Agile development. Banks need agile product and technology development skills – to bring new products and capabilities to market much quicker than today. This requires continual iteration, real-life pilot testing and rapid learning from customers. This does not require writing and rewriting business requirements documents, 12-month product release cycles, or technology organisations far removed from the customer.
Partnerships. Major innovations are taking place outside traditional banks. Banks might foster partnerships and create new ecosystems for innovation – ranging from technology start-ups to academic institutions, or even with non-bank players.
Senior sponsorship. Because of these challenges, the entire innovation effort will need very senior sponsorship. When people are asked to do things differently, they need to believe they will be rewarded, not penalised, for doing so. People look to the actions of senior leadership to set their priorities. The tone needs to come from the top.