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Working Paper: Case Study

USAA: Capturing Value from Complexity

This case study describes USAA’s motivation for and challenge of providing financial products in a more integrated way.
CASE STUDY

An in-depth description of a firm’s approach to an IT management issue (intended for MBA and executive education)

Abstract

Since its founding in 1922, financial service provider USAA has grown its product portfolio from auto insurance to over one hundred P&C insurance, banking, life insurance, and investment management products. More recently, USAA has also created connections between different products by linking them in integrated services addressing life events. Life events like buying a car or house—or getting married—involve multiple products such as loans and insurance. Introduced in 2010, one of the company’s first integrated services targeted the car buying life event, allowing members to select, buy (at a pre-negotiated price), finance, and insure a car in one seamless process. This case study describes the motivation for and challenge of providing financial products in a more integrated way, as well as how USAA worked towards making this integration a success. USAA found that making its members' lives simpler involved making its own organizational life more complex.

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About the Authors

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Martin Mocker, MIT Sloan Center for Information Systems Research (CISR)

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Jeanne W. Ross, MIT Sloan Center for Information Systems Research (CISR)

MIT CENTER FOR INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH (CISR)

Founded in 1974 and grounded in MIT's tradition of combining academic knowledge and practical purpose, MIT CISR helps executives meet the challenge of leading increasingly digital and data-driven organizations. We work directly with digital leaders, executives, and boards to develop our insights. Our consortium forms a global community that comprises more than seventy-five organizations.

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ANZ Banking Group (Australia)
AustralianSuper
Banco Bradesco S.A. (Brazil)
Banco do Brasil S.A.
Bank of Queensland (Australia)
Barclays (UK)
BlueScope Steel (Australia)
BNP Paribas (France)
Bupa
CarMax
Caterpillar, Inc.
Cemex (Mexico)
Cencora
Cochlear Limited (Australia)
Commonwealth Superannuation Corp. (Australia)
Cuscal Limited (Australia)
CVS Health
Dawn Foods
DBS Bank Ltd. (Singapore)
Doosan Corporation (Korea)
Fidelity Investments
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Gilbane Building Co.
Johnson & Johnson (J&J)
Kaiser Permanente
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Koç Holding (Turkey)
Mercer
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NN Insurance Eurasia NV
Nomura Holdings, Inc. (Japan)
Nomura Research Institute, Ltd. Systems Consulting Division (Japan)
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OCP Group
Pacific Life Insurance Company
Posten Bring AS (Norway)
Principal Life Insurance Company
QBE
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Raytheon Technologies
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Schneider Electric Industries SAS (France)
Stockland (Australia)
Tabcorp Holdings (Australia)
Telstra Limited (Australia)
Terumo Corporation (Japan)
Tetra Pak (Sweden)
Truist Financial Corporation
UniSuper Management Pty Ltd (Australia)
Uniting (Australia)
USAA
Webster Bank, N.A.
Westpac Banking Corporation (Australia)
WestRock Company
Wolters Kluwer
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