Banking groups & ecosystems
Cooperative groups do not develop by themselves
Cooperatives, cooperative groups and alliances face the same question: what will we carry together in future – and what had better not be shared? I support management boards and managing directors in answering this question and in putting the answer into practice.
Why the topic belongs on the table now
Most groups were formed at a time when joint purchasing was the main reason to join forces. That reason still holds. It just no longer holds on its own.
Today, something else determines performance: shared processes, clean data, digital access to the member. Organising this jointly gives each individual business an advantage it could not finance alone. Leaving it to each member to do on its own loses precisely the strength that once defined the group.
I know both sides of this equation – in the financial sector since 1990, more than 20 years of it in leadership roles, including in a cooperatively organised banking group. The patterns repeat themselves, regardless of the industry.
Three questions before any change
Change is not an end in itself. Before anything is touched, three questions need to be answered – in this order.
What must be preserved?
Every group has a core that holds it together: trust, closeness to the member, professional depth. If that core is cleared away in the zeal for change, the damage is greater than any efficiency gain.
What must be developed further?
Much of it works, just no longer at today’s pace. This does not call for a revolution, but for careful rework of processes, roles and steering.
What must be rethought?
And some things simply no longer hold. Saying so is uncomfortable – and saves the most money the earlier it happens.
Who I work for
Cooperative groups in retail and skilled trades
Central organisations with member businesses that have to balance joint strength against entrepreneurial independence.
Cooperative organisations
Management board, supervisory body and committees with their own governance logic – and a pace of change that has to match it.
Alliances among mid-sized companies
Companies that want to pool services without giving up their independence.
Don’t see yourself here? All client profiles at a glance – with the right starting point for your situation.
Where it fails in practice
- The resolution replaces the implementation. A committee decides, a project starts – and after twelve months the starting position is the same, only more expensive.
- Nobody names the conflict of objectives. The central organisation and the member want different things. If nobody says so, it comes back later as a blockade.
- Technology is decided before the leadership question. A system is bought before it has been clarified who will be responsible for what with it in future.
- There is nobody who sees it through. The line organisation is at capacity, the project runs on the side. This is exactly where support from outside is needed.
Does any of this sound familiar?
Then clarify it yourself in a few minutes before we speak. The self-assessments ask about exactly the points where initiatives get stuck in practice: 20 statements, around four minutes, immediate evaluation – no registration.
What working together looks like
Three routes, depending on how much responsibility is to lie outside your organisation. In all three, I act as transformation lead: I show the route, walk it with you – and take over the watch when necessary.
Interim management
Temporary leadership responsibility when a position is vacant or a situation needs a dedicated hand.
Frequently asked questions about interim management
Transformation & change
Support for an initiative from the initial sorting to effective change in day-to-day business.
Frequently asked questions about transformation
Sparring & advisory
A regular counterpart for the management board and managing directors – confidential, without a committee role.
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Frequently asked questions
What is a cooperative group?
A cooperative group is an association of legally independent companies that organise services jointly – traditionally purchasing, logistics and marketing, increasingly also IT, data and training. The members remain independent as businesses. The central organisation provides what would be too expensive or too slow individually.
When is a shared service worthwhile – and when not?
Sharing is worthwhile for anything that has high fixed costs, works the same way for all members and does not affect any individual member’s competitive advantage. As soon as a service is close to the customer or the members need it in very different ways, friction losses arise that eat up the scale advantage again.
Does everything have to change in a transformation?
No. It makes sense first to separate things into three parts: what should be preserved, what will be developed further and what needs to be fundamentally rethought. Doing this sorting up front saves more time and money than any tool deployed afterwards.
Who is responsible for introducing artificial intelligence – IT or management?
Management. IT provides the technology, operations and security. Whether a method is used, which decisions it may influence and who is accountable for it is a question of leadership and governance. It cannot be delegated to technology.
We have our own group advisory service – why bring in someone from outside?
The group’s own advisory service knows the group’s requirements, systems and member institutions better than any outsider and implements them. That is exactly why it finds it hard to question a requirement itself or to side with an individual institution against the central organisation. A view from outside the group starts where the question is whether the shared solution actually works for this particular institution.
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Let’s talk about your group
A first conversation is without obligation. At the end there is an honest assessment of your situation – not a sales proposal.
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