Nationwide Building Research Articles

Career management at Nationwide Building Society using a soft systems approach

Examines how a systemic model of managing career development was developed to improve a messy problem at Nationwide Building Society. The approach adopted was to apply soft systems methodology. Presents the model and then examines actions to improve the situations.

Career Management: Matching the Needs of Individuals with the Needs of Organizations

Examines the use of Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) in the analysis and improvement of a “messy” HRM problem in Nationwide Building Society (NBS). Describes SSM in outline and relates it to a case study application of the methodology in the area of career management and career counselling. At the time of investigation, there was a growing awareness of career problems among managers of all levels in NBS increasing the impetus for change. The problems identified in career management did not lead to clearly defined objectives: the “right answer” was not yet known and variables involved were bound up in values, motives and decisions of human beings with a significant amount of free choice. Develops and analyses a Rich Picture taking account of subjective data as well as objective facts. The understanding gained about the management of careers is used to generate possible improvements and solutions following the stages of SSM. Makes recommendations, a number of which have already been implemented within NBS.

Retail Best Practice in Nationwide

As part of its response to Total Quality, Nationwide Building Society discovered that much value added could be achieved through internal benchmarking. A cross‐functional team was assembled and a process developed whereby the resulting “best practices” could be managed in such a way so as to influence managers′ behaviours and attitudes towards continuous improvement. A programme of 16‐week secondments for line managers was developed during which they could act as consultants to other branches. Two‐hundred high potential locations were identified from across Nationwide′s 700+ network and a two‐month consultancy service was delivered over a period of 18 months during 1991/92. The Best Practice initiative achieved significant benefits and changes in behaviours particularly in the area of management style and now forms a formal part of Nationwide′s continuous improvement methodology.

Stand out from the crowd

Explains the steps the Nationwide Building Society has taken to improve the management of customer relations. Argues that to gain an edge on its competitors, the most important aspect of the qualityprogramme looked into how to be different from the rest. Lays out the quality programme in stages.

Career Analysis: the Missing Link In Managerial Assessment and Development

Robin Jacobs and Robert Bolton argue that, although competency‐based assessment methods have improved the haphazard management development practices of the past, they nonetheless provide an incomplete picture for improving performance and developing potential. They suggest that self‐development through a career planning framework might provide the missing link and present a case study in this area based on their work in the Nationwide Building Society.Robin Jacobs is a Lecturer in Management at the Open University Business School as well as one of the directors of Transitions Limited, and Robert Bolton is Human Resources Manager at the Nationwide Building Society.

A PARTNERSHIP FOR PEOPLE

This paper reports on the building of 2,000 homes in five years by a combination of Sheffield City Council, the United Kingdom Housing Trust (UKHT), a £70m capital loan from the Nationwide Building Society and a consortium of British and foreign banks — and the people of Sheffield.

Some characteristics of owner-occupier migrant households—A study based on building society data

Weinstein E. T. A. (1975) Some characteristics of owner-occupier migrant households—a study based on building society data, Reg. Studies 9, 147–156. Aspects of the characteristics of migrants which are not available for Britain at a national coverage from conventional published data sources such as the Censuses of population are examined using data from a Nationwide Building Society survey. The main conclusion of the paper is that certain variables, which might be thought to represent each other, have in fact separate influences on the pattern of migration. Thus occupation is shown to have a separate influence with regard to the distance moved; and the distance moved is shown to have a separate influence to that of income with regard to the age of the house purchased. Suggestions as to why these variables have separate influences are put forward. Differences in the income characteristics of the types of regional migrant are briefly examined and an appendix considers the pattern of migration for individual...

The movement of owner-occupier households between regions

Weinstein E. T. A. (1975) The movement of owner occupier households between regions, Reg. Studies 9 137–145. The adequacy of using Census data as a measure of labour movement between regions is considered using data on the movement of owner-occupier households forming part of a Nationwide Building Society survey. Previous models of migration have led to doubts about the current validity of an economic theory of spatial labour movement but it has been the lack of suitable data with which to test the economist's concept of migration (i.e. relating to changes of workplace) that has been at fault rather than economic theory since one-third of household moves between regions are shown to be concerned with requirements for a change of residence only. The paper argues for the evolution of a more comprehensive model of migration based on both the geographer's and the economist's concepts of migration and an appendix suggests a formula relevant for the first stage of such a model; the estimation of the number of e...

USING ADVERTISING IN GROCERY RETAILING:

A great deal of money is spent by grocery retailers in various advertising media, but much of it, in Malcolm Hughes' view, is depressingly similar, especially the campaigns which appear in the national daily press. Radio has possibilities, but until boundaries are more clearly defined, it can present difficulties as far as prices are concerned. There will probably be more local press advertising in the future, but less in the national press. This is a summary of a talk given by Malcolm Hughes at a recent IGD seminar on advertising. Since the seminar he has resigned his position as marketing director of Fine Fare in order to take up a senior post with the Nationwide Building Society. The views expressed in this paper are Malcolm Hughes' own personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect those of his former company.

Employment and Unemployment

The year 1929 was chiefly characterized by a high level of factory employment and pay-rolls. How high they were is better measured by indices adjusted to the U.S. Censuses of Manufactures, than by unadjusted "link-chain" indices. The slump late in 1929 carried factory employment and pay-rolls in December down to a point abreast of their low of years before but above those of mid-1924 and far above 1921. Rail-road personnel enjoyed better employment in 1929 than in 1928, though less good than in other recent years owing chiefly to technological displacement; but their earnings were very large. Anthracite miners suffered somewhat in loss of employment and more in loss of income because of part-timing. Lack of direct information on nation-wide building employment will, it is hoped, be remedied soon. The federal government had success in measuring other non-factory employments in 1929. Progress has been made in the direct measure of unemployment through several local surveys, and completion of plans for the 1930 Census of Unemployment; but unemployment volume is still unknown.