The French way

France needs change

Is Macron really capable of thinking outside the box and develop new ideas, like he promised in his campaign. Or will he just follow the exact same path as the US, UK and Germany, which we know leads to a shrinking middle class and increase in working poor.

Homogenisation of education and recrutment profiles

Over the last twenty years communication has been simplified. The work force has become more geographically flexible and less attached to long term commitment. Management training has become standardized through MBA's or other higher education courses. This has led to the homogenization of most international companies. It is now difficult to find enterprises with different HR processes, systems or management techniques. Corporate cultures are morphing into one across the world. Moving from one company to another has never been easier.

This flow is emphasized through the recruitment process. Head hunters are all chasing the same profiles, the same suits and the same corporate jargon. Character, new ideas, experience, and especially track records are difficult to sell. Instead, to get a job, you must offer an image, a rhetoric, diplomas and the illusion of dynamism. Image is all important at the cost of experience. Which, now, even seems to have become a burden.

Copy-paste management

From this we can conclude that most corporations have become 'copy paste' corporations striving to replicate the few markets leaders as best as possible.

Is Marcron any different?

Macron is the favorite child of this new society. He has the suit, the youth, the rhetoric, the diplomas, is connected to the wealth, and more importantly he has a great marketing (spin) team. He was elected on the promise of change and doing things differently. Doesn't this sound familiar ? It's pretty much the language held by most newly established corporate executives. In fact, all Macron has done up to now is copying the US, UK and GE model. That is not change. That is just being a good corporate manager and applying the same processes and regulations as the so called market leaders. And, as a good student, he wants to be the best at it.

Now, lets talk about corporate spin... The trickle down theory has been debunked by the IMF. Many researchers say, it just doesn't work and concentrates wealth, whilst creating inequalities. When all these facts where presented to Marcon, he responded by saying he's not implementing the trickle down, but the 'cordée' theory. Basically a new term for the trickle down. We have all seen this type of practice at work: just re-label a system or a process to something else to hide the failures.

Limited by his education and ambition

So why is the French president going down a path that we know will lead to further inequalities, a growing population of working poor and a more egoistical society? I can only guess that he simply does not know what else to do. He, like many others, is intellectually limited by his elite education, ambition and lack of experience. All these points taken independently are great assets to a person. However, combined, they can form a very narrow minded view of the world. Taking this into consideration and coupling it with political favors and extreme lobbying, it's easy to understand the path taken.

The sad part in this story, is that Macron is obviously a smart, well educated and most probably well intentioned person. It's such a pity that he is so conditioned that he and his party are incapable of thinking differently. France has always more or less successfully chosen it's own path, it's own way. And now, there is a president, which will focus his energy to do things just like the rest. The “copy paste” president.

France must lead and not linger in the copy-paste management

I would have liked to see France take the lead in developing processes to make the world a fairer market place through balanced international trade taxation. Introducing laws to provide small and medium companies with he same playing field as large multinationals. Decentralizing into the regions, whilst enabling good decision making locally. Stimulating new sustainable economies, whilst transitioning from CO2 hungry ones. Protecting the work force, whilst making the path to profit easier. I don't have all the answers, but I would have wished France take the lead, rather then just do the same as others at the cost of the people.