Rekindling the CitySavings Culture at Capehan sa Bangko Year 4

Rekindling the CitySavings Culture at Capehan sa Bangko Year 4


CULTURE AMIDST CHANGING TIMES: The CitySavings group heads, regional business and operations heads, and executive resource speakers at the conclusion of Capehan sa Bangko Year 4 last July 9 at City Sports Club, Cebu City.

Regarded as one of the vital aspects of a thriving organization, the fourth year of City Savings Bank’s Capehan sa Bangko last July 9 at City Sports Club, Cebu City focused on the organization’s culture amidst changing times.

The bank’s group heads, regional business and operations heads together with executive resource speakers gathered to discuss relevant matters which will lead to an opportunity to think bigger and bolder, to have a more positive attitude at work, and to lead with excellence.

FVP – Branch Operations Group Head Linda Flor Hortezano, in her opening remarks mentioned, “Just like any other home, a part of our culture is to treat each other as a family member. We meet and greet, bond and reminisce over a cup of coffee. Today, we take a coffee break as we connect, relax and sustain our energy throughout the year amidst the business challenges”.

Culture Change: Thriving in an Evolving Organization
Member of the Board Romy Ronquillo recalled the various changes the Aboitiz Group went when it implemented Total Quality Management (TQM). “Culture can’t be static, it should be dynamic. Trust is very important to make everything work because there is no way a person would accept the seminars and changes we institutionalized if you don’t have the credibility.”

Ronquillo shared a conversation he had with former Aboitiz Equity Ventures (AEV) President and CEO Jon Ramon Aboitiz. “You know Jon; you said the word ‘trust’ 19 times in your speech”. “It’s such a vital word and it’s unfortunate that many times within our group and our company, trust is absent. Position and classification prevails. One does things because he is mandated. It’s like the difference between compliance and good governance. The latter simply makes one want to comply and not forced” he emphasized.

Culture Change: From the What to the Why
EVP – Chief Operating Officer Levi Villanueva centered his discussion on the story “Who Moved My Cheese” from the author Spencer Johnson. “Culture changes because people change. When change happens you need to anticipate, monitor, adapt, and enjoy the change! What you are afraid of isn’t as bad as you expect it to be”, he mentioned.

Culture at the Core of our Competitive Strategy
President and CEO Eugene Acevedo focused on three key points: Culture, Courage and Collective Intelligence. “Culture is all about having a collective mind. We have grown five times, but we continue to design our entire organization around the purpose of serving people of moderate means. Technology has linked the organization in ways we’ve never seen before. We can interact, cheaply, on a real time basis. Every CitySavings Banker can be linked to each other so that we can act more as a single group; a thousand bankers with a million connections. Instead of losing our souls to technology, I see it enabling ourselves to go back to our ‘Simple is Good’ culture roots. The future is challenging, but the future is also exciting. What is important is we remember who we are and what we stand for”, he emphasized.

Acevedo also encouraged everyone to practice the three types of courage: The courage to try, the courage to trust and the courage to tell.

In his closing remarks, Associate Legal Counsel Atty. Christian Cabahug summarized the takeaways with the acronym ‘CU-CHA-COU’ which stands for Culture, Change and Courage. “Culture is the way things are. ‘We must go into the maze and look for new cheese if necessary’. Change is constant because people and situations change. Courage is all about having the courage to try, the courage to trust one’s peers and the courage to tell what is on one’s mind to improve the organization”.