EUROPE it was one burdened by many of the usual issues of legacy infrastructure , layers of process and a patchwork of applications . He set about changing all that , and as he describes to us the approach he took , a consistent theme quickly emerges : Dargan ’ s deep commitment to a people-first tech philosophy .
There ’ s a difference between ‘ management ’ and ‘ motivation ’, he says , so among of the first of his actions was for he and his team to hit the road . A lot .
“ I think there ’ s a change in what people are looking for in terms of leadership . I think people are craving a more personal style than we have in larger or more regulated institutions . So my management team and I do what we call coffee corners . Coffee corners have 20 , 30 , 40 , 50 people in them ,” he says .
The small , intimate coffee corners reflect his belief that being as open , accessible and transparent as possible is one of his greatest responsibilities . It ’ s a personal and very direct means of communicating the honest views of management and to involve every member of a huge , diverse team in what ’ s happening . Dargan left his Zurich base to conduct 62 coffee corners and team events in his first year – more than one per week .
“ I ’ ve done Singapore three times , Hong Kong three times , New York four , London four or five , India two or three , Poland two or three , different parts of Switzerland … because it ’ s the only way .”
He also regularly blogs for internal consumption , covering topics as varied as techniques for ruthless prioritisation and achieving a sustainable work-life balance . It ’ s a dedication to communication aimed squarely at motivating his organisation around its purpose at the heart of the bank . He says it ’ s about building a collaborative culture rooted in empowerment , business alignment , customer centricity and strong technical excellence .
“ For me , there ’ s a big piece around what that intersection is between the business and technology . How do you bring those two sides together as much as possible ? Only when you ’ re www . gigabitmagazine . com 61