Au Contraire!: Figuring Out the French - By Gilles Asselin and Ruth Mastron
Date read: 2017-08-12How strongly I recommend it: 9/10
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Great book for understanding the differences and similarities between the French and American cultures. Highly recommended for anyone working extensively with French employees or expats.
Contents:
- FRENCH CULTURE
- POLITICS
- RELIGION
- VALUES
- FAMILY VALUES
- PARENTING
- EDUCATION
- RELATIONSHIPS
- MANNERISMS
- BUSINESS CULTURE
- WORK ETHIC
- PRESENTATIONS & MEETINGS
- PROBLEM SOLVING & DECISION MAKING
- CUSTOMER SERVICE
- MANAGEMENT
- ADVICE FOR EXPATS
My Notes
French cultural values, behaviors, and attitudes differ markedly from those in the United States.
At the core of the French welcome has been the assumption that foreigners arriving in France can and should assimilate to French culture.
In a well-known 1976 book, Le mal français (The Trouble with France), author Alain Peyrefitte points out that the inability of France to learn from other cultures is one of its most persistent ailments.
Americans often see their model of democracy, freedom, and economic opportunity as a beacon that can inspire the progress of other nations. The French tend to see their social model as the one other countries should adopt in order to protect human dignity, human rights, and quality of life.
French Icons:
French heroes reflect the importance of doing something great for the people or the nation.
French teens are as tech-savvy as their counterparts anywhere, and French SMS language (or textese) continues to develop and to puzzle older generations.
Deeply conservative yet avant-garde, dispassionately rational yet given to wildly dramatic outbursts of anger or affection, reserved with strangers yet passionate romantics: the French take in rationalism and logic with their mother’s milk, and yet France presents paradox upon paradox.
In official documents and tourist information pamphlets, an actual geometric hexagon often serves as a visual shorthand for France, and summaries of domestic news in the media are headlined simply L’Hexagone. The clarity and precision of geometric borders are reassuring for the French, giving them a firm sense of where they stand, figuratively as well as literally.
The French think of themselves as supremely rational beings—logical and intellectual. They have a high regard for reasoning, and their schooling, particularly secondary education, places a premium on philosophy regardless of the student’s area of specialization.
Paris is not just the capital but virtually the center of the French universe. All roads—and railways, for that matter—lead to Paris.
Compared with the United States, French ethics are not set in stone and tend to be applied in a very contextual manner, taking into account all variables involved.
The way the result is obtained may be more important than the result itself, particularly if an individual displays a great deal of cleverness and panache in the process.
Many Americans are struck by how well the French dress themselves and their children.
Even popping out for a baguette at the boulangerie (bakery) around the corner may require proper dress, hairstyle, and makeup
Violent confrontation is not necessarily a loss of harmony in a group; rather, argument serves to move things along and prevent boredom and stagnation.
What interests the French is not what people have in common, but their differences—vive la différence! Uniformity is dull; difference, exciting. Standardization is seen as stifling to individuality, an unacceptable attempt to impose mindless conformity.
The French have not accepted gracefully the decline in importance of French as a world language and have looked darkly at the progress of English as the international lingua franca. Many French people feel that everyone should aspire to speak French.
The key to the upper reaches of French society is education. The French Revolution essentially replaced an aristocratic class based on bloodlines with an aristocracy of educational degrees.
The American habit of being instantly on firstname terms with total strangers strikes the French as invasive and presumptuous. French culture prescribes a more formal and modest behavior style, especially when meeting someone for the first time.
Reserve, self-restraint, and formality show a degree of modesty since this type of behavior doesn’t assume we’ll get on famously.
The past in France is immediate and important. The present is seen as the link between the past and the future; the future is the continuation of the past, so all three are inextricably interwoven.
To the French, history, continuity, and tradition are critical to their conception of themselves and their culture. These things are not to be taken lightly or discarded easily. Change is not seen as intrinsically good, as it tends to be viewed in the United States. The French are willing to change, but only if they can see a logical reason to do so; the benefits of the change must clearly outweigh the loss of security and continuity.
Though they may recognize a bit grudgingly the role of the United States as leader of the world, the French prefer to go their own way when they can rather than be seen as blindly following the American lead.
French society values thought and ideas for their own sake. They may or may not have any practical application, and either way is fine. For the pragmatic, “can-do” Americans, this attitude is hard to understand and even more difficult to appreciate.
In general, French people tend to be more concerned with who they are, individually and socially, than with what they can do or what they have achieved.
The French value individuality: the right to be different, to express one’s opinions and, most importantly, the subtle art of standing out from the rest of the group while remaining part of it.
