Digital Operating Model

CHAPTER 7DOM in Motion/Mid- to Large-Size Company: Insurance: Crum & Forster

“I wouldn’t be able to attract great people if we hadn’t spent the time establishing the culture.”

—Marc Adee, CEO Crum & Forster

• Level 4 on DOM
• Culture: High level, decentralized
• Platform: Solid ecosystem that enables fluidity
• Innovation: Utilizes business process automation to innovate new ways of doing business

Crum & Forster was typical of most major insurance companies when Marc Adee took over as CEO in 2015. The nearly 200-year-old business was a top-down culture with decision-making concentrated in the home office.

A DIFFERENT APPROACH

At the time Adee and his management team began the company's transformation, they realized up front that customer satisfaction is dependent on employee engagement. “In terms of the DOM flywheel, we believe that it is our people and culture that get the flywheel spinning,” says Adee. Therefore, the company's first step in the transformation was toward making C&F a great place to work.

Keep in mind that the traditional management school approach to success called for strategy first, followed by culture, execution, and people. That doesn't work in today's digitally enabled business environment. The new flow, as Adee's approach reflects, is culture and people first followed by a strong vision and strategy with data-driven execution.

More Changes

Beyond improving the basic elements of culture like physical environment and benefits, C&F focused on helping people ...