Sophie Brochu will be leaving, leaving behind a major reorganization

Will the major reorganization that Sophie Brochus, CEO of Hydro-Québec launched in 2021, continue despite her departure? Many executives resented his decision to leave the ship amidst the turmoil.

• Also read: Shock resignation of Hydro-Québec’s CEO

In February 2021, CEO Sophie Brochue announced to her staff an organizational reform: the disappearance of the generation, transmission, and distribution divisions to create one large Hydro-Quebec. Department heads will become vice presidents. Executives of a single entity.

The idea was good, but it created internal confusion. Several executives have been laid off. We now manage maintenance of a street pole, gate, and hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of high-voltage line and a multi-billion-dollar power plant in the same cluster, but with many disparate systems and processes,” explains one Hydro-Quebec executive, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“It’s like trying to convince a school teacher that he can teach young adults and teenagers academics in the same school. It’s not realistic,” he added.

Who will carry the ball?

The CEO announced her departure because the engineers and executives are on standby, and as efficiency losses accumulate in the company.

“A reorganization like this could take up to 10 years,” said a former Hydro-Quebec executive, who was present in 2021 and also wished to remain anonymous. As he passed by, Mr.^I Brocho impressed the guilds with his communication skills. But managers still suffer from this restructuring. »

where he led the reorganization mr.^I Brochu, what will happen to the project once the new management is in place?

She didn’t necessarily have a mandate to do so, which came from a broad and transparent consultation. It’s his project. So once she’s gone, who will come back? asks Pierre-Olivier Pinault, a professor at HEC Montreal.

“No matter who is pushing the project, employees will likely be less motivated, because they will wonder if the next CEO, in a few months’ time, will continue in the same way,” he adds.

Difficulty swallowing

In February 2022, Hydro-Québec announced another step in its reorganization, the creation of four clusters: Strategies and Development, Integrated Energy Needs Planning, Infrastructure and Energy System, and Operations and Customer Experience.

“We have announced the end of divisions and the creation of four clusters that make up the value chain,” said Caroline Des Rosier, a spokeswoman for Hydro-Québec. In June 2022, we announced the chassis details. Since then, we have been improving processes and improving our tools and systems. “.

Hydro-Quebec executives we spoke to remain concerned. “We expected to see a slowdown in efficiency, but we thought it was for the best in the long run,” said one. But in the middle of the game, M^I brochure papers It is difficult for many to swallow. “.

Big change of water in three dates

February 2021: In a letter to employees, Sophie Brochure announced the upcoming cancellation of the three divisions (production, transportation and distribution). Hydro-Québec is working to consolidate its operations into a single entity, in order to operate in a more “cooperative” manner.

February 2022: Hydro-Québec announces a change to its “cross-sectional” structure, which now includes four clusters: Strategies and Development, Integrated Energy Needs Planning, Energy System Infrastructure, and Operations and Customer Experience.

January 2023: Sophie Brochu announced she was leaving Hydro-Québec on April 11th.