A major Canadian financial institution launched a multi-year strategy to optimize its physical footprint
—reducing square footage across branches in response to digital banking trends. The infrastructure
plan was well-defined and adequately funded. However, the workforce strategy lagged behind.
The directive was to reduce headcount through natural attrition, mainly targeting frontline roles that
handled routine transactions such as account balance inquiries. The assumption was that staffing
levels would naturally adjust as transactional volume declined. However, reductions occurred
uniformly across branches without a clear human capital strategy, without regard for market-specific
needs, evolving customer behaviour, or the optimal branch design.
Five years later, the bank faced significant misalignment. Some branches were overstaffed, while
others were stretched thin. One critical issue: the population of business development directors
declined more rapidly than frontline staff, weakening the bank’s growth engine—completely at
odds with the original intent of the strategy.
We were engaged to investigate the gap between strategic vision and operational execution. Our
focus was not only on corporate plans but also on how the changes were experienced locally—by
staff and customers.
Using our integrated diagnostic framework, we conducted:
This comprehensive assessment helped reconnect business strategy with frontline execution,
turning a fragmented transformation into an aligned one.
Within two years, the organization course-corrected through a targeted mitigation plan that provided
clear hiring guidelines and workforce strategy directives. Key results included:
