If Management practices still have a strong local flavour, Management Science definitely has a bias in favour of a uniform, Anglo-Saxon source. Especially in France: if you had to study in a management school you will spend your days reading translated US books, not French. French people believe that ‘management’ is a genuine English word […]

Management tools: a definition
Management tools can simply be defined as activity measurements and procedures used to develop choices and judgments. They obviously encompass reporting tools but they also encompass a lot of the devices that help people deliver in an organisation. Tools have three roles; they help:
• Investigating the functioning of the […]

Rationalisation is a never-ending process: existing reporting processes and coordination tools are partial because too conventional
 
Early October 2001, the head of the booking call centre of a major French tour operator receives a congratulation letter from the Chairman of the board of directors. The reason for such an exceptional letter is the very high level […]

To be efficient tools need contextualisation
 
That is not a secret: everyday billions of euros are spent worldwide to adapt tools to the specifics of the organisation they integrate. ERP are well known for being the cash cows of information systems consultancies. Information systems appliances you buy are standard. They are products. They become tools only […]

Work is about team work, not individual performance

Over the last year HR has put a lot of attention on evaluating people on their individualistic performance while creating the notions of ‘competency’ and personal objectives. ‘A lot of attention’ often means too much attention ie to a point where participation to collective works was not evaluated. […]