Desjardins was Canada's sixth largest deposit-taking institution, holding the leading market share in Quebec but competing against Canada's major national banks that were also rapidly globalizing. The big change in 2001 was the merger of the 11 federations into one, a process easier said than done, especially in light of the autonomous and legally independent caisses devoted to their local members. By 2007, Leroux had decided to run for President, saying that her goal was to increase collaboration across functions to leverage the power of their collective resources, especially in light of greater competition in Quebec and financial industry consolidation. She was elected in March 2008 and immediately became one of Canada's most powerful women while Desjardins was emerging as a less provincial and more significant financial group. Leroux and her new team changed the structure, among other things, and she was reelected to a second and final term in March 2012.
Prepare your analysis of Leroux’s change management processes by answering the following questions:
Did Leroux’s executive team overcome all the obstacles or were there other obstacles lurking?
Had the culture of the organization shifted sufficiently to sustain the changes?
Had the organization built sufficient change capabilities to manage growth in addition to the caisse network?
What transformative activities do you think had the most impact?
Was the transformation complete?
Were the changes sustainable?
Did Leroux and/or other members of her team do enough to facilitate change?
How should Leroux think about strategies for the future in an increasingly interdependent global financial system?