Take back and open to other forms of thought

Take back and open to other forms of thought. Political figures, all combined currents, is there try at travel India, in the United States or China. Last month, for example is Laurent Wauquiez, Secretary of State for employment, which picked up inspiration in Sweden. But if it is a medium in which the practice of long-term travel is on the rise, it is the business. In the constant quest for innovation, business directions show depiction of "learning expeditions", these study tours that allow, as noted by Taine, travel "for change of place, not ideas".

"Branches of companies need to create an obligation to offset," said François Villeroy de Galhau, President of BNP Paribas Personal Finance. "Reading books philosophical to the practice of running, each is oxygen individually as he wants, but there are times in the life of a company where it is beneficial that the offset live collectively." It is the Act of birth of BNP Paribas Personal Finance, in autumn 2007, which led to the opportunity. The Group born of the marriage between Cetelem, the leader of the consumer, with UCB credit, real estate specialist had to integrate 15 people in its new Executive Committee. "We knew we but, very quickly, it is apparent to boost all our capacity for innovation", says François Galhau Villeroy. The idea of a stay in a Finland on the theme of innovation was then emerged. "We were able to identify three days to get in the Finnish pioneers of the Internet, advertising, mobile telephony or microcredit by SMS."

Increase the collective creativity

For its study tour, BNP Paribas Personal Finance has chosen the theme of innovation. A dozen leaders of the Group Botanic (ecological goods and services), it is was focused on sustainable development on his trip to North America, last year. As some 70 directors of human resources of the Danone Group, distributed on two trips, one in China in 2006 and the other in the United States last year, they became interested in the themes of trust and commitment. But if themes differ, all companies are pursuing the same objective: "décadrer", feed on the outside, grow and build together from this wealth. And for this, groups are organizations or companies specialized in "learning expeditions".

"Committees, boards of directors or managers of a Top 50, 200 or even 600, all are on the lookout for unpublished tracks", is Pascal Baudry, President of WDHB Consulting group, which States count 23 companies of the CAC 40 clients. "Some speculate on ways to increase the collective creativity, others seek new ways to refine their customer knowledge or improve team cohesion after a merger," he continued.

The head of Leaders'Quest, a British charitable foundation specializing in this type of travel, Lindsay Levin defines its "learning expeditions" as of "salutary breaks in professional life". "We are working with very high-level officials, who feel a strong need for oxygen at some point in their career," explains. "Our travel in China, India, South Africa, the Brazil allows them to connect to field realities and better put in perspective of macroeconomic challenges." But, these shipments must pass to piggyback on the acrobatic agendas of participants. "We are now to have requests for topics strategic on deadlines as short preparation a month and a half", points Pascal Baudry.

"