Audit culturel (selon les principes de Hofstede) d'un site de production à destination des équipes du Siège Social. Cultural audit (according to Hofstede principles) of a remote production site for the headquaters.

1. WAGON Bressuire: a French unit
aiming to become International.
Analyse of the actual practices to
develop the last ISBG’s projects.

2. {WAGON Bressuire AUDIT ] [March 2006] [Gérard BUASA - Consultant]
Company context
PSA become the most important client of the site
60% of handled business.
Internationalisation of the activities :
Production plants : Wagon Fontaine, Wagon Pförring,
Wagon Shangaï, Wagon Orenze.
Actual panel: 90% in the neighbourhood (West of France).
Will to source in “Low costs countries” (Central Europe, Asia).
Products :
New products in development (motorised sun blind).
New componants to source (technical fabrics, gear motor,
cables, etc.).
Commercial bets with ambitous cost reduction objectives.

3. {WAGON Bressuire AUDIT ] [March 2006] [Gérard BUASA - Consultant]
Company organisation
•Wagon Bressuire is an ISO TS entity, that has been
implementing a Project management organisation for 6 to 8
months to cope with clients’ requirements.
•Organisation is divided in 5 “functional” units:
- Purchasing
- Technical Department
- Quality
- Production
- Finance

4. {WAGON Bressuire AUDIT ] [March 2006] [Gérard BUASA - Consultant]
Organisational culture (1/2)
The organisation culture (Hofstede notions) is as described below :
“Long hierarchal distance” (strict hierarchy).
- Reluctance to discuss solution / No transparency in the decision / Information is power
“Communautarism” (promotion of consensus, avoidance of conflict).
- People thinking as expert, not as team member / Initiative is discouraged as a threat on
established position / Change is negative / Critics are discouraged
“Low control of uncertainty” (no anticipation, no formalisation, bet on
future success view a positive behaviour).
- No problem solving approach / Analogical reasoning of the Technicians are never
questioned / No apprehension of the change in progress (change of product, of context)
“Feminine” culture for the management (Quality of life is the main thing).
- Middle and Top management seek comfort and local recognition rather than Group recognition /
Projects seem like competing against each other and show poor cooperation

5. {WAGON Bressuire AUDIT ] [March 2006] [Gérard BUASA - Consultant]
Organisational culture (2/2)
Wagon Bressuire remains the former “Farnier Pénin” bought by the “big and
British” Wagon SA, and pilot by some untouchable ones at Poissy. The
“islander complex” is palpable. Technician are convinced to design the best
systems and are reluctant to use external expertise (meaning Suppliers’
expertises). They opposed habits, experiences and rules to improvement
suggestions. Inertness is really strong.
People are wondering for the future of the Bressuire estate. Last
announcements (FKT buying and OXFORD absorption) were not viewed
positively. Asiatic development were also viewed negatively by the middle
management in-house that shows reluctant to have some “International”
actions (audit, sourcing, development).
There is a general dilution of responsibility and a lack of transversal
vision. People are fighting against metrics rather than improving the
general performance of the site. There is a low willing to defend any
“questionable” decisions so they promote short term decisions for immediate
and short –lasting results.

6. {WAGON Bressuire AUDIT ] [March 2006] [Gérard BUASA - Consultant]
Critical issues
The analysis of the project functionment lead to underline those issues :
Organisation :
Bulk-heading of the projects
teams (physical partition of the project
team and poor communication).
Jeopardize on the in-house
control of the key issues.
Specific company culture
(unability to communicate according to
international standards).
Purchasing :
No policy of Purchasing Marketing
(no anticipation of the future needs and no
suppliers development).
Uncommitment of the Purchasing
in the project/company (Purchasing
view itself as an function, not as a support
function) .
Lack of adapted Purchasing tools.

7. {WAGON Bressuire AUDIT ] [March 2006] [Gérard BUASA - Consultant]
Organisational problematics
The three main organisational issues are :
- Building a project / company culture
Wagon Bressuire is like a compartmented body ship. Within the Project
team, technicians are more focussed on Budget aspects than on Quality and
Delay issues. Experts forget to view the product as a whole. And non
consensual position are just denied. Investigation is narrowed and “private”.
- Providing the tools for performance
There was a large usage of consultant that seems to come to an end.
Anyway, key competencies are still lacking in-house. Project management is low, as
the communication in/between teams. FMEA conclusion leads to few
actions. Both Value management and Knowledge management are poor.
- Allowing of adapted communication tools
There are general lacks in communication. The internal procedures are
heavy and inefficient, International sourcing is impossible with actual material
(RFQ with 3D drawings, allocation of business without proper “Technical
specifications” nor tests results, documentations in French, no prototyping, etc.)

8. {WAGON Bressuire AUDIT ] [March 2006] [Gérard BUASA - Consultant]
Purchasing problematics
There are three purchasing issues to solve:
- Setting a “Purchasing Marketing” policy
Buyer like to discuss as “Technical expert”. But this alleged expertise just
prevent them to stay tune with the Market. Suppliers Development is at an initiation
stage. The philosophy of co-opetition and long lasting partnership is just ignored.
The main goal today is to allocate high volume to few small suppliers to increase the
level effect in commercial bargaining.
- Promoting “Purchasing commitment”
Buyers do not involve themselves on their Projects. They see themselves as
“prices providers” and don’t pay much attention to what happen in the team.
They feel no interest to seek adhesion of their clients to their choice and
provide low support in case of litigations.
- Providing “Purchasing tools”
Actual requesting rules aren’t adapted and favour the dilution of
responsibility. The Department need different tools (Kompass, Europages,
Dun&Bradstreet, RFQ policy, legal support, Project management tools, English,
etc…). Risks is at its maximum.

9. {WAGON Bressuire AUDIT ] [March 2006] [Gérard BUASA - Consultant]
Statements
Wagon Bressuire notation is, from my point position, below the average. The
actual situation results from the change of perspective and ambition in
progress. From quite simple products (stores and glasses), Wagon ISBG is
bluntly moving towards technical solutions (with technical fabrics and gear
motor piloted by electronics). Some adjustments have to be made.
Existing teams are competent, but not yet used to the problematic they have
and will have to face. They are acting quite to simply and refuse to stop,
search, investigate and then define the optimal actions or request the required
resources. The ending projects are not formalized nor analysed.
In a word, there is no one to look at the rear-view mirror and ahead on the
road to adjust the direction.
Change has to be driven to prepare the Bressuire site to pilot an International
development (Germany, Spain, China) and assume the technicity of the new
solutions they are now proposing on the market.
Success will be at this condition.

10. {WAGON Bressuire AUDIT ] [March 2006] [Gérard BUASA - Consultant]
Statements
Wagon Bressuire notation is, from my point position, below the average. The
actual situation results from the change of perspective and ambition in
progress. From quite simple products (stores and glasses), Wagon ISBG is
bluntly moving towards technical solutions (with technical fabrics and gear
motor piloted by electronics). Some adjustments have to be made.
Existing teams are competent, but not yet used to the problematic they have
and will have to face. They are acting quite to simply and refuse to stop,
search, investigate and then define the optimal actions or request the required
resources. The ending projects are not formalized nor analysed.
In a word, there is no one to look at the rear-view mirror and ahead on the
road to adjust the direction.
Change has to be driven to prepare the Bressuire site to pilot an International
development (Germany, Spain, China) and assume the technicity of the new
solutions they are now proposing on the market.
Success will be at this condition.