A small Movida air blows in French companies

"A small Movida air blows in French companies." Spanish managers are somewhat in the position of the French twenty years ago. "They are hungry, then the French are full," said Jean Luc Placet, President and CEO of the firm management IHRD.

In fact, the Spain of business grows its pawns in France, for example and in the MGB (Sacyr-Vallehermoso besieged Eiffage), and its patterns, everywhere, are popular in France. Starting with the very iconic José Luis Duran, President of the Executive Board of Carrefour, graduate of the Graduate School of management Madrid, Icade, is one of the young wolves of the CAC 40 (forty-one years ago), with the stock market welcomed the performance. Around him, a Board of Directors picked up five people: "Previously, fifteen people participated in the decisions that they sometimes called in question the very next day", he says. In essence, is a human decision, daring, and which goes quickly. Preferring to build stores over the headquarters, he breaks the baronies. He is pragmatic, also, hesitating, for example, to close the stores when they go wrong (Japan, Mexico, Spain or Brazil and soon Korea in the South) and to accelerate the pace of its openings ("it is not normal to open only two or three stores per year in the Brazil, Italy or Poland...") ("Crossroads must be able to open in several countries", said the "Figaro"). Finally, it is close to its employees, since he spent a third of his time on the ground, with teams, themselves now tightened.

Simplicity and natural

Would Iberian neighbours better managers "They have a warm approach and easily abounds, but they are quite complex, with a mixture of arrogance and machismo." "More faithful in friendship in business, they can show themselves performing, courageous, and earn to be known, despite their need to play the"conquistador"," explains Michael Boroian, the firm Sterling International, a habitué of the hunt for senior leaders in the field of luxury, fashion and distribution.

This is true, Josu Ugarte, President of Fagor Brandt, touch in at the outset. It is not without amusement, some differences between Spanish and French managers: "in our country, teams are small, while in France, more they are important, more that shows that the manager has the power.". Finally, we are reactive, but the French, know, better anticipate. This is evident in marketing: they know how to create values, they define better margins than we. "Josu Ugarte is also very close to the ground:" I was present, says its HRD, Bruno shoots, when he went to French sites to meet the teams. " They noted a real change in the style of management: a strong presence, a genuine commitment and especially great humility. Thus, he immediately accepted the fact that he did not know the specific framework of French law, and he asked to learn. He has also spoken very simply, and not because of language difficulties. "Simplicity and a natural highlights readily Federico Gonzales, Vice President marketing of Euro Disney Europe, based in Paris:" If there is a problem to be solved, the annual meeting of the "business plan" are not expected to raise. "

"There is less stress in us than in other countries", explains Jaumes Tapies, the new President of the hotel chain Relais & Châteaux association law 1901, 17,000 employees (453 houses). Andorran, he was born in the hotel of his grandparents, he leads today after having worked in Italy, England, in Ireland, Spain, in Germany, in Switzerland and then to the Portugal. He studied several languages, travelled extensively, and when he returned, windowless experiences, has benefited from significant facilities in succession to his parents: "transmission costs are not critical, as in France, and the procedure is simple." At the time, just as in Italy, many patterns have started small, in family businesses. "What does preclude not today be in stock, as Gecina, the real estate investment firm", continues the hotelier.

Listening and confidence

Advantage: "the world of business Spanish is very young," said Josu Ugarte. Anxious young above all effectiveness, a few Anglo-Saxon. "One of my first decisions, continues Jaumes Tapies, has been investing in screens for teleconferencing, to avoid some travel. Which does not prevent him to go to the affiliated houses, as President for six months, he visited 80 in the world. Efficiency through pragmatism. Federico Gonzales, the biggest difference between these neighbors on both sides of the Pyrenees is the Spanish ability to decode the reality in a simple manner and practical. A hear it, you start small, with a simple strategy, intuition, little personal ambition, but a lot of agility, as Josu Ugarte: "one is accustomed to have few specialists, but it has little importance, because it is the result which counts more than the means of achieving." At the time, the discussions are more open, more transparent and better shared information. And it has a huge ability of listening and trust: indeed, in Spain a decision is always made by person who made the analysis. "In contrast to the France where the hierarchy appropriates the PowerPoint and the findings of the small hands.

Conquistadors Spanish managers Or even. They are particularly curious, want to understand and discover. A lesson to be taken.