Nancy Guay, President of Espace Stratégies, had the pleasure this week of attending a conference on industrial development and ecoparks organized by PALME Québec, along with our colleague Hava Raka. The visit to Lévis gave them the opportunity to exchange views with colleagues from different backgrounds (urban planners, developers, elected officials) on the current challenges of industrial zone development. At the heart of the discussions was the perspective of human well-being as a means of rethinking regional planning. These meetings confirm that development is foremost a question of human interaction. Inspiring initiatives that will stimulate strategic thinking with our clients in the coming weeks!

 

On Friday, the multicultural and multigenerational Espace Stratégies team took advantage of the beautiful weather to spend some quality time at the Chalet des érables in Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines. After a hard morning’s work to whet our appetites, we donned our plaid shirts to honour the traditional dishes we were to enjoy in the afternoon. For some of our colleagues, this outing marked their first experience of this Quebec tradition. By all accounts, this spring team activity was a success, and set the bar high for the upcoming summer activity.

 

What do you know about Gen Z? Were any of your colleagues born after 1997? How is this generation different from yours? This lunchtime webinar, which brought together managers from different generations, sought to define this much-discussed generation. Jocelyn Gagnon, founding partner of Espace Stratégies, took part as a manager at the invitation of Hémisphère Formation. Working in a team of about twenty people of all generations, from baby boomers to four Gen Z colleagues, he came away with some clear insights. In the general opinion of the panellists, who compared their impressions with the results of a recent survey, young colleagues stand out for their open-mindedness, their desire to work in a healthy environment, and their desire to make a real contribution to the betterment of society. A breath of optimism that makes you want to get to know them and work with them!

The Verdun borough launched its concerted vision and its economic development action plan for 2024–2027. Espace Stratégies is proud to have helped develop this plan alongside the members of the Table des partenaires en développement économique, which included PME MTL Grand Sud-Ouest and SDC Wellington, in collaboration with elected officials, borough management as well as the departments involved. 

Espace Stratégies leveraged its experience in economic development as well as in working with various municipal bodies, particularly in Montreal, to develop this plan. We thank the borough for its trust in our team and wish it a successful implementation!

 

 

 

Espace Stratégies joins Dieppe, an Acadian city in New Brunswick, to support its new strategic planning process. This evening, as part of a major five-step consultation phase, we’re getting ready to welcome the city’s residents. This process serves not only to consult citizens, but to take the pulse of the various city partners as well as of its teams and elected officials.

After recent years of rapid growth, the city wants to be sure the needs and expectations of its residents are being met. This planning process will be a chance to consider Dieppe’s development and to develop a clear, inspiring vision of the future that reflects its community.

 

We see hiring interns each year as a way to increase the diversity of backgrounds on our team of consultants. We believe that a clash of ideas and points of view enriches our strategic reflection exercises. Which is why we’re pleased to announce that two interns from very different backgrounds have joined the team—Karine Thellier and Philippe Geoffrion. Karine has more than 20 years’ experience in the health sector in France and in Quebec and she recently completed her master’s in organisational development at HEC Montréal. For his part, Philippe is about to complete his masters in business administration from Université de Sherbrooke.

Karine has been involved in improving the healthcare experience and training leaders in the health field. Philippe became interested in management after completing a technical training program in the field at CEGEP and working part-time for a number of businesses in his region.

 

Wondering how to navigate the new world of remote and hybrid work? For several years, Espace Stratégies has participated in the Collectif de réflexion sur l’organisation intelligente or CROI, piloted by François Lavallée from Aliter Concept, which offers a free webinar on hybrid work.

Join us Thursday, February 29 at 11:00 a.m. to unpack the issues and impacts of how we work, with the option of continuing the reflection with further workshops.

Register here (it’s free!): www.organisationintelligente.com

 

 

During strategic planning discussions with our clients, we often highlight major ongoing transitions and inquire how these transitions are being factored into their development vision. How does your organisation or business address ongoing transitions? Here are some of our perspectives for the beginning of this year:

1/ Demographic Transition: Quebec’s population is ageing rapidly, leading to significant imbalances in the labour market. Additionally, the population has grown substantially, driven by both immigration and birth rates. This population growth creates pressure on municipal, community and social services, impacting housing availability, workforce dynamics, as well as individual and goods mobility. How is your organisation positioned amidst these changes? How do we think these phenomena and their impacts will evolve?

2/ Ecological and Climate Transition: The rising number of extreme weather events requires quicker adaptation to emerging risk factors, alongside evolving regulations and concerns regarding greenhouse gas emissions. How do we comply with new policies, adapt best practices and select from the array of innovative solutions offered?

3/ Digital/Technological Transition: Artificial intelligence, notably ChatGPT, has made a remarkable entrance into the workplace, and this is just the beginning. The impact of this technology, which makes it possible to generate written, visual and auditory content, is starting to be felt across creative, educational and analytical domains. It may disrupt these sectors, causing shifts in work methods and job landscapes. In 2024, the unavoidable question arises—how does this threaten your organisation and what opportunities does it present?

Analysing our ecosystem through the lens of these three major transitions helps us better grasp the driving forces affecting each of our organisations. Better understanding leads to better action!

Happy 2024!

Espace Stratégies gathered on a Friday evening to mark the year-end holidays with a warm and celebratory dinner. It was great to spend a few hours together in which we hardly talked shop at all! We wish all our clients—past, present and future—wonderful year-end celebrations of their own.