Nigel Corby, MD of one of Europe's leading interim management supply companies, Global Executives, says the fact the French education system is better than those of their UK and US counterparts means they could gain the extra impetus required to see them overtake their English speaking equivalents if only they learned to take risks.

Corby's belief is based on the fact that it is easier to train highly educated workers to take risks than it is to educate less well-educated risk takers.  "The French economy was suffering because its culture was averse to taking risks," said Corby.

"The point is there are cultural differences between the French and the American way of working and it is an awareness of these differences that is so important when appointing IMs to work in overseas companies. 

"One differentiating factor is that the French worker is very much better qualified in terms of exams than his UK or US counterpart because the French education system turns out far better qualified people. But maybe there is something in the French system, which trains people not to take risks. In some ways maybe education has become a substitute for achievement.

"It is much easier to instill a risk taking culture into a company than magically produce better educated people overnight. If the ideal company or country has both well educated workers and risk takers then the future is there for the taking. It will take decades for the UK and US to improve their education systems but only weeks or months for France to adopt a risk taking strategy."

Corby cites an example of further cultural differences, which add weight to the comment attributed to George Bush, that 'there is no French word for entrepreneur.'

"Global Executives appointed a French speaking and culturally fluent female IM to act as interim sales director at a factory in the Rhone Alps region.  One of the unwritten rules of the site about which we had not been informed was that women workers take on the role of receptionists at lunchtime. This included the new sales director.

"The first problem is that a company should not be paying 100,000 Euros a year for someone to man reception. The second was why did men not join the rotation and the third ­ why were no other women in senior roles? The company in question would appear to believe 50% of the population had nothing to offer in managing a company.

"The is just one illustration of how ­ despite the excellent education system - cultural changes are needed to put France on a par with or ahead of much of the rest of the commercial world.

"As a kick start to seeing this cultural change French companies and foreign businesses with French subsidiaries would do well to appoint culturally and linguistically expert IMs who combine the excellent academic achievements of the indigenous population but can also help instill a risk taking culture which will springboard them ahead of the competition."

 For more information visit www.globalexecutives.com <http://www.globalexecutives.com>  or call 01276 671535.



 € Global Executives MD Nigel Corby ­ European expert on interim management