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04/02/2009Management Culture in France

This handy guide from Expertise in Labour Mobility includes information on business hierarchy, negotiations, and etiquette.

Hierarchy

In France both business and political life are characterised by a strong hierarchical structure. Positions and the corresponding power are clearly defined. The status of an employee in France continues to depend on age, sex and of course corporate culture. When dealing with the French, you should stick to formal etiquette.

Respect for authority in French organisations is based on respect for competence. The PDG (Président Directeur Général) or ‘patron’ (general manager) will be expected to possess a strong authority and general expertise. Usually, the patron does not have any personal relationship with subordinates in or outside of the office. He/she is shielded by his/her secretary. Hence, if you try to contact people at top positions you always have to get past their secretary first!

Strategy

Strategies are usually developed on a long-term basis. The larger the company, the longer and the more elaborate the planning. Planning is done at the top of an organisation, never by the staff. The PDG decides what has to be done and depicts his/her ideas.

A vital part of communication in French organisations is partly hidden beneath a complex network of personal ties and alliances that helps people to get things done.

Beyond that, the French language often employs rhetoric and philosophical devices, as an indicator of education and status. The French like abstract reasoning, theories, and logic so much that it sometimes confuses straightforward, pragmatic thinkers, like for instance the British.



Meetings

The French hold meetings simply to discuss a certain subject at stake.

The time will be used to give instructions and to co-ordinate on-going actions. Important decisions are hardly ever made during the meeting itself.

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