REFLECTION

PAPER
EMOD International Residency

Garry A. Gross
ORGD 6860

Now Boarding


Paris in springtime! There are enough pictures, songs, and
iconic statements about this beautiful and historic city to
capture any travel enthusiasts attention; but there is nothing
like walking the citys streets and taking in its visions first
hand. In May of 2013, I and the other members of my
learning community were afforded the opportunity to do so.
For each of us this was a new experience that we greeted
with excitement and anticipation. What we found was a city
full of history, culture, AMAZING food, and a thriving
business culture. The learning and the memories created
here are moments Im sure we will never forget.
As each of the members of our cohort gathered at the
Detroit International Airport, we did our usual once-over of
each other. Does everyone have their passports? Did we
all do our pre-work on Canvas? Plane snacks ready? As some of us completed last-
minute work before boarding, others made the first action that made this all seem real
converting our American dollars to Euro!
After recovering from the shock of the diminished dollar-to-euro exchange rate, there
was only one thing left to do; board the plane! One could notice pretty easily that each
of us, with our varied adult lives and professional backgrounds, had the bridled
excitement of children playing in a schoolyard. As we made our way to our seats on the
enormous Airbus international jet, we
sat and prepared for the 8 hour flight to
France.
Flight attendants prepare the cabin for
landing. After a couple of movies, a
nap here and there, and, admittedly, a
few drinks, this announcement peaked
my excitement once more. Wed made
it.
Not too long after exiting the plane we
realized the size and magnitude of this
cosmopolitan city. As we made our way
We do not remember days; we remember moments.
-Cesare Pavese
through the large, crowded airport to obtain our baggage I was immediately struck by
the diversity of people coming into the city. As one who prides myself in being fashion-
conscious, I immediately felt under-dressed, comparing my comfortable sweats and t-
shirt to the fitted jeans, blazers and scarves of the Frenchmen. Nonetheless, we
retrieved our baggage, met our guide and embarked on our Parisian journey.


First Impressions
This is Paris? Thisis the great and wonderful
Paris? As we traveled via coach into the city I
continued to ask myself this question in shock. The
littered freeway off-ramps, graffiti-covered buildings
and smoggy skies were not what I expected.
However, as dusty highways became cobblestone
streets and industrial buildings morphed into classic
French architecture I realized that the beauty and
character of the city surrounded me.
Further exposing me to this citys grandeur was the
guided walking tour of the city. As we utilized the
primary Parisian mode of transportation walking,
we got our first glimpse of iconic Paris landmarks.
The Arc de Triumph, Champs DEllysses and Tour
Eiffel (Eiffel Tower) were some of our first stops on
this extensive tour. Though we could have
benefitted from a few hours of rest before the tour,
we all were energized by the beauty of city. The
weather kept us on our toes as well.


Down to Business
Though we thoroughly enjoyed the sights, sounds and tastes of Paris, tourism was not
our priority for this trip. We had a full agenda of academic exploration, company visits
and cultural activities to deepen our knowledge of Organization Development from a
global perspective. Each of these experiences proved to be valuable and enlightening.
First we were introduced to an Executive MBA cohort at ICG Unversity. ICG is a
renowned Parisian business school. Like our cohort, this groups members came from
a variety of professional backgrounds and many of them were in transition seeking to
find a job that reflects their interest and passion. While at ICG, we heard presentations
from two highly-respected French HR professionals and were even able to give the
French of our unorthodox teaching and learning environment during a presentation by
our own Dr. Deb ONeil. The cohort and sponsoring professor from ICG proved to be
our new-found French friends throughout the week
The first of 3 companies we visited in Paris was
Faurecia, a French auto parts manufacturer
headquartered in Paris. In our meeting with the
organizations Human Resources department
leadership we learned about the culture, history
and products of the company.
Of particular interest to us was the companys culture change initiative, Being
Faurecia. This campaign was launched for two purposes: to increase employee
engagement and ownership and to address the challenges caused by cultural
differences between French leadership and workers in the numerous other countries in
which the company operates. Culture has proven to be a challenge for Faruecia as
French business culture, with its hierarchical, authoritative nature is often not well-
received in countries where this is not the norm.
As an OD Consultant I was met with some immediate concerns about Being Faurecia.
First, it is a completely top-down initiative. In order to drive ownership everyone must
feel a part of both creating and owning the process. Perhaps a committee comprised of
a diagonal slice of the organization could have helped to ensure all perspectives were
considered. Additionally, there is little-to-no oversight of the program. Leadership is
depending upon front-line managers to interpret and cascade this initiative down to their
employees in a way they see fit. For these reasons, I see an unfortunately small
chance of success for this initiative.
Our next visit was to United Airlines. United, an American company, has a large
presence in France. It was striking to visit
United and Faurecia on the same day,
because each company is experiencing
the same challenge from different
perspectives. Faurecia is a French
company having cultural challenges
operating in other countries while Uniteds office in France is experiencing the difficulty
of having an American parent company that does not always understand or consider
French culture or regulation.
One such challenge is down-sizing. French businesses are held to strict legislation
around down-sizing, even, in particular, who can be released. The merger of
Continental and United Airlines has created a long legal process in France in order to
right-size the operation. We also discussed the challenges of an American company
gaining market share with French business travelers, in competition with Air France.
Our last visit was to the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD). In particular,
we met with the US Delegation to the OECD in Paris.
This organization exists to promote worldwide
economic development by monitoring key indicators like
fair trade, workforce diversity and economic policy.
Though the organization has no legislative power, the
respect and influence the organization has is used to
affect policy within the member countries.
These presentations were less about cultural and
differences and more about the nuts-and-bolts of operations in the OECD.
Nonetheless, the presentations were interesting and informative.


