Abstract:

We are living in rapidly changing times and banks are not immune from the need to change. As new banking approaches emerge, market researchers are called upon to assess likely consumer reactions to these changes. This paper argues that, because of innate human resistance to change, research should focus not just on assessing the extent to which changes will be accepted, but rather on how to aid consumers to come to terms with changes that are inevitable. It then proposes a conceptual framework within which to conduct and analyze research findings into adaptation to change, providing examples of the practical value of this conceptual framework. Finally, it points to some methods that can be used to align consumer paradigms and banking paradigms when these do not coincide; and concludes that, paradoxically, often the best guides to adaptation to the future can be discovered by studying the past.