Yves Cantat is a 20-year electrical maintenance worker at Lafarge’s plant in France. Gone are the days when mixing cement was like making a huge cake. Now it is all computerized. The equipment and production processes have changed over his 20 years, but not many of the employees. He says, “In 20 years I have seen only two people leave.”
Lafarge is the world’s biggest cement producer and is on Fortune’s “Global 500” list, with over $15 billion in revenues from 133 cement plants in 46 countries. It traces its origins to 1833 when it was founded by the Lafarge family. The founders were committed to a form of humanism that still prevails in the company today even though the family no longer controls it. Since the end of World War II, Lafarge has had only five CEOs, and two of them have written books about the company’s culture. Now retired CEO and current board member Bertrand Col-lomb says, “Lafarge will not work in situations where we are required to deny our values and participate in practices that we abhor.” Collomb is an advocate of the “Lafarge way,” a philosophy of participative management.
The Lafarge way says in part:
There are three trade unions at the French plant, and despite recent strikes, things seem amicable between management and labor. As one employee said about the strike, “After all, this is France.” Many of the workers are shareholders in Lafarge. Several years ago, more than half the employees bought Lafarge stock when they were given an opportunity to buy it at a price subsidized 60 percent by the company.
Lafarge’s organization development program incorporates the principles of learning organizations. For them it means that they promote the sharing of best practices and experiences through networking, cross-functional, and international ways of working. Self renewal is part of the process where they increase the ability of all employees to adapt to new conditions, solve problems, and learn from experiences.
An important element at Lafarge is training. Managers are required to monitor the development of employees. “Our aim is to become a learning organization,” says the training manager of the cement division. Given the global nature of the company, managers are expected to speak English, with Lafarge offering language classes.
The company practices intensive communication to make sure that its worldwide businesses understand its operations. Lafarge operates a Web site for employees and publishes a monthly magazine in French and English.
Please answer the following questions as a group.
Select your paper details and see how much our professional writing services will cost.
Our custom human-written papers from top essay writers are always free from plagiarism.
Your data and payment info stay secured every time you get our help from an essay writer.
Your money is safe with us. If your plans change, you can get it sent back to your card.
We offer more than just hand-crafted papers customized for you. Here are more of our greatest perks.
Get instant answers to the questions that students ask most often.
See full FAQ