Using humor to talk about culture change at DBS Bank
The challenge
DBS set out to transform from a traditional, compliance-focused bank into what its CEO called “a 27,000-person startup”: agile, collaborative, data-driven, experimental, and always learning. But old habits got in the way. Ideas were tested only in theory, customers were heard only in name, and decisions were often made by the highest-paid person in the room. To change behavior, DBS and agency Innosight developed BEANs (behavior enablers, artifacts, and nudges), practical tools that make new ways of working easier to adopt. Cartoons became one of those tools.
What we made
It started with a candid, often hilarious conversation. Tom and a cross-functional group of DBS leaders traded stories of where the bank fell short of its goals. Those stories became a series of cartoons paired with DBS’s own language, such as “More experiments. Less fear.” and “More listening. Less assuming.” Inside jokes and local references made the cartoons feel specific to DBS and to working life in Singapore.
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Tom led them in conversation to uncover specific stories that showcased DBS’s falling short of its aspiration of being a 27,000-person startup. Their discussion time was candid and critical, but it was also filled with laughter as people recounted the day-to-day foibles that are all too typical inside organizations. The team left engaged and eager to solve the problems, and the resulting cartoons made it safe for broader groups to engage in conversations whenever they saw executives clinging to old ways.
Scott Anthony, Managing Director at Innosight
Where it ran
DBS used the cartoons across the organization as conversation starters, giving employees a shared, lighthearted way to name the behaviors holding them back.
Results
A year into the culture program, employee engagement was up 20%, and customer-centricity had risen significantly. DBS’s transformation helped it become recognized as the world’s best digital bank.
