  |
 |
|
Interview of Eric Gouin |
 |
|
"Pentalog High Tech breaks national
borders. Frequent know how exchanges between
its Romanian and French offices have played
an important role in consolidating and
unifying the development team. Moreover,
its competences are continually extended
by the diversity of cultures and experiences."
|
| August
28, 2002 |
 |
|
Eric Gouin is
The Port project director and manager of
Pentalog High Tech's office in Brasov, Romania.
He takes care that his collaborators, based
in France or Romania, meet together and
entertain a constant communication.
He explains us why Pentalog High Tech is
investing in this strategy meant to develop
competences and relationship between the
two teams.
|
|
|
|
Aleth D. : Why
are you developing so frequently know how exchanges
between the French and Romanian teams of your company
? |
Eric
G. : We
have developed this exchange system between collaborators
from different Pentalog's offices in order to reinforce
cohesion amid our teams and harmonize the methods
which are used in our activity.
The missions realized in France by my Romanian collaborators
had contributed to a better understanding of final
user's needs and requests about the software which
they use. So, after coming back in their country,
our Romanian employees are able to bring a new point
of view in Romanian developments. They also show
a better understanding of projects' stakes. In France,
they will get acquainted with different software
systems, methods, and concepts. In this way, our
collaborators will have a global approach of the
projects' difficulties and execution. Their commitment
is strongly reinforced by this kind of experiences.
Thus, after a mission in France, they come back
with strong impressions: French cheese (for its
delicious smell), Loire castles, Paris…
Reciprocally, Romanian collaborators bring to their
French colleagues high-level competences in Internet
development. Moreover, chat is regularly used between
Romania and French collaborators in order to correct
applications. Certain members of The French team
will regularly pass a " training holiday "
in Romania. In this way, they will benefit from
the mountains' air and local gastronomy, not less
tasty then the French one. |
Aleth D. : Pentalog
High Tech aim is to develop the functional competences
of its collaborators in order to better understand
the users' profession. How does this strategy win
over the development of different applications?
|
Eric
G. :
Our clients appreciate
the quality of our work when the final users of
the application are satisfied. At the beginning,
our French or Romanian collaborators are trained
in order to better adapt themselves to the client
environment and understand its functional needs.
Being on top it's fundamental in our domain. The
same thinking about mastering internet languages
and technology watch.
The members of my team can be distinguished by some
specific treats: curiosity, adaptability. These
characteristics made them understand easily the
needs and stakes of our clients. From that point
of view, they will easily and effectively practice
their art to develop applications for different
clients.
I will take an example, the Orleans City Hall Intranet,
where three of our collaborators were involved in
setting, maintaining the application and training
users. In those conditions, frontiers are broken,
there is just one team, with extended competences
by its cultural and know how diversity. |
Aleth D. : Do
you think that speaking French represents an advantage
for your collaborators ? |
Eric
G. : When
we created the Romanian business unit off-shore,
we thought about the communication language. We
could have chosen English, like everybody, because
it is an official technical language. Moreover,
all our team speaks English fluently. But we have
played the Francophony's game.
All our engineers were recruited according to these
criteria. We think that in this way, human relationship
between different collaborators, no matter what
nationality they have, will be improved.
I think that we have already won this game.
It is also true that we were on a francophone territory:
between the two wars, Bucharest was called the Little
Paris. The cultural exchanges between the two countries
were very strong. Moreover, during the communist
times, only the Voltaire's language was accepted
between western languages to be studied by Russian
and Romanian people.
From the moment where our collaborators are integrated
in our Business Unit Off Shore, they have French
Classes according to their level for improving their
vocabulary, fluency or accent. Those lessons are
also concentrated on grammar. From my point of view,
I'm responsible of their argotic language, in order
to keep them on-line during a French conversation.
|
Aleth D. : How
your Romanian collaborators are welcomed in France
? |
Eric
G. : In
the most usual and simplest way. We are not an operating
tour or hotelier booking service. The Orleans collaborators
take care that their colleagues from Romania are
perfectly welcomed, as the French tradition imposes.
So during their first month, they can benefit from
a furnished apartment rent by our company, in order
to feel themselves at home and to find out their
marks. They are often invited to different parties
organized by their French colleagues, cinema, shows,
sport activities, trips around Paris or Center Region,
etc…
In the most usual and simplest way. We are not an
operating tour or hotelier booking service. The
Orleans collaborators take care that their colleagues
from Romania are perfectly welcomed, as the French
tradition imposes.
So during their first month, they can benefit from
a furnished apartment rent by our company, in order
to feel themselves at home and to find out their
marks. They are often invited to different parties
organized by their French colleagues, cinema, shows,
sport activities, trips around Paris or Center Region,
etc… |
| More
information:
Eric G. CV |
| Contact
: Hélène
Hemery |
|
|
| Back |
|
|
|
