Light at the end of the tunnel Practical Reflections on the French and the British in Business
Cross Cultural Relations Forum French chamber of commerce in great britain
127 years of experience 600 member companies 75 patron members 50 events per year 300 French and British SMEs assisted A Board of 12 Directors An Advisory Council of 60 Members A Multicultural team of 30
Managing Director: Florence Gomez Project Manager: Nadia A. Ziani Project Coordinator: Jonathan Rosen Layout & Design: Prima Hevawitharane Printed by Headley Brothers Ltd
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Published by The French Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain Lincoln House 300 High Holborn London WC1V 7JH Tel: (020) 7092 6600 ; Fax: (020) 7092 6601 www.ccfgb.co.uk
Foreword
This booklet is designed to facilitate the French and British doing business together when they cross the Channel. It has been produced by the French Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain’s Cross Cultural Relations Forum set up in May 2009. The Forum is made up of a group of plain speaking nonacademic Franco-British business men and women, living and working in Great Britain, with extensive personal experience of working across both business cultures. The booklet is just a start. It seeks to increase mutual understanding, not least by initiating further discussion and debate. It does not try to be a definitive guide on Franco-British business relations nor a scholarly text. However, as members of the Forum, we were very conscious of how easy it is to misread behaviour when one is in an unfamiliar context. What is natural and obvious in one country may be exotic and strange in another. We have attempted to highlight how not giving and picking up the right signals can lead to poor communication just at the time when communication is key, perhaps with no second chances and when the business stakes are high. Rather than attempt to produce a formal guide, we therefore thought it best to choose a variety of topics which confront the business community daily and then, based on our personal experiences, share our own or commonly heard observations about how the French and British often behave and perceive each other. In this way the reader can get a sense of the assumptions that people may make about one another and what they think is normal – and then by using his or her own intelligence, figure out how best to interpret the other’s behaviour and adapt his or her own instincts to bridge the differences. As a result of this approach, we have not been scared of tackling stereotypes and generalisations which often contain some truth, but which can get in the way of understanding. Perceptions, even if untrue, can still have a real effect on business dealings. It was therefore decided to confront age-old jokes and covert insults and incorporate them into the text. Finally we recognise that these behaviours and ways of thinking are no more than a snapshot in a rapidly changing world. Things move on and this document will inevitably need to be revisited and amended over time. Please let us have your own observations, comments or criticisms. These can be emailed to the French Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain at forums@ccfgb.co.uk.
Members of the Cross Cultural Relations Forum London, August, 2010
Index
Foreword
1. Business Environment 1.1 Business Relationships
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1.2 Business Methodology
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1.3 Corporate Governance and the Role of the State
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1.4 Intérêt Général / Public Policy
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1.5 Le Patron (The Boss)
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1.6 Time Management
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1.7 Working Day, Social Events and Holidays
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1.8 Charities
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2. Negotiations, Meetings & Contracts / Legal Systems 2.1 Negotiations
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2.2 Meetings
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2.3 Contracts / Legal Systems
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3. Recruitment, People Management and Human Resources 3.1 Recruitment Process
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3.2 Outside Agencies
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3.3 CVs
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3.4 References
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3.5 Overall Employment Context
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3.6 Praise, Occurrence and Manner
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3.7 Appraisal Process
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4. Top Tips 4.1 For the British
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4.2 For the French
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4.2 For Both Business Cultures
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Part 1: business environment “France is a nation devoted to the false hypothesis on which it then builds marvellously logical structures”. Gore Vidal
“The French always place a school of thought, a formula, convention, a priori arguments, abstraction and artificiality above reality; they prefer clarity to truth, words to things, rhetoric to science”. Theodore Zeldin
“In a culture where direct display of feelings is suppressed, humour (in Britain) is a cover for embarrassment and aggression”. John Mole
“If the Lord God came to England and started expounding his beliefs, you know what the British would say? They’d say, “Oh come off it”. George Steiner
Topic
Observations about the English
Observations about the French
1.1 Business Relationships
Can do business with people they do not know but whom they believe to be competent; however it is not unusual to obtain an informal reference via personal networks.
Engage in business more easily with people they know well and have a relationship with, or people who are recommended.
Favour proven skills and judge on results.
Perceived as good team players. In the UK, schools will place value on team work; as a result the British spend a lot of time in groups.
Tend to take and implicitly trust the counsel of professional advisers at “face” value on the basis that it is a given that they are competent. Managers at many levels spend time at industry and professional networking events.
Favour proof of background and “origin” first (“école”, university, recommendations from others). Perceived as more independent and work less in teams. In French schools, children are taught to act and work individually, with less emphasis on team work. Can be very competitive within the same team. Are not afraid to challenge their professional advisers who may therefore need to be forceful in their counsel. Tendency for only the boss to spend time on networking; it is always preferable to have an introduction through a known third party.