Leading Across Cultures
at Michelin (B)
409-009-1
01/2009-5538
From Awareness to Action
Olivier Chalon’s initial meeting with the consultant lasted an hour and a half. Despite his
initial scepticism, the meeting raised issues that Chalon had not been aware of. The
consultant had asked him to describe how he gave praise and encouragement. Chalon
explained that he believed in pushing his staff to stretch them beyond their current capacities,
The consultant explained that American managers are trained to manage in a very different
way from French managers and how they are taught to use a considerable amount of positive
feedback to build self-esteem, encourage initiative-taking, and motivate employees. They are
often trained to give three positives for every negative. When they use the term “constructive
criticism” they generally mean a type of criticism that both encourages the employee to feel
A comment from the meeting that stuck in Chalon’s mind was “‘You get an A for effort’ is a
common expression in the US.” What a contrast with the French! Chalon explained:
“In France, a grade of 16 out of 20 is considered to be excellent, and 18 out of 20 is
almost unattainable. And you get graded on what you put down on the paper, not on the
effort you put in!”
He continued:
I was convinced the training course would be valuable after meeting with the consultant
just once. I began to realise that Europeans and Americans have very different
Chalon began to think about other differences that the consultant had brought up between his
team in Greenville and the teams he had led at his former companies:
“I was very demanding and I was also very direct with my feedback – and I expected
others to be direct with theirs. I was surprised by how little I was challenged here. In
I also noticed how different small talk at the office was in Greenville. My colleagues
and subordinates openly talked about their family life, about their children and how they
were going to spend their weekends and evenings. I was surprised by that openness.
Some afternoons, a manager might walk by my office in order to introduce me to his
Now that Chalon was aware of how his own management style was affecting his team, he
began to think about what he should do differently.
Discussion question: What specific strategies should Chalon employ when he returns to his
office in Greenville? Would it be best for him to adapt his style in order to be more
American in the way he manages? Would he even be able to do this without losing his
strength as a leader? Or would it be better for him to remain consistent and authentic in
the way that he manages and hope that his staff can learn to adapt to his style?