My journey in Human Resources began in the 1990s at university, where I first encountered the fundamental concepts of HR management. Years later, in 2014, when I enrolled in business school, I found myself reconnecting with the 5P's model - Purpose, Principles, Process, People, and Performance - through my Anglo-Saxon professors who still valued this framework. While this 1992 model by Randall S. Schuler might seem dated in today's rapidly evolving business landscape, its reappearance in my education sparked a realisation: some frameworks, despite their age, carry enduring wisdom. For me, the 5P's have served not as rigid doctrine but as a valuable thinking structure - a lens through which I've examined and developed my own professional philosophy throughout my career.
Early Lessons in People and Purpose
Like many of us, my first taste of management came with a side of fries! Before joining the National Education as a supervisor, I got my initial exposure to the "American way" of modern management while flipping burgers. Little did I know that those early lessons in standardised processes and customer service would provide valuable insights for my future career!
However My most formative early experience - one that curiously never made it to my résumé - was my seven-year stint (three months each year) with the French railway company as a cashier and welcoming agent during holiday periods. This wasn't just any workplace; it was a highly charged environment where powerful trade unions regularly flexed their muscles and where the looming European deregulation and denationalisation created constant tension. This front-line role, seemingly simple on the surface, provided an immersive education in human interaction, change management, and negotiation principles. Working in both customer-facing and back-office positions, I gained invaluable insights into how organisations function at every level. These seasonal experiences, totaling nearly two full years of intensive people management practice, laid the groundwork for my successful career in Paris.
Purpose and Principles: From Education to Industrial Relations
Growing up in a family where integrity, respect, and social responsibility were fundamental values, I developed a strong sense of purpose early in life. My parents, through their involvement in education and community service, demonstrated daily how principles and actions should align. This foundation was further strengthened through my education in law and social sciences, which gave me the theoretical framework to understand how societies and organisations function best when guided by strong ethical principles.
These values found their first professional expression in education, where I taught law, civics, and citizenship. Teaching young minds about rights, responsibilities, and social cohesion reinforced my belief in the importance of clear principles and fair processes. This role naturally evolved into a career in industrial relations, where I spent over a decade representing employers in France's pulp and paper sector. Leading national collective bargaining efforts and managing relationships with trade unions, government ministers, and industry stakeholders taught me that strong principles aren't just idealistic concepts - they're essential tools for building trust and achieving meaningful outcomes. My ability to maintain dialogue even in highly challenging situations, while never compromising on core values, became a hallmark of my approach to industrial relations and remains central to my leadership style today.
The Evolution of Process Understanding
My journey took a significant turn in the pulp and paper sector, where global industrial changes were reshaping the entire industry. Here, I encountered Lean Management principles and other optimisation techniques as Six Sigma - not as abstract concepts, but as vital tools for survival and growth in a global world. These methodologies taught me the delicate balance of minimising waste while maximising customer value.
Later roles in Australia in Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and IT, particularly as an ERP implementation project director, deepened my understanding of processes. However, the most crucial lesson wasn't about the processes themselves, but their relationship to people: businesses are run by processes, but processes are run by people. This realisation led me to approach process design with a human-centric mindset, always striving to create solutions that serve people rather than constrain them.
Rethinking Performance
Performance remains the most intriguing aspect of the 5P's framework. Its imperfect understanding often blocks the virtuous circle that the theory promises. I approach performance management with humility, acknowledging its complexity and the various theories that attempt to optimise employee productivity and motivation. My method involves evaluating each performance theory through dual lenses: its impact on people (both inside and outside the organisation) and its alignment with core principles and purpose.
Recently, my perspective on performance has been enriched by the work of some authors like Olivier Hamant, a biologist specialising in plant life. His research suggests a paradigm shift in how we approach performance in our uncertain world. Instead of pursuing relentless optimisation, Hamant advocates learning from living systems to create robust and adaptable organisations.
This approach emphasises the importance of prioritising adaptability over rigid optimisation, embracing the natural diversity and inconsistency found in living systems, and focusing on long-term stability rather than short-term gains. The biological perspective opens new avenues for thinking about organisational development and aligns perfectly with my career-long mission: positioning companies as major actors in social, economic, and environmental progress. By understanding organisations as living systems rather than mechanical ones, we can create more resilient and sustainable business models that thrive amidst uncertainty while contributing meaningfully to society.
The Path Forward
My journey through the 5P's has shaped not just my career but my vision for what organisations can become. I seek environments, whether in profit or non-profit sectors, that prioritise their people while building strong values and principles. Organisations that understand that agility and durability in processes and performance aren't contradictory goals but complementary necessities for long-term success.
Throughout my career, I have demonstrated my ability to adapt and evolve while maintaining a steadfast focus on human-centered leadership. My approach combines strong values and principles with practical process design that serves people rather than bureaucratic requirements. This balanced perspective, enriched by experiences across different sectors and continents, has shaped me into a leader who understands how to create environments where progress and efficiency emerge naturally.
In today's world, where environmental sustainability and social responsibility are no longer optional but essential to business success, this human-centered approach is more relevant than ever. I seek opportunities to apply these capabilities - whether in building teams, transforming operations, or driving organisational change - always with the dual purpose of addressing our pressing environmental and social challenges while achieving business excellence.