2024
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    Reference IMD-7-2620
    Copyright ©2024
    Copyright owner IMD Copyright
    Organization Daikin Industries
    Industry Consumer Goods, Home Appliances
    Available Languages English
    Contact

    Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

    Related topics
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    This case study examines the remarkable evolution of Daikin Industries, a company that demonstrated resilience and innovation over nearly a century. Founded in 1924 by Akira Yamada in Osaka, Japan, Daikin originally focused on manufacturing aircra...

    Global Business Strategy
    By Kazuo Ichijo and Yunfei Feng
    Case reference: IMD-7-2618, © 2024
    Read more
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    By Joep de Caluwé
    in I by IMD
    Summary
    Learn why flashy innovation often fails and how a strategic, fact-based approach can drive real innovation success in corporate environments. Insights from industry experts.
    Read more
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