“On a personal level, I don’t care if my cigarette smoke irritates you, but I will hold up the other end of your protest banner as we march together against the government!”
The wide range of books on “self-help” in any American bookstore would puzzle a French person accustomed to a different and more relational support system, and would certainly raise the question, “Why do Americans need so much help from themselves?”
French society tends to look down on pride (fierté) when expressed at the personal level; being praised by others is fine (though not very common), but praising oneself highly generally leads you into trouble.
The French value personal honor and integrity above all. A French person’s honor refers both to his or her personal pride and to notions of individual dignity.
In France if one becomes known as a liar, one’s reputation is tarnished and, as a result, that person may never again be taken seriously.
The French personality is like a solid house surrounded by a beautiful formal garden and protected by a high wall in which are set pieces of [jagged] glass. It is difficult to get in the gate, but once you are inside, you are cordially received in a fascinating atmosphere. One is overwhelmed. Then the problem arises about how you’re going to get out.
We often use the metaphor of a coconut and a peach to contrast French and American personalities. The coconut has a tough and not very appealing shell that contains pleasant meat and liquid within. The peach, on the other hand, is soft and inviting but has a hard core that is difficult or impossible to get into.
Talking about one’s private life, or personal or family problems, to a person you do not know intimately would be considered inappropriate and weak, not to mention shallow.
Unlike Americans, the French don’t seem to make a connection between a person’s attitude and actions in his or her private life and what might happen in public.
Politics is more of an everyday affair in France than in the United States and is an eternal source of conversation and debate.
Even if they disagree with the opinions expressed, French citizens expect politicians to be educated, cultured, and articulate.
Women were given the right to vote in France in 1944, and a woman votes under her maiden name all her life.
Women in the National Assembly has reached 18.5 percent. This is a record high and yet France (like the U.S.) lags behind many countries in terms of women’s representation in politics.
Separation of church and state is another precious republican value of the French. Since 1905, when church and state were officially split, many French citizens have been eager to keep the church away from any influence in the country’s affairs.
Church and state are separated in France to the extent that the state does not even recognize religious ceremonies as legal marriages. A priest or other clergy can marry only in the name of the Lord, not of the state. A couple must first be married legally by the local mayor or the mayor’s representative. If the couple or their parents want a religious ceremony, it takes place later.
Système D in France refers to the unofficial and possibly unorthodox method for getting things done or turning things around. It is a process of using relationships, connections, specific people, or knowledge to get information and to make things happen.
Bureaucratic rules and regulations in France unnecessarily compliquent l’existence (complicate one’s existence). Rather than direct confrontation with an implacable wall, the French often prefer a flanking maneuver.
In France, religion is virtually synonymous with Catholicism.
Religious events and milestones are often more important as family traditions than as spiritual ones.
Estimated number of minorities in mainland France, with a total population of 62,400,000:
The American ideal of valuing diversity and identifying difference as strength is in direct conflict with the French goal of assimilation into the cultural mold.
The French ideal is seen as a goal to be aimed for but which cannot by its nature be achieved.
People are expected to do their best and to achieve as much as they are capable of, but this capacity does not include perfection.
From the French perspective, minor problems or deviations from the ideal are quite normal and acceptable and do not necessarily mean total failure or indeed failure at all.
There is a tendency in French society to put the expert (be it the teacher, boss, or possibly parents) above the non-expert, because of her level of knowledge or at times for fear of disturbing the person or putting her in a bad light.
In virtually every large supermarket in France, you find shopping carts with a coin-operated security system. Putting a one-or two-euro coin into a slot on top of the handle allows you to unlock it. If you do not return the caddy, you simply do not get your money back. Experience has shown long ago that carts not protected by this deposit tend to end up in people’s homes or gardens.
The French tendency is to oppose virtually everything. Opposition creates friction, discussion, debates, even fights, and possibly value, but generally hard-won value.
The French are not as likely as Americans to relocate away from their families and, when it is economically possible, prefer to stay in the same geographic area.
The concept of family tends to include extended family as well, often three or four generations.
Families often gather for the sacred tradition of Sunday lunch, either in the parents’ home or in a local restaurant.
Family time is so important in France that people rarely sacrifice it for additional income.
If you are invited to a French family meal, you become part of this social circle. All guests gather around the same table, sharing the same food and the same conversation in most cases, depending on the size of the table. A French meal can last for hours, and five-to six-hour meals for special family occasions such as an engagement, first communion, or baptism are common.
Being from a family with a good reputation is an advantage in many situations in France, while membership in a disreputable family may be an impediment.
In very general terms, American child rearing emphasizes the child first, while French child rearing emphasizes the family and society, and to some extent the child.
French parents are no less doting or loving than Americans, but they see their role as training and socializing the child to adapt to the adult world.
Children who misbehave in public in France reflect poorly on their parents and their child-rearing abilities. They have a responsibility to society to control and socialize their children, and total strangers may feel free to remind them of this by commenting on a child’s behavior, or even by scolding the child themselves, since the parents are not fulfilling their duty.
Parents do not normally take active roles in their children’s clubs, which are subsidized and run by local municipalities. French mothers and fathers are not expected to be Girl Scout troop leaders, Little League coaches, and so on.
French adults generally consider that the child’s interests and needs in most cases should not supersede adult concerns and, accordingly, teach the child to understand and accept limitations on his or her sphere of action and expression. By not allowing children to interrupt, French adults help them to learn proper manners and behavior. Such knowledge is essential to their success in school and in adult life.
French parents do not suggest that their children make some pocket money mowing the neighbors’ lawns or shoveling their sidewalks as American parents might do. There is little possibility in France—compared with the United States—for becoming a wealthy, nationally recognized person through one’s own efforts.
School is the most important of a French child’s activities. How the child performs and masters knowledge in the early grades will determine to a large extent what he or she will achieve later in life.
Parents are usually heavily involved in their children’s schooling, particularly in higher grades, and closely supervise their progress. To a certain extent, a student’s lack of preparation or poor results reflects badly on the parents.
French public schools, on the other hand, are considered the reserved domain of teachers and the state. Parent-teacher associations exist, but parents are not directly involved in their child’s school life.
The way in which French children are taught to think and learn tends to stay with them as adults. To a large extent, they expect superiors to be experts and to have the information required. A manager who asks subordinates how to solve a problem is not likely to be held in high regard.
French students make important decisions about their future much earlier than Americans do, and changing majors during the equivalent of American undergraduate study is uncommon in France, except in the case of failure.
Engineering thus retains an exceptionally high status in French culture and is usually the core function in any industrial company.
The French, with their passion for classification, have very clear boundaries for their relationships with specific people in specific situations.
French neighbors are not automatically counted as friends or even as acquaintances. Because most French people, particularly in large cities, lack the personal space that Americans take for granted, rules—written and unwritten—exist to protect people’s privacy.
A good French neighbor does not disturb others, follows rules concerning common areas of the building, and generally keeps a low profile.
It is not normally expected that people who work together will develop close friendships. It’s fine if workmates do happen to become friends—and it indeed happens—but there is no expectation that they will nor is there any obligation to do so.
Close friendships are rarely made across social classes.
French friends are often made early in life, at school or university, in the workplace to a lesser extent, and, until 1997, during the mandatory military service for men.
Friends in France operate according to the unspoken rule, “Say what you mean and mean what you say.” They expect promises to be followed up and do not understand that “I’ll give you a call” or “We’ll get together sometime for lunch” in the United States can easily mean “We may never see each other again.”
Friends in France may also share specific activities or tasks, but they do not always feel the need to do so; simply being together is enough.
French friends do not seek to maintain harmony but rather to cultivate distinction and avoid boredom. They expect to disagree, to criticize, even to argue.
As an American looking to make French friends, you would do well not to rush the process. Take your cue for pacing from your French acquaintance, and try not to “come on too strong” in the early stages. Remember the implicit personal commitment inherent in French friendships, and either take it seriously from the beginning or make it clear you are not interested.
Asking the French to behave in a gender-neutral fashion is like asking them not to breathe. Rather than trying to erase or eliminate gender differences, both Frenchmen and women prefer to emphasize them.
In French culture there is no equivalent to the concept of a date and no parallel in what we can call the courtship ritual.
In France, a woman who agrees to go out with a man is considered to be past that initial stage. She and the man have, in effect, agreed that they want to see more of each other.
Admission into the respective family cercles is often an important development in the formation of a new couple.
“I was born in Paris, but my family is from Auvergne” is a way for a French person to give information about his or her background without entering the personal sphere. The conversation may involve regional accents, food and wines, vacation spots, and other details.
You’ll know you’ve been admitted to a French person’s inner circle when you are invited to share a family dinner at your colleague’s home.
French posture and body attitudes may appear stiff and restrained to Americans, while Americans’ casual posture and stance appear sloppy and uncultured to the French.
People who swing their arms when walking, speak to someone with their hands in their pockets or while chewing gum, tip back their chair, or put their feet on desks or chairs are considered to be lacking in respectfulness and good manners in France.
Men generally hold doors open for women and let them through first: “Après vous, je vous en prie” (“After you, please”). Gallantry is still very much appreciated and is a proof of good upbringing, education, and savoir-vivre.
Kisses on the cheeks (la bise, se faire la bise) are common in social settings between women, between men and women, and between adults and children, but rarely between men (except for close relatives).
The French tend to display their emotions more openly in the workplace, particularly if these emotions are negative. Emotional outbursts in most French workplaces, while not encouraged, are normally accepted as part of everyday life. They allow people to blow off steam in a harmless way and rarely escalate to physical violence.
Being polite to strangers is not a virtue in France.
Americans need to show an interest in the history of the company they are dealing with or acquiring and acknowledge the company’s heritage and traditions that give its employees a sense of identity and security.
By involving experienced and company-seasoned people in the process of defining a new direction and future, the new management shows both respect and appreciation for what has been achieved thus far.
Americans work approximately two hundred more hours per year than the French, or about twenty-five eight-hour days.
The French work to live. They are more likely to introduce themselves in terms of where they live or have lived, their family’s roots, what school they went to (especially if it is a prestigious one), and personal interests such as the type of music or books they prefer. In short, French people tend to make a much looser connection between who they are and what they do.
The French admiration for things intellectual corresponds to a devaluing of manual labor.
All employees receive by law at least five weeks of paid vacation per year. Depending on a company’s policies and scheduling needs, the maximum allowable time off in one stretch is twenty-four working days.
French vacations may last two to four weeks, in contrast to the American practice of taking vacation as long weekends or a week at a time, at most.
The desertion of Paris for the entire month of August is legendary, and much of the nation’s business is virtually shut down as well.
If a holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, the French often take Monday or Friday off as well, whether paid or not, to gain a four-day weekend. The number of holidays in May (three to four), combined with les ponts, can make for a very light work month.
French people are not risking core concepts of self on their job performance, and their approach is therefore less intense. French managers may work late or on weekends to complete an urgent project, while subordinates generally leave at the usual time and get back to the project the following morning.
French resumés are more straightforward, a relatively unembellished listing of raw data such as position held and dates of employment. Personal details such as age, marital status, number of children, and possibly a photo are often included. The message here is, “Do you think the position your company is offering might suit me?”
In France, the feeling is that education, credentials, professional background, and skills may not be enough; personality and temperament matter as much as qualifications.
Nearly 87 percent of French employees (22.1 million) are protected under the terms of a Contrat à Durée Indeterminée (CDI), which makes it relatively difficult to fire them, sometimes even if they do not perform. The remaining 13 percent work as temps, apprentices, or under a Contrat à Durée Determinée (CDD), which specifies the period of employment and generally protects the worker from being dismissed before the time is over.
Workers can be fired or laid off for two reasons only: either a faute grave (serious fault) or for economic reasons (restructuring, merger, etc.). Even in these cases, it may be extremely difficult to get rid of someone.
Dignity in France, and especially social dignity, is closely related to the concept of solidarity. French citizens need to support one another against negative forces that dehumanize individuals and deprive them of their dignity—for example, unemployment.
The French feel that work is important and provides people with a sense of social dignity, but top management had better not tell them how to behave or what to think.
While the French tend to be more respectful of hierarchy and more accepting of authority, they do not hesitate to voice their opinion to those occupying the highest levels.
The fact that workers generally cannot be fired for such outspokenness (only sent to the voie de garage or closet at worst) may encourage workers to speak up.
If a French person doesn’t like you, he or she isn’t going to do business with you.
Family matters are normally part of a French person’s private space and kept quite distinct from the public sphere at work. Personal details concerning spouses, children, and other family members—including boyfriends or girlfriends—tend not to be discussed openly in the workplace.
At work, as in friendship and love, the French are usually not afraid of confrontation and are ready to voice their opinion, sometimes bluntly. To them, confrontation can be a positive way to bridge differences between people and does not necessarily alter their relationship.
In the French workplace a closed door may signify nothing more than a need for privacy and tranquility. Interruptions are almost always welcome, and one need only knock on the door before going right in.
When Americans provide clear and detailed explanations or instructions, the French may feel they are being treated like children.
A French employee who receives “too much” information from colleagues and superiors may feel that he or she is considered incompetent or untrustworthy. This type of detailed information strikes the French as spoon-feeding.
Before discussing business or technical matters, establish rapport by spending a moment on nonbusiness subjects.
While jobs in the private sector tend to pay more, French people attach more prestige to working in large state-owned companies and in public administration.
In France the fixed salary is usually all one gets, with the performance of the company, the department, or the individual being a minor factor in determining compensation, if it enters into the calculation at all.
In France, the relationship tends to drive the business. With a good relationship, many of the French “C’est impossible!” objections simply dissolve but, without one, it may be virtually impossible to get the business off the ground or get a response to a question, urgent or not.
France: show me first!—default mode is to trust only when a person is known and has demonstrated trustworthiness.
Notion of trust more implicit in French culture—embedded in the concept of knowing someone; “I know him,” may also mean “I trust him.”
American and other Anglo-Saxon cultures tend to be monochronic: people focus on one thing at a time and concentrate exclusively on the task at hand. French people tend to be polychronic. They do many things at once, hop back and forth from task to task, are easily distracted and interrupted without necessarily being irritated, and look at a schedule as a flexible guideline concerning what might happen.
“The French are not deadline-conscious like we are in the U.S. If I say to someone ‘I need this within two hours,’ it’s like asking them to crucify their mother”
A good way to find common ground on deadline issues might be to examine why and how the time frame has been established and what the consequences might be if a deadline is missed.
The notion of urgency resonates better with the French when it is associated with the urgent need of a colleague rather than a vague urgency around a particular date.
The French do not necessarily feel they are wasting time when the process slows down or even when they are not working toward a specific goal.
In France, information is used as a source of power and control much more than in the United States. Managers and team members may withhold information to bestow on an individual rather than share openly with the team.
Contrary to popular belief, French teams can work together. They just don’t look like anybody else’s team when they do. The team leader in France has an explicitly directive role, which is mainly to match assignments to people and to ensure that everything runs smoothly. After everyone has enjoyed a thorough exchange of ideas and conversation—in other words, a French meeting—each team member is given a particular task, which he or she then goes off to complete. Eventually, the team leader assembles all the bits into the finished product.
The French competitive drive appears much weaker than it is among Americans. Most probably, one of the reasons for this French behavior is the absence of a strong drive to win. It is more worthwhile in the eyes of the French public to participate than to win. It is more important for the French to lose with panache than to win without class and style.
Corporate programs to recognize the “Number 1 Team” or the “Employee of the Month” strike the French as excessive, silly, and serving to reinforce the shallow side of American incentive or reward management
The French tend to prefer a more personal form of recognition, such as being invited to lunch by their manager or a low-key recognition in the context of a smaller group, rather than appearing in the limelight.
Before taking a risk, French employees will carefully assess the possible effects of failure on their reputation and career, and they often conclude that the risk is not worth it—which leads to the perpetuation of an unchallenged status quo. A common French saying is, “On n’a pas le droit à l’erreur.” (“You have no right to make a mistake.”) If you make a mistake, you generally try to prevent people from finding out, as this would cause you to lose face—and possibly your position, depending on the severity of the mistake or failure.
Americans, who play things strictly by the book, are seen by the French as unnecessarily rigid, plodding, and unimaginative. Doing things exactly according to the rules is dull and conformist. It also makes life more difficult and tiresome than necessary.
The French try to avoid being caught short and having to improvise on the fly. A good way to reduce risk is to be ready for any eventuality by being thoroughly prepared. The French feel that, armed with complete, detailed information, they can handle any situation that arises. And they will do this, like every other task, by using logic, logic, and logic.
They need to show you they are made of stern intellectual stuff, and they usually do this in a combative, in-your-face way. Paradoxically, they can also be charming while they’re doing it.
The French usually begin a business negotiation by “setting the stage” with a series of general considerations and statements before getting down to the details.
The French do not understand the notion of a level playing field. Whoever has a dominant position or knows any critical information would be foolish not to take advantage of it.
French business ethics depend on the context and the people you are dealing with.
The French want to work well and produce something of high quality. And for them, this simply takes a certain amount of time and no less. Speeding up the process can be done only by cutting corners, and quality will inevitably suffer.
It can be helpful to establish what level of quality will be “good enough” for the task at hand.
From primary school on, students are expected to aim for perfection, even though achieving it is impossible. This training stays with them in the workplace, and submitting a project in an “unfinished” state really goes against the grain.
In conversation French people prefer to make their points quite directly but in well-phrased, articulate arguments.
The French generally feel that the “meat” of a discussion or presentation (la substance) should speak for itself.
The elaborate American brochure might be seen as an attempt to mask a lack of substance with glitter and flash.
French presenters, on the other hand, see slides as their primary method of conveying information, and tend to put everything they want to say and discuss into this written format. During the presentation, they may simply read the slides to the audience.
The purpose of a business meeting in France when different hierarchical levels are present is often not to make a decision but rather to collect information and feedback so that the person in charge can make the appropriate decision with all the cards in his or her hands.
In large international meetings, French employees, in contrast to their usual energetic participation in smaller groups, have a tendency to be reserved and are hesitant to express their ideas and opinions.
This reluctance to speak up in large meetings may come from feeling intimidated by the hierarchy, a lack of public speaking skills (not taught in French schools), and low self-confidence in speaking a foreign language in public.
Much important feedback may come informally afterward, when the French participants have had an opportunity to have a discussion with their colleagues or with the presenter or team leader in private.
The French tend to scan each situation intensely, looking for any clue that might help them to understand everything that is going on. A look that passes between two people at a meeting can indicate to other participants that they have already dealt with a particular issue behind the scenes and that nothing more need be said about it. In a similar manner, a slight pass of the fingernails over the cheek can communicate to a colleague, “I’m about to pass out from boredom here!”
French culture tends to be high context: much of the communication is implicit, so people need to have certain shared knowledge and assumptions to understand what is not specified—which explains the importance of strong, time-tested relationships.
French culture tends to be high context - much of the communication is implicit, so people need to have certain shared knowledge and assumptions to understand what is not specified - which explains the importance of strong, time-tested relationships.
American culture tends to be quite low-context communication - all necessary information is provided in the linguistic message: everything is spelled out in detail.
E-mail might be an efficient way to speed up communication and reduce costs. However, keep in mind that such a communication tool will sometimes rub the French the wrong way because of its casualness and absence of proper form. It should not take the place of a personal call; if possible, try to avoid e-mail until after a good relationship has been established.
Many French people do not agree with the American tendency to allow newer communication technologies to eliminate polite frills such as greetings and salutations in virtual conversations. Brutally getting down to business in a virtual situation is likely to frustrate the French, at the very minimum.
When calling a French colleague to confirm a meeting date, an appointment, or some other important matter, it’s generally a good idea to follow up with a fax, memo, or e-mail.
Be clear about deadlines and notions of urgency. When requesting information or assigning tasks, don’t just announce deadlines. Explain why the document is needed by that date, how it fits into the overall project sequence, and what the consequences of missing the deadline will be.
Rephrase or reword key terms or sentences to ensure understanding, particularly when you are using technical vocabulary.
On the phone, speak slowly and avoid jargon and colloquialisms. Give your colleagues enough time to process the information.
“The point of a meeting is not to get through the agenda. The point of a meeting is to find out who feels what. It is not the place to make decisions.”
Certain people may always come in late, others might always sit next to each other, power blocs coalesce and dissolve, and side conversations or comments might even take place during a presentation.
It can be very difficult for them to focus, American-style, on one speaker at a time.
When you begin a presentation in the U.S., you know that you will be able to go through your material point by point right to the end. In France you scarcely have time to begin before somebody interrupts you; you can’t even get to your third slide.
The typical American presentation starts out with a story or a joke. In France such icebreakers are not necessary and you can get straight to the point more rapidly. People might not understand the point of a story, especially if its purpose is just to engage the participants and it doesn’t relate to what follows.
The substance and conclusions (le fond) of a presentation are far more important to the French than the materials (la forme) you use.
The French tend to suspect that slick or razzle-dazzle presentations are trying to cover up a lack of substance.
French Presentation Style General Approach
Advice for Americans Presenting to the French:
Intellectual mastery of an issue is very important in France; results are what matter in the United States.
The French must have the proper démarche, the right intellectual approach to a problem. Démarche refers to the way people reason and think before acting.
The French do not conceive of the world as being restricted to a few boxes, whatever their content or format, and resent being pigeonholed.
The French, on the other hand, take to heart the message, “look before you leap.” They are in no hurry to implement a plan and prefer to map things out completely before taking action.
Only when they have an intellectual control of all aspects of a plan do they feel confident enough to implement it.
If France were a person, she might be a wise old woman deserving of respect for the gifts she has given humanity through the ages.
Successfully adapting to another culture means you will need to find an effective hybrid and synergistic style of management.
Minor conflicts are usually best resolved by sitting down privately with the persons involved, provided that they are more or less on the same hierarchical level.
More serious conflicts, or those between people at very unequal levels, may require the intervention of a mediator or go-between. In this case, the mediator may speak privately with each individual and bring them together later. In any case, the French tend to resist conflict solutions imposed by authority alone—particularly the authority of a foreigner.
Decisions tend to come from on high, and consensus building is rarely an important part of making a decision. French managers take into account individual ideas and contributions from meetings and other discussions but do not necessarily include them in the final decision. And, of course, the discussion does not always end just because a decision has been announced.
The French need to explore every avenue intellectually and practically before they can fill in the gaps. They try to gather as much information as possible before making an important decision.
When trying to solve a problem, Americans tend to look immediately for solutions. The French, on the other hand, try first to understand the causes of the problem. Only when they feel sure they understand why and how the problem occurred do they feel prepared to solve it.
A system that is too complex or too inconvenient in the United States must be simplified. The goal is to promote process improvement and take the waste out of the system. In any case, the rules are usually respected. In a similar situation, the French reaction is to go around the problem using Système D. When faced with an obstacle, the French person typically looks for a way around it and seldom attacks the problem head-on.
French people often explain why they were late or wrong whereas Americans care more about action plans and strategies to repair what is broken.
French people are afraid of failure; that is why they need to explain why they fail when they do, and they must think several times about a decision before diving in.”
People outside your cercle—those you don’t know, customers who are not regulars, for example—are treated with an impersonality that strikes Americans as glacially rude.
Americans are shocked by what they see as poor customer service. But the issue is not how you define service, rather how you define a customer. To a French person, a customer is a regular, someone with whom he has an established relationship—perhaps even someone whose father or grandfather was a regular in the shop when it belonged to his father or grandfather.
The French shopkeeper or restaurant owner is a proud person and demands respect from clients.
Forget what you’ve learned in the U.S. about “the customer is king.” Learn to play the French game where you have to please the shop owner because he has what you need or want. He is the king you need to court. You’re certainly not on a pedestal and you shouldn’t take anything for granted. Above all, be polite. If you play the game right and are a little more subservient than in the U.S., you’ll be treated very nicely and you’ll enjoy it. If necessary and possible, challenge people to perform. For example, tell the plumber, “I have a problem that no one will ever be able to fix—no one!”
Americans say they don’t like hierarchy but they respect it. French people like hierarchy but they don’t respect it.
Confessing one’s ignorance is usually perceived to be a sign of weakness, and it would most likely be associated with a loss of face or credibility.
The boss is most emphatically not “one of the guys” and is not expected to get down in the trenches with everyone else. His or her role is usually to make the decisions and then send in the troops.
Many nonmanagerial French employees are not particularly interested in growing on the job, nor do they often get the chance. They may prefer un petit boulot tranquille (a peaceful little job) that allows them to earn enough money, is not too demanding, and leaves plenty of time for family, friends, and vacation.
Given the French tendency not to promote personal growth on the job, French employees at American companies might react positively to development opportunities.
Young French mid- and lower-level managers adapt to certain American management practices quite well: more delegation of authority, more empowerment of subordinates, greater information flow, wider involvement in decision making, and greater respect for the individual.
Managers do not concern themselves with employees’ feelings of self-esteem, nor do they stress positive comments as a means of motivation. American-style praise such as “Terrific job!” or “Awesome report!” strikes the French as overkill.
A French manager in the United States who appraises his or her employees according to French standards will probably be seen as a slave driver and impossible to please. Similarly, an American manager giving American-style positive appraisals in France may be seen as hypocritical or undemanding.
Because of the hierarchical nature of the French workplace, 360-degree feedback (where employees are evaluated by peers and subordinates as well as supervisors) is unlikely to work well there. In a traditional French company, it is inconceivable that a subordinate would be asked to provide feedback about his or her supervisor. Most French employees would also be concerned that their evaluation might be used against them or have other negative consequences.
Imagine for a moment that all Americans are provided with yellow sunglasses. No one notices them as anything special because everyone has them. What makes the sunglasses yellow is the unique set of values, attitudes, beliefs, and assumptions that Americans have in common. In France, everyone is also provided with sunglasses, but the sunglasses are blue. When Americans are traveling to France, for instance, they believe all they have to do is acquire some blue sunglasses in order to learn about French culture, to see and understand the “real” France. They are then convinced when they come back that they do know French culture—and it’s green!
Before we are open and free to learn about another culture (and put on their sunglasses) we have to remove our own, so that our interpretation of the new culture will not be “colored” or filtered by our own values, attitudes, and beliefs. We are not here to judge another culture, but to learn about it. We need to develop “double vision” or the ability to see more than one side of an idea.
You may encounter an initial barrier of distrust until you prove yourself. The French tend not to involve themselves very rapidly in any endeavor, personal or professional. Before trust develops, there is always a period of observation that, for Americans, may seem to last forever.
The time you devote initially to building personal relationships is well spent.
I am an American who tries to set off little fires and expects people to contribute fuel to them until we get a good bonfire going and decide what we are going to cook with it. I realize that I have made this mistake before with people who really want to decide on the menu before starting the fire.
Americans need to:
Learn the language, learn the language, learn the language. Just learn it! The importance of speaking French cannot be overstated. It will open doors for you, build credibility, and get you through initial rounds of observation much more rapidly. Learning the language is vital for American expatriates to succeed in France. Above all, it is a mark of respect toward the people and the culture.
A little humility and a healthy respect for the host culture will go a long way in neutralizing this problem. For example, even if you don’t speak much or any French, don’t start right off in English. Begin with a brief disclaimer in French, such as “Pardon, je ne parle pas bien le français” (“Sorry, I don’t speak French well”), or with a polite “Parlez-vous anglais?” (“Do you speak English?”)
If you must speak English with your French colleagues, adapt your language to their level of understanding. Speak simply but not simplemindedly. Keep in mind that most French people learn British English in school and may be more used to British accents and expressions.
The French will rarely openly admit that they don’t understand; it would cause them a loss of face. This can result in serious misunderstandings that you discover only later.
Don’t be afraid to rephrase your sentences and get feedback about your listeners’ understanding of the discussion by asking open-ended questions.
Show you can mix work efficiency with an enjoyment of life, allowing for more quality time in the workplace. Enjoy the French tradition of long vacations and appreciate French food, social life, and the many other little pleasures that make a difference.
Upon arrival, spend a lot of time building rapport with your French colleagues. Put your personal convictions on hold and learn how things work and how people interact in the French environment.
Become skilled at observing people and the way they interact. Postpone judgment until you understand the situation, the people, and their motives.
Competence and performance are not the only considerations for being a successful manager in France. Your personal background, seniority, education, and other intangible elements, such as your personal network of information sources, might play at least an equally important role.
The American cowboy management style—“Ready, aim, fire!” (or worse, “Ready, fire, aim!” as in Rorer’s “directionally correct” philosophy)—is virtually guaranteed to irritate and alienate the French.
Be patient in dealing with the French thinking process and appreciate its advantages; also note its limitations. Look for ways to combine the French desire for analysis and “thinking things through to the end” and the U.S. imperative for action. Blend the strengths of both cultures, leading French theory to practice and ensuring that American actions are based on solid reasoning.
The French do not share the American sense of urgency to accomplish tasks. Therefore, you need to establish deadlines that everyone can realistically meet and feel comfortable with. It will definitely take more time to get things done in France than in the United States, so it is essential to allow for this in project planning and management.
Don’t embarrass employees by making them lose face in front of their colleagues. If things are not going well with someone, see the person privately and fix the problem between the two of you.
Evaluating people according to American standards will undermine your credibility as a manager and create discrepancies with other teams or departments. Learn first about local practices and seek advice from your French or American peers if necessary.
A lot of information is carried out in nonverbal ways (non-dits, or “unspoken”), and the power networks and politics in French corporate settings make it even harder for Americans to adjust.
Expatriation is a three-pronged challenge. You must perform your job functions. You must learn not just a new language but also new ways of thinking—and get the work done at the same time. In addition, your family will need more attention and support than at home.
The first few months will be very tiring. You will be facing many new situations as well as learning to think and work in a foreign language. This is very demanding intellectually and is very fatiguing.
In addition to essential paperwork, medication, and other indispensables, have each family member include at least one little thing that can make a hotel room or new apartment feel more like home.
Do not try to impose your own culture on the host country. If this is your objective, you would do well to stay home.
Learn the language, immerse yourself in the other culture, respect people for what and who they are, and honor their traditions and customs. Where appropriate, play down social or professional distance and be part of the team regardless of your hierarchical position.
Be open-minded, fair in your judgment, accepting of people, and remember there is usually no right and wrong way of doing things. There are only different ways that need to be understood through communication and dialogue. What is right in one culture might prove wrong or silly in another.
Share stories and traditions from your culture. Sharing your own culture and traditions helps, no matter where you are. It broadens people’s minds and gives them a chance to get to know you in a safe and nonintrusive way.
Don’t overreact to your new surroundings by becoming a cartoon caricature of your nationality. Conversely, do not try to go “native.” It won’t work, and the local people will not appreciate it.
Expect differences and take it as a happy surprise when you find similarities. If you expect similarities, encountering differences can be very painful. To prepare yourself, try repeating the mantra of one successful American expatriate: “It’s not right, it’s not wrong: it’s just different.”