Transformation

2021.07.08

Financial institution : A Major Transformation, Coupled with the Merger of 17 Independent Units

The Challenge

An organization with 17 independent entities (15 credit unions, one federation and a currency board) was dealing with rapidly-evolving environments, both internally and externally, requiring major transformations. Challenges included increased competition from new players (both traditional and non-traditional), the evolving needs of a shrinking and aging client base, new regulatory requirements, and a heavy governance structure that limited the organization’s agility and swiftness in deploying necessary changes.

The Approach

Brio was given three successive mandates – the combination of which allowed the organization to profoundly transform its strategy and organizational model.

First, Brio guided the organization through the merger of its 17 independent entities, and the creation of a head office to support what would become a network of about 50 points of service. This required several interventions:

  • Structuring and helming the merger project and related project portfolios
  • Developing the strategy and guiding its implementation (change management, communications, stakeholder mobilization, etc.)
  • Developing and establishing a new organizational model, i.e. integrating a new CEO and an all-new management team, establishing new network operating modes, preparing head-office partners to guide front-line teams, splitting up lines of business, developing new business intelligence and continuous improvement skills, etc.

Secondly, Brio guided the new organization through its strategic planning, as it adapted to the changes brought about by the first phase of its transformation. Board members and senior managers were directly involved in this process, requiring rigorous discipline to select and prioritize evolution initiatives. This led to an in-depth, participative analysis of the client’s ambitions and the ways to ensure their fulfilment, based on the organization’s capacity to carry out several projects at the same time.

Thirdly, Brio’s guidance was called upon for a key strategic priority: optimizing the distribution network. This project was a major – and essential – component in the organization’s evolution and customer experience. The mandate is ongoing.

The Brio difference

Throughout its mandate, Brio made sure to respect the client’s essence and vision, both in terms of its overall organization and in terms of defining and building consensus for the various projects. During our sustained involvement and leadership, we always strived for stakeholder empowerment and alignment, using a co-building approach based on mutual trust as we guided managers through the transformation and made sure they served as its leaders and promoters. Our clients appreciated the fact that we focused on two things: delivering projects, of course, and also maintaining their operational responsibilities throughout the deployments.

At all times, we guided, motivated and nourished the organization and its management team to help them develop their capacity to evolve and implement ambitious transformation projects on an ongoing basis.

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