We go out for a period of great confusion

Baptism of fire for Ben Verwaayen. For the first time, the Director General of Alcatel-Lucent has appointments with its shareholders, this afternoon in Paris. Nine months after the American Patricia Russo, the Dutch of fifty-seven years have replaced made Perfume: the General Assemblies of the Telecom OEM did not wait the crisis to be agitated. Since the merger between the French Alcatel and Lucent American, in December 2006, the shareholders are gray mine: private dividends, they saw the value of their investment melt like snow in the Sun. About 10 euros in the approximation, the action, since, was divided by more than five. It even briefly became early in the year a "penny stock", some investors fearing purely and simply a failure of the manufacturer, who has never won silver since the merger.

"I am well aware that being a shareholder of Alcatel-Lucent is not necessarily easy, recognizes this polyglot in French that he works to improve each week. We go out for a period of great confusion. Cannot change everything overnight, but it has already won a first round: we have a better management team, a clear strategy and our clients trust us. "This message of hope be audible today in the great Hall of the Palais des Congrès One thing is certain, "Ben", as he likes to be called internally, engaging his talent as orator to convince. "He has a sixth sense for communication, recognizes François Barrault, who was one of his close associates of the time when he headed the British operator BT." Very at ease on stage, he was aware that simple words can have more impact on assistance than miles of "slides" slides. "Party at the meeting of Villarceaux and Vélizy employees in the weeks following his appointment, he was"able to galvanize the troops as a preacher, in a true show American", is an employee. A small feat given the doubts raised by the merger and the deletions of posts 17.500 resulting...

Put an end to the internecine

This taste of the communication, Ben Verwaayen claimed: "Perhaps there is more important." Without this, it is impossible to win the hearts and minds. "The young boy, fifth in a family of six children, to report very quickly. First, when it will seek to join the other called for the Union that it creates during his military service. Then when he goes to the European Parliament defend the cause of his first employer, the American conglomerate International Telephone & Telegraph (ITT), accused of having played a role in the fall of the Chilean President Allende in 1973. An initiative which it will be worth to be propelled to the leadership of public relations for the subsidiary of ITT in the Netherlands, a position then created custom.

"Communicate, it is less make speeches that create genuine dialogue" continues the person who hates to speak with notes. To take the pulse of the company, Ben Verwaayen does not hesitate to ignore the hierarchies and the elected representatives of the staff of Alcatel-Lucent. Its two BlackBerry always within reach, he reserve one to respond directly to hundreds of emails that he addressed employees on its "ask Ben" address. "Ben responds extremely quickly to all mails, even in the more idiots!" fun a collaborator. The Intranet of Alcatel has never been so requested, with the opening of blogs, discussion forums, messages from the boss to which everyone is invited to respond. "As the Web, it works in network, recognizes Claire Pedini, the HRD to the company. There are of the bonapartism in the way to go directly to the employees and not to rely only on "bodies" that are managers. "A real change of style in a business where old patterns, Serge Tchuruk and Patricia Russo, guarding their distance with the base, and where the hierarchical procedure was scrupulously respected...

Aware that internecine battles between the ex-Lucent and the Alcatel ex too long stifled the company, the new boss flirts with hope that new ideas jailliront of this resumption of the dialogue. "We must work together and form one and the same team, wrote this fan of Arsenal in January last on the Intranet." There are still too often the impression that the "enemy" is within the company and not outside.

Style direct, proximity and displayed relaxation, Ben Verwaayen attaches to the trappings of power: he had ceased to reserve a personal elevator in BT, he gave the Jet private in Alcatel-Lucent. "At the time, this puts people quite uncomfortable to deal with it", recognizes François Barrault.

"It is an anarchist."

Remains that this strategy of "openness" leaves some skeptics: "Suggest that everyone can put its grain of salt in the strategy is illusory, even populist," said Bertrand Lapraye, elected CFE - CGC. Some leaders have also little tasted this way to see courtcircuités. And if there is dialogue, Ben Verwaayen is the "boss". He decides and imposes its rhythm: "Urgency!", pounding - it to its teams.

Under her cheerful appearance, Ben Verwaayen nor hesitate to cantilever its management team. A mode of management still once assumed. "Should never have certainty, believe.". When a leader comes to see me to say black, I always begins with respond white. It is an opportunity to reflect together. "The oratory jousting, the intellectual debate, this politician in the soul and of the Davos Economic Forum love... "It is an anarchist, he loves breaking ideas" ignite even a leader. Strange qualification even this close to the liberal people's Party and Democrat Dutch, which he wrote the manifesto two years...

"I love cause my interlocutors, but always with a smile," takes care to specify Ben Verwaayen. Pierre Barnabé, the CEO of the largest French subsidiary, confirmed: "He can say things in a very direct way, but still listening and is never stingy incentive, which is that it is always reassembled block Office." Here again, things have changed at the headquarters of the company...

If managers were sometimes confused by the "style" Verwaayen, they have learned to better deal with it over time. On the form, human do not like the meetings "It was a real disease in this business", he saw , or PowerPoint presentations. On the merits, nothing does it annoys more than half-baked records or managers who arrive for their purposes by obscure paths. "In good protestant Dutch, it attached great importance to ethics", recognizes a framework. Fearing corruption cases, it requested the commercial agents who worked for the group in the emerging countries to go elsewhere.

Disillusion in BT

Ben Verwaayen love put his guard reconciled in the uncomfortable position, is that it relies heavily on it. Define the main strategic objectives, establish an agenda and know well reach, this is, according to him, the role of the boss. One of its priorities was to deeply revise the Executive Committee and to clarify the responsibilities of managers. In fact, Ben Verwaayen does not attach to details, unlike a Serge Tchuruk who plunged into folders and decided to many. His critics he willingly criticize have not enough hands in the greasy. "Should know delegate but control, delegate, delegate but inspire but challenger", justifies the person, who is not a financial or an engineer. Man prefers to handle concepts and to be the guru of a vision. When he decides to leave the direction of BT a year ago, he is credited for redressing a company found six years earlier at Bay, in the propelling in the era of Internet broadband. But, a few months later, BT edge of serious management problems in its business activities, another axis of growth put in place by Ben Verwaayen. "Ben has reinvented the company, but we needed a pattern more focused on execution," explained on 14 may the "chairman" and BT, Michael Rake. The same day, the operator announced significant losses and the removal of 15,000 additional jobs this year. What tarnish the balance sheet of the visionary and casual pattern...

Today, Ben Verwaayen wants place Alcatel-Lucent at the heart of the transformation of networks at the time of the explosion of Internet usage. A program. The future will tell if taken road was good.