Hans-Jörg Timner, Head of Human Resources, Member of the Executive Committee, Aventis CropScience

“As soon as the top management for the new joint venture Aventis CropScience was formed, we decided to ask for professional help in the integration process. It was clear to all of us, that the merger of a French and a German company with a lot of different nationalities would be a special challenge for the management as well as for the employees of the new company.
Jacques Pateau and his team were selected to be the major partner in accompanying the integration process. Consequently, Aventis CropScience and Pateau Consultants organised integration seminars for the different new teams in research, marketing, HR, etc. (all in all more than 400 persons were trained). The top management participated as well during a two-day workshop.
Family members of employees to be expatriated were also gathered in workshops in order to facilitate their integration into the new host country.
The result of the different workshops and seminars were judged extremely useful by the participants because of :

• clear analysis of cultural backgrounds of different nationalities and creation of a mutual understanding of them,
• practical training and advice to form motivated teams in an intercultural environment.

In summary I can state, that the involvement of Jacques Pateau and his team are essential in processes, where the real integration of companies with different cultural background are part of the basic philosophy of the management.”

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Franck Démaret, Director of Human Resources, Decathlon Group

“Cultural differences inspire fear in certain people and this fear causes blunders. Understanding multiculturalism brings out the fact that differences are both an individual and a collective opportunity for men and women to come together around shared values. This approach strengthens feelings of tolerance and stimulates our desire to learn more. Jacques Pateau's intercultural seminar is an invitation to this intercultural initiation. The method is lively, fun and open, and offers a real exchange of experiences, each more fascinating than the previous.”

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Michel Maulvaut, President of the Management Board, Dillinger Hütte

“When the Franco-German group Dilling GTS was created from companies in the Sarre and Dunkirk, one of the main stumbling blocks was intercultural problems.
Jacques Pateau and his team gave those attending the seminars the opportunity to discover one another, to understand and accept each other 'as themselves' and then with the passage of time, appreciate working with each other.
Without this help, we probably would not have resolved our problems so quickly. Once again congratulations on the quality of the seminars and thank you very much.”

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Dr. Gräf, Chairman of the Board, Europipe

“Europipe is a Franco-German joint venture with headquarters in Ratingen, Germany. Professor Pateau's seminars significantly helped to overcome initial difficulties in our intercultural cooperation. Nearly all employees attended the training. Thanks to a better understanding of the other's culture and corresponding working habits, problems can be solved together more efficiently. The seminars thus tremendously contributed to the creation of Europipe's internal structure.”

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Antoine Filliette, Human Resources Director, 3 Suisses Group

“It is so important to understand that (cultural) differences are not mistakes but opportunities that should be seized in order to improve behavior as well as results.
Taken at random from among the many enthusiastic comments, this is just one participant's insight at the end of the training. Jacques Pateau's seminars on intercultural awareness combine personal enrichment and pleasure. They are among our best training sessions.”

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Lynne Jorritsma-Carter, HR Manager, Vaillant Group

“Prof. Pateau's seminars have helped many of our managers understand the cultural differences of their colleagues. This has been particularly important since our company recently merged with a company of mainly English and French staff, making intercultural training imperative. Our managers are now working more effectively and openly in intercultural teams. We plan to role out this training for the levels of staff below management.”

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