It's never too late to read a book about culture. "French Management, Elitism in action" provides interesting insights into our business culture, especially for Chinese employees working in French companies. Despite almost 20 years since its publication in 1997, this Survey remains relevant.
I would only reduce the'authoritarianism' aspect which is lower than before, at least among middle level managers.
The book points on French paradoxes: "we have an apparent contradiction between French attitudes to orders (negative) and to power differences (positive), and between the desire to avoid uncertainty (positive) and uncritical acceptance of orders as the means to this end (negative)."
Not easy to grasp isn't it?
Let's start with highly elitist education system with grandes écoles. From an outsider point of view (Anglo) how strange it is to prepare top managers in engineering schools! "Does France really need supernumerate managers? In terms of subject matter the answer is probably no." But "math is deemed a faithful indicator of the ability to synthesize and to engage in complex abstract reasoning [...] The mind has been trained to grasp complex problems and assimilate new knowledge quickly. [...] perhps the most importance psychological asset which the grandes écoles confer upon their students is confidence. The atmosphere within the school prepare its incumbents with leadership."
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It might help us explain to the Chinese why "scientific-like" argumentation is crucial to convince a Cartesian French colleague.
Another cultural difference with Anglo saxon countries and China: in French job advertisements, compensation is missing. Not only because of a wider stigma surrounding money in Roman Catholic France, but also because salary has more to do with your degree than with your job. Typically adverstisement specify a particular type of education. The required credentials are generally given prominence in the ad, for example "Important groupe de BTP cherche son directeur du développement, formation supérieure HEC, ESTP... larges perspectives de carrière".
The ad also describe who you will report to (rattaché à...) that is the status of the position.
French ads are much likely to emphasize cerebral qualities (analytical mind, intellectual rigoour, ability to synthesize) while Anglo saxon ads stress drive, enthusiasm, hands-on approach and team orientation.
"Degree, it's the very first question you'll be asked" complains a German manager in a French compny. "What has he done?", "Where has she come from?"
A Spanish manager is astounded at the curiosity elicited by education: "Here, even outside the work setting, people want to know what school you graduated from."
American believe in self-improvement so managers are expected to assess their own training needs and seek out training opportunities. In France, no label earned at post-entry level will really make up for 'inadequacies' in pre-entry education. "Those who emerge from grandes écoles are considered formés à vie (trained for life). By virtue of the intellectual qualities brought out in them, they are deemed capable of confronting any problem."
As a result, "French managers consider it essential to be identified early as having high potential, and being sent on costly training course is a clear signal." However such courses often serve more to confirm managerial potential than to develop it...
instructors who teach both Anglo- saxon and French groups complain French executives often hve ahigher threshold of resistance to management education. They re described as "more cynical", 'less willing to play the game', 'slower to buy-in' and 'unwilling to make the necessary leap of faith'.
"The process often involves accepting one's weaknesses [...] For French managers, whose authorityis often based on Superior intellect, such self-revelation may be more threatening" than for senior Anglo-Saxon managers who might get credit from collegue for 'leading by example' or hving the 'character' to own up to faults. [...] The loss of face is therefore greater in France."
How close we are to the Chinese!
It's amazing to see how the Chinese really play the game in seminars and how strong they believe in vocational training's efficiency, provided it is not there to deny their status and legitimacy s managers.
In the next article we will del with Formalism and interpersonal distance in French work relations that bothers Chinese collegues so much....
