Publications
Publications
- March 2008 (Revised March 2009)
- HBS Case Collection
Transforming AMFAM
By: Rakesh Khurana, Rajiv Lal and Cathy Ross
Abstract
On a winter day in December 2007 at the American Family Mutual Insurance Company (AMFAM) headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin, Dave Anderson and Jack Salzwedel remained in the conference room after the senior management meeting had concluded. Anderson, CEO of AMFAM since January 2007, and Salzwedel, named President in August 2006, reflected together on how far the company had come over the past two years. Both recalled meetings in which top executives simply read out activity reports to help prepare a previous CEO for a largely ceremonial board meeting. These days, they sensed energy and movement at different levels—whether in a strategic planning meeting, or in Salzwedel's recent visit to a regional office to explain in person the content of and motivation for the company's new strategic plan. Anderson and Salzwedel were pleased that the just-ended meeting exhibited the kind of engaged discussion, "pushback," and argumentation they had been encouraging.
Keywords
Customer Focus and Relationships; Governing and Advisory Boards; Marketing; Mission and Purpose; Strategic Planning; Insurance Industry; United States
Citation
Khurana, Rakesh, Rajiv Lal, and Cathy Ross. "Transforming AMFAM." Harvard Business School Case 508-081, March 2008. (Revised March 2009.)