This Is Beyond Budgeting

Chapter 7Handelsbanken

We keep being asked, for good reasons, about cases and practical examples. Organizations on the journey show us that Beyond Budgeting works, and they provide inspiration and guidance.

Many ask for cases from the same kind of business as themselves. Examples from very different businesses, however, can provide just as much learning. The many problems we discussed previously are universal; they tend to be independent of what kind of organization we are in.

Most of us are not in banking, but we still have a lot to learn from Handelsbanken. My first books both had a chapter about the bank. I have learned a lot more about it since then. I have also had access to some unique internal stories. One of these is found in this chapter, in which a UK branch manager describes his job and his journey

His story is important, because almost everything written about the bank's fascinating management model is written by outsiders, including myself (except for former CEO Jan Wallander's own great books). An inside story is a great way of hopefully not only confirming our understanding, but also of learning more about what it all looks and feels like inside a branch. This story also shows us that Beyond Budgeting works just as well outside of the Nordic region in a quite different business culture. Handelsbanken UK employees are sometimes seen as more Handelsbanken than their Nordic colleagues. You have something to look forward to!

But first, here is my new take on the ...