Rademakers M. (2014)
Achmea is an insurance corporation with cooperative roots, market leader in the Benelux and active in a range of European countries. Achmea Academy was established in 2006 by order of the Achmea Board of Directors, mainly to secure craftsmanship to retain the connection to an increasingly complex environment in the insurance business.
In the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, Achmea defined craftsmanship as one the core qualities that contributes to its ambition of unburdening society with regard to financial services. Therefore, craftsmanship is also seen as a core value for trust. The case shows how the Achmea Academy Life & Pensions interprets the responsibility of securing craftsmanship within Achmea, and it also clarifies the core processes, learning concepts, and the curriculum of this corporate university. Initially, the corporate university’s target group was Achmea employees. Soon, however, members of the operating companies were added to the target group, as well as customers of the company, because the Achmea Board of Directors had expressed its ambition of increasing craftsmanship within the company’s entire operating sphere. This case in particular provides insights for corporate universities in large organizations with multiple players engaged in organizational learning:
“Achmea Academy Life & Pensions” main challenge has been to make its position clear with regard to other educational departments within the corporation.”
Keywords: strategy, corporate university, organizational learning