'75% of transformation fails not because of a strategic plan, but because they have the wrong culture.'
When Simon Gagné, CHRO at Sobeys, first got into HR, it was the labour law side that most appealed to him. Now, however, as he told HRD it’s the power of transformation that really draws him in.
“Out of the gate, it was less the HR side and more the labour relations. However, with time I learned to see the power of transforming culture to help businesses accomplish their strategic plan. It was then that I realized the power of the HR function in a strong organization.”
After beginning his university life as an engineer, he switched, deliberating between becoming a lawyer or going in industrial relations.
“I finally ended up in industrial relations, and I've been doing that for 30 years now,” he added.
In those 30 years, Gagné has seen the HR function change and evolve into something completely new. From a transactional function to a strategic partner, the sector has been transformed.
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“I think the biggest change I've seen is around recruiting for the culture of an organization. I read that 75% of transformation fails not because of a strategic plan, but because they have the wrong culture. If you don't act on your culture, if you're not deliberate around making sure that your culture will support whatever plan you have, you may be in trouble.”
Gagné mantra, taken from legendary management consultant and writer Peter Drucker, is ‘culture eats strategy for breakfast’. Culture at Sobeys, as Gagné told us, is definitely a priority for both him and his team.
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“Culture is a core principle, as is diversity and inclusion,” he added. “In our industry, 70% of the decision making in-store is still made by women. When we look at our organization four years ago, we realized that our leadership team was not representative of our customer base - so we said we need to act on it.”
But even for a diverse and inclusive organization like Sobeys, the pandemic still through them for a loop.
“Obviously, it was tough,” added Gagné. “All of a sudden you become an essential service. I still remember March a couple of years ago when we were looking at what was coming in other countries and saying, how hard is it going to hit us? And all of a sudden, we’re in the crisis mode.”
But even through the tough times, Gagné was impressed by how his team reacted – how they supported each other and their customers throughout the pandemic months.
“Our team really rallied behind everyone - they wanted to make a difference,” he told HRD. “Our first priority was ensuring our people were safe – making sure they’re not at risk in anyway, leader or customer.”
Looking ahead to the rest of the year Gagné revealed that his main concern will be supporting employee mental health in the post-pandemic workplace.
“On the health side of our workforce, we're working a lot right now to make sure that mental health is being supported and that our teammates across the country have access to all the resources,2 he told HRD. “The other aspect is the war for talent. Years ago we would compete with the usual suspects when it was time to compete for talent. Now, however, we're competing with lots of sectors – everyone’s after the same candidates. With that in mind, employers really need to check their employee value proposition (EVP) to ensure it’s up to the mark.”
