Jean-Paul Bailly described his management philosophies to us at the time of major changes and necessary transformations in the La Poste Group.
Jean Staune showed us how the changes that are coming in terms of new forms of management are strangely and ultimately so logically linked to our human understanding of science.
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La Poste is a hybrid business model that has all of the public service with its social link and its regional roots, but it also has all of a very large private company with its 20 billion Euros in turnover, its 300,000 employees, its 3 major businesses and its subsidiary structures. La Poste is the leading company in France in terms of added value, it represents 1% of French GNP.
JP Bailly taught us that running La Poste requires both being passionate about the public service and the company but also knowing how to exercise power, being able to take structuring decisions, especially in difficult situations. He underlined during this conference the importance of exemplary governance which must accompany the exercise of power.
La Poste is also a company whose core activities (mail) are in sharp decline and which has an obligation to transform and modernize.
La Poste was built around a system of values which make what La Poste is today (Public Service, the need for sustainable performance, the place of the customer, change, innovation and development while respecting the quality of the social model ). The transformation is not an option for President Bailly but it must be done “without denying itself”, which means by adapting. Adapting means adapting to the context, to the market while respecting the stakeholders (customers, shareholders, employees and unions, local elected representatives and partners). This balance of stakeholders is a rule of life to be imposed, even if it means being able to say “no” if this balance is in danger.
La Poste has set itself the ambition of becoming the European leader in local services by relying on the trust and the businesses of La Poste (La Banque Postale, le Courrier, Le Colis and the retailer’s competence). This will notably involve external partnerships such as Groupama in insurance, SFR in mobile and Societe Generale in consumer credit. JP Bailly also reminded us of the importance of meaning, of the vision that must be given by management at all levels of management of the company.
In this field, he is joined by Jean Staune, who compares the role of the leader to that of the cell membrane. This ensures consistency, proper functioning, it does not necessarily take decisions but ensures that they are taken under good conditions.
Concerning the evolution of management methods, Jean Staune makes an original analysis by juxtaposing it with the evolutions of science. It teaches us that our societies have moved from a modern era to an era of post-modernity. The modern vision is the deterministic, mechanistic and reductionist one which aimed at the project of being able to dissect reality as much as possible in order to understand it, master it and be able to anticipate it (essential prerequisite for the functioning of capitalism – “to invest, I need to know if my investment will be productive ”). This stage of modernity is collapsing in favor of a post-modern vision integrating more global elements of reality (environment for example, climate, etc.) and leading to changes in management methods and new models of which we are already seeing manifestations (at Gore, Bestbuy or even Wholefood).
… and surely at La Poste.
