The Filene Research Institute announced today Fiserv is the lead sponsor of Filene’s Center of Excellence for Performance and Operational Excellence with additional support from Alliant Credit Union and Christian Financial Credit Union. The research center, headed by Filene Fellow Hayagreeva “Huggy” Rao, Atholl McBean Professor of Organizational Behavior and Human Resources at Stanford University, explores progressive management practices and operational behavior. It is one of five Centers of Excellence being launched throughout 2017.
“Fiserv decided to support this effort because performance and operational excellence are key factors in the future success of all credit unions,” said Barbra Lowman, SVP Account Processing Solutions of Fiserv. “The research and engagement opportunities that come out of this research center will help build the credit union movement of tomorrow.”
The Center of Excellence for Performance and Operational Excellence will work on scaling the credit union model so that more consumers can benefit from the cooperative finance model. Some planned research activities include:
- Ambidexterity: Running current operations while innovating for advantage.
- Service Delivery Excellence: Identifying and addressing challenges of creating customer-focused cultures.
- Knowledge Sharing: Outlining mechanisms to foster the flow of ideas among credit unions to ensure that mistakes are not repeated, and innovations are shared.
The research center’s first report is expected to be completed later this year. Credit union leaders are invited to attend a research colloquium hosted by Professor Rao in Palo Alto, where he and other distinguished guests will discuss the research findings. Registration information can be found at filene.org
All three sponsoring organizations are long-term supporters of the Filene Research Institute.
“I am particularly excited about the launch of this research center as it focuses on the sustainability of credit unions,” said Mark Meyer, CEO of Filene. “Our generous sponsors understand the need for our industry to improve efficiency while meeting changing consumer demands and we are thankful for their leadership and support.”
Led by academic thinkers from across North America, Filene’s Centers of Excellence produce unique research and engagement opportunities for Filene members and the credit union system. Designed to address the changing needs of credit unions and their members, the research centers explore critical and emerging topics regarding the future of consumer financial trends to encourage credit unions to think differently and do amazing things to change people’s lives.
For more information about Filene’s Research Centers, please visit: http://www.filene.org.