Learning by example : imitation and innovation at a global bank / David Strang.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Strang, David.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bank management--Case studies.

Bank management.

Banks and banking--Case studies.

Banks and banking.

Diffusion of innovations.

Benchmarking (Management).

Organizational learning.

Organizational change.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (301 p.)

Edition:

Course Book

Place of Publication:

Princeton : Princeton University Press, c2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In business, as in other aspects of life, we learn and grow from the examples set by others. Imitation can lead to innovation. But in order to grow innovatively, how do businesses decide what firms to imitate? And how do they choose what practices to follow? Learning by Example takes an unprecedented look at the benchmarking initiative of a major financial institution. David Strang closely follows twenty-one teams of managers sent out to observe the practices of other companies in order to develop recommendations for change in their own organization. Through extensive interviews, surveys, and archival materials, Strang reveals that benchmarking promotes a distinctive managerial regime with potential benefits and pitfalls. He explores the organizations treated as models of best practice, the networks that surround a bank and form its reference group, the ways managers craft calls for change, and the programs implemented in the wake of vicarious learning. Strang finds that imitation does not occur through mindless conformity. Instead, managers act creatively, combining what they see in external site visits with their bank's strategic objectives, interpreted in light of their understanding of rational and progressive management. Learning by Example opens the black box of interorganizational diffusion to show how managers interpret, advocate, and implement innovations.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Preface

Introduction

Section one. Setting the Scene: Benchmarking and a Bank

Section two. The Process of Benchmarking: How and Who?

Section three. The Results of Benchmarking: Proposals and Programs

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9786612569241

9781282569249

1282569244

9781400835195

1400835194

OCLC:

638860606