FDJ internalizes change management with Role Crafting for Entreprise & Carrières

Interview with Pierre-Marie Argouarc’h for the weekly Entreprise et Carrières, explaining how FDJ relied on Grant Alexander, and more specifically the Role Crafting solution, to support change.

The company managing the lottery focuses on symmetry between customer experience and employee experience.

While recent crises have highlighted the strategic role of HR in companies, it still needs to be implemented daily. Pierre-Marie Argouarc’h, Director of Employee Experience and Transformation for FDJ (formerly Française des Jeux), has his own approach. “I don’t manage quantities,” he says, referring to the group’s 2,600 employees, “but talents. And I apply the same principle of external marketing with customers in terms of experience to offer the best possible journey to employees.”

Hence the name of his department. A transformation in all directions, transversal and, above all, integrated. While the company, which has exclusive rights in France for organizing and managing lotteries and sports betting, has recently expanded through acquisitions (Aleda and L’Addition, two management and payment software companies, then ZEturf), it is not only about integrating these entities but also about bringing all employees along toward a new future.

“It’s the entire employee journey that falls under a single responsibility.”
Pierre-Marie Argouarc’h, Director of Employee Experience and Transformation for FDJ

Where many organizations often call on external consultants, FDJ relied on the HR consulting and services group Grant Alexander, but “on an occasional basis,” continues Pierre-Marie Argouarc’h. Above all, he proposed to the group’s management to create an entity to support change. FDJ thus internalized change management within its department, notably creating new roles within HR: Change Partners and Human Business & Change Partners, who support all business units daily by combining HR actions and transformation. Subsequently, HR was expanded to include general services and employee IT.
“It’s the entire employee journey under a single responsibility, whether it’s career evolution, physical work environment, or the digital services used daily. This broad palette of levers ensures agility and performance,” specifies the director.

ON “ROLE CRAFTING”

“HR now has a new understanding of their function,” confirms Bruno Chaintron, Director of Organizational Transformation and HR at Grant Alexander. “They now anticipate transformations and adopt new methods to achieve them.”

The firm, when called in for support, emphasizes, following the philosophy developed by Pierre-Marie Argouarc’h, transversal collaboration and the desire to upskill employees, both individually and collectively.

“Change cannot be decreed,” adds this specialist. “We also intervene to defuse blockages and dispel concerns.” To this end, role crafting systems have been implemented, meaning the co-construction of the evolution of each person’s role within teams. This method is effective: once traditional roles are mapped, analyzed for potential evolution, and the new roles proposed and validated by management, the board, and HR, the resulting portfolio of tasks and skills is more balanced and satisfies 93% of employees.

Adopted by FDJ for three years, this method has enabled successful reorganization, cross-site collaboration, and innovation dynamism. It is accompanied by a telework agreement (employees have 100 telework days per year depending on period or work type, with manager agreement) and coaching on change management. Even better, “engagement rates rose from 87% in 2019 to 91% in 2021, with the Harris Interactive benchmark at 81%,” notes the Director of Employee Experience and Transformation.

Finally, FDJ’s philosophy contributes to a stronger employer brand, attracting more candidates. “We are obviously known to the general public and young people, but we also have a modern and dynamic image,” says Pierre-Marie Argouarc’h. Another attractive factor is that partial privatization allowed employees to invest in the company. Today, 91% hold shares (whose value has increased since 2020) and own 41% of the capital, further supporting FDJ’s development, notably internationally.

An article to be found in issue 1609, January 30 – February 5, 2023, of Entreprise & Carrières.