The Best of Paris
When telling others that I was going to Paris, there were several that said, make sure
you see ___ or be certain to do ___. I was delighted to see when we received our
itineraries that most of these items had been planned for us. Paris has so much more
to offer than the Eiffel Tower. And, though it would take far more time than we had to
experience all of Paris, we were able to get a quick
taste of the best Paris has to offer.
We were afforded an opportunity to visit the Louvre,
one of the worlds most famed art museums. I must
say it was humbling to be within touching distance of
so much historical art including the famed Mona Lisa,
ancient Egyptian artifacts and intact Greek statues.
At the Louvre, we met again with our ICG colleagues
to do a scavenger hunt in the Louvre. For me, the
scavenger hunt presented a conflict between trying to
win and really being able to enjoy the art. The three
hours we spent at the Louvre was only enough to
cover a small section of this massive museum. The experience, however, was
amazing!
After an actioned-packed week of planned activities, we
were given the final day of our trip to ourselves to plan
however we wished. As I overslept and missed most of
our cohort who traveled together on this day, I was able
to experience Paris by myself and on my own terms. On
this day I proudly navigated the citys Metro subway
system to Notre Dame Cathedral, another must-see
while in Paris. While on the island, I was able to have
lunch at a French caf, walked along the Seine River
and, in true tourist fashion, take all the pictures my
phone would hold. I also used this day to shop for
souvenirs and to officially purchase a Parisian scarf for
myself.
Our Parisian adventure ended with a dinner cruise on the
Seine. One would not be able to determine which was
better: the food or the breathtaking scenery. The cruise
was a unique opportunity for us to see panoramic views
of the city from below and to see its beautiful monuments
and architecture. It also gave those of us in the cohort additional time to bond and
enjoy each others company. As we ate, laughed and enjoyed the scenery, we reflected
on the week in its great learning opportunities and excitement.














Appetizing
Trying to sum my first Parisian experience up into one word is much like trying to pour
the Great Lakes into a Dixie cup. The more I thought, however, the word appetizing
came to mind. Though you may think Im referring to the delicious French food I
enjoyed in Paris, and yes, it was AMAZING, the appetite Im referring to is far more than
physical food. This trip increased my appetite to learn more about other cultures
through travel and exploration.
In our American bubble we often become indoctrinated in our own way of doing things,
automatically assuming its the best, and maybe even the only way. This trip opened
my eyes to a world much bigger than Cleveland, much bigger than Ohio and yes, much
bigger than the United States. Though I always knew it was out there, I cant say that I
had any interest in how others live, make business decisions and even communicate in
other countries. This appetite for learning has now been aroused within me. I now look
with anticipation toward my next international trip. Unfortunately, it looks like the cost of
this one will be on me!
Special thanks to Deb, Tom and BGSU for this once-in-a-lifetime experience!