Athena Bancorp was founded in 2016 by Beth Daniels, a banking professional with 15 years of experience in the industry. Daniels took advantage of what she perceived as a gap in the market caused by recent industry consolidation, a decreasing industry focus on branch banking, and tighter lending standards. Athena has an aggressive growth goal—"to grow to 15 branches, with loans and deposits increasing by threefold over the next five years." However, the bank's operating philosophy centers on a high-touch approach, and it relies on dedicated, highly capable employees who are willing to work long hours. Burnout is setting in at the branch level and morale is declining. Daniels and her leadership team are struggling to hire enough employees to execute this strategy. The case illustrates a company whose success is driven primarily by its human resources (HR) strategy. It also highlights the opportunities and challenges of operating a service business with a high performance/high commitment culture. The case can be used to discuss topics such as leadership, management, organizational culture, strategy, motivation, and entrepreneurs. It is recommended for upper-level undergraduate students or MBA students in courses focused on organizational behavior, general management, human resource management, leadership, or entrepreneurship.
Keywords: Banks and Banking; Entrepreneurship; Growth and Development Strategy; Organizational Culture; Human Resources; Strategy; Service Delivery; Banking Industry;
Citation:
Schlesinger, Leonard A., and Sarah Abbott. "Athena Bancorp (Brief Case)." Harvard Business School Brief Case 919-517, June 2019. View Details