Our experience in terms of change management is solid

An observation: the violence affects now all hierarchical lines...

To avoid it, there is no mystery: everything must be based on the quality of social dialogue and I think I can trust our social partners, who are very attached. Essentially, for me, is to understand my flexibility both to my staff and my shareholders.

In what way

Once again, through dialogue. We conclude a plan of voluntary departures of hundreds of 1.500 collaborators. The management of employment and skills allowed us to take back to highlight, in a central Committee for business, trades at risk in the short and medium term. Our starting plan comes with a package not miraculous, but attractive, with a system of support to employees (outplacement, training, mutual, etc.). The dialogue began in December 2008 and past volunteers will leave in December 2009. It is true that in England or the United States, it would have taken a month but we are in England or the United States.

Not easy to explain the complexity of the environment of the France work to your American parent company...

It is very difficult. Take the time to explain, even repeat itself, the rules in force in France.

That said managers who manage numbers and teams

That these are bad managers. In Xerox France, a head of sales must check that his form in his head. And every time he does, otherwise it does not reach its objectives. The risk more in financial services, computer and other headquarters functions. This is why I check that managers who are connected well perform their monthly or quarterly meetings with their staff. The principle of communication is pushed at all levels.

Including yours

Of course! In addition to the traditional meetings of the Executive Committee and of the Board of Directors, I go 2-3 times per year on the sites in the region. And I also have a blog through which I write 30 to 40 for all employees each week.

Your group has a long-standing practice of restructuring...

For about twenty years. Our experience in terms of change management is solid. I learned to not worry my unnecessary but also teams do not reassure them dazed. But it is true that we are in an unpredictable economic cycle...

That requires specific human resources Director profiles

There are indeed development HRD and the HRD to decay. Few know how to do both. It is yet the case of our HRD that bar and known to communicate and explain with social representatives.

And the case of tensions, even conflicts

On many dialogue. Our social partners who have a good reading of the P & L (result account, Editor's note) have understood that it was not issue to break the structure, that it was all in order of battle in a collective effort. Regularly, I try to lead an informal dialogue with them to test an idea and see what are its chances of rejection or accession. Sometimes meetings take a turn very tonic, even manly. But the Exchange is respectful even if it does not, sometimes, a few moments of tension.