Pacific Gas & Electric
The new corporate CFO of one of the largest power utilities in the United States inherited a situation where the financial organizations of the holding company and its wholly owned subsidiaries operated independently. Communication among them was poor and they were often at odds with one another. The CFO wanted to rapidly engender a high degree of synergy and collaboration. At the same time, he thought it important that each finance organization continue to report to its respective divisional president rather than be integrated into one corporate-wide organization. This made the task even more daunting.
University of Missouri-Kansas City
UMKC was a publicly funded university of some 13,000 students and 2,000 full-time faculty and staff. Although its music conservatory, life sciences research and debate team were well known, UMKC was not viewed by the Kansas City community as a community asset nor as the research university that it is, but was considered a distant second to the state's flagship institution, the University of Missouri-Columbia, and the nearby University of Kansas. Its employees were generally resigned to the way things were — "we can't make a difference — it's always been this way and always will be." Yet the chancellor was talking about UMKC "catalyzing a renaissance in higher education"!
Prudential Banking UK (EGG plc)
Prudential plc historically had established Prudential Banking to provide a set of banking products to sell alongside their traditional insurance and investment products. However, customers were demanding significantly improved and more flexible service than was now being provided by existing branch and telephone banking offerings.
The new CEO of Prudential Banking and his management team saw the possibility of transforming the entire paradigm of retail banking in the UK. The believed new technologies could enable banks to reach customers in ways previously unimagined.
Bell Atlantic Corporation (GBS)
Upon finalization of the Bell Atlantic/Nynex merger in 1999,
the president of the newly integrated marketing unit (GBS)
launched a reinvention initiative designed "to engage the passion, spirit and intelligence of the entire GBS constituency in pursuit of extraordinary organizational accomplishment." GBS had approximately 7,500 employees in the Northeastern United States.
