Gathered in Saint-Hyacinthe this weekend, the participants in‘The annual general meeting of Hockey Quebec is probably not expected to hear about the corporate cultures of Amazon and Netflix. Delegates present in the room did not have to read “below the lines”, as Claude Ruel said, to understand that the federation was about to engage in an unprecedented revolution.
Appointed general manager of Hockey Quebec in the fall of 2021, Jocelyn Thibault called this general meeting an important moment for the organization that oversees Quebec minor hockey. More importantly, GM clarified that the reorganization and modernization of Hockey Quebec will be done in a thoughtful and orderly manner.
It will last as long as necessary, but we will do it the right wayhe repeated.
The nine orientations and some 190 possible solutions developed recently by the Government Committee on the Future of Quebec Hockey will not be disseminated tomorrow morning. Prior to this, it was necessary to establish clear values and a plan that HQ would implement and continue to measure to maintain high quality standards, Jocelyn Thibault argued.
This very lively general meeting was both an observation on the unenviable situation in which Quebec hockey is located and a call for innovation and the creation of a kind of Hockey Quebec 2.0.
To explain her vision for the future, Jocelyn Thibault asked regional representatives to imagine themselves at a meeting of shareholders of a venture capital fund that will study the possibility of investing in Hockey Quebec. .
How does Hockey Quebec perform? Is there an opportunity for growth? Is the business productive? And is his product good? Is the product cute edge?
In this role of fictitious investor, Jocelyn Thibault swore that she wanted to bet on Hockey Quebec.
Hockey is part of Quebec’s social fabric. We do nothing and hockey is on media and on social networks every day. We are all in it! I think there is a future in our market. I believe. However, we have lost 20% of our customers in the past 15 years.he recalled.
In 2007-2008, approximately 100,000 children played hockey in Quebec. Only 81,000 are left this season.
Before starting any new proposal, it is important to know why we have lost so many members, says the CEO of Hockey Quebec. Therefore, an extensive behavioral study was commissioned from HEC’s sports management department to understand what young people and families like about their minor hockey experience and what annoys them.
Soccer Quebec, which is also at the heart of a major reform, commissioned a similar study last fall from‘International sports management observatory‘University of Laval.
This information is important for federations in the same way that censuses are for governments. There are thousands of members and volunteers on the ground. You need to know what their expectations are if you want to meet them.
I strongly believe in scientific studies and support. It is very important to understand our market as well as player development from a sporting perspective. We need to be accompanied in a scientific way by specialistsbelieves Jocelyn Thibault.
When the picture is clear enough, the DG intends to make Hockey Quebec a federation that will be a reference in federated sport – not just in Quebec, but anywhere in the world.
It is neuralgic. Can we sit down over the next few months and the next year as a family and think about how we can transform our field and become a reference federation? Are we able, together, to imagine how we can be different and better in 10 years and in 15 years?
Before being told about the need for change, regional representatives watched excerpts from an interview with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. The latter argued that his company was more focused on its customers than its competitors.
This perspective is perfectly suited to usplease Jocelyn Thibault.
Another video, this time featuring Reed Hastings (co-CEO and founder of Netflix), took the discussion to another field.
Hastings explained that on Netflix, the code of employee conduct comes down to do what is in the best interest of the company (the rule has no rules). Employees are therefore free to take time off when they feel the need and there is no pre -established expense allowance.
The founder of Netflix also insisted that he encourages his employees to express their disagreements openly because it allows them to correct the mistakes the company has made. And he stressed the fact that today’s business leaders should inspire their employees rather than manage them.
Jocelyn Thibault wants Hockey Quebec to move to flexibility as well. He feels that minor hockey is overly controlled and this is detrimental to its dynamism.
We are too strict. Hockey Canada knows this and we know it. If we want to change direction, there have to be fewer rules. […] We need to listen to employees and people in the regions. We should open books and share informationhe said.
In other words, minor hockey stakeholders need to change their mindset. Hockey Quebec must adapt to the fact that Quebec is changing, that values are changing and families will no longer have the same expectations as 40 years ago.
We can no longer wait for people to register their children for hockey. And we should no longer take a player for granted. This age is over and it is an undeniable fact that must be understood. So we should make hockey practice more attractive, more inclusive and more accessible.
Usually, you need to provide a better customer experience. This is where it all happens. And we must have an attractive brand image and adapt our communication strategiesplease Jocelyn Thibault.
In a perfect world, Hockey Quebec’s new strategic plan would be deployed in time for the 2023-2024 season. But it is not set in stone. We’ll take the time it takesagain by Jocelyn Thibault.
In the meantime, to start developing the machine as soon as possible, a new department responsible for growth and mobilization of regions and associations will be set at Hockey Quebec in time for the start of next season.
Since taking office, the new general manager said he has noticed that communication between the head office and the regions should be more seamless and consistent and, above all, that there should be important sharing. of best practices implemented between associations.
It is important that we build unity. This new service will be our customer service. This person will be the new best friend of the people working in the fieldprediction by Jocelyn Thibault.
The tone is set.
Even before we saw the plan, it was clear that Quebec hockey would undergo profound changes.
Source: Radio-Canada
