PHOENIX — Achieving effective organizational innovation requires more than simply aligning information technology and business areas–a company must partner the two aspects of operations, said two CUNA Mutual Group officers during Insurance & Technology's 8th Annual Executive Summit held last week.

Rick Roy, senior vice president, and Tom Gosnell, chief information officer, spoke to more than 100 senior insurance executives about how business and technology have come together to drive CUNA Mutual's current three-year transformation effort to meet the increasing demands of credit unions and their members. "The value of technology and processes is in the sustainability," Gosnell said. "Essentially, we're trying to better leverage technology to make and sustain the organizational structure and drive change. That means using it as an enabler that will optimize processes, improve how people do their jobs and ensure consistency in how we serve our customers, regardless of whom they talk to. That results in the delivery of a consistent, competitive customer experience." "The insurance industry continues to rapidly change as the competitive landscape grows with new entrants," Roy said. "Talking with our industry peers about how organizations can innovate themselves through organizational structures is a valuable experience for us. Many insurance companies are evaluating what they need to do to succeed in this new market environment."

IT played a vital role in the planning of CUNA Mutual's new Customer Operations Center in Fort Worth, Texas. As the plans were developed for the Customer Ops Center, CUNA Mutual relied on IT to make "siloed" processes more consolidated and streamlined, Roy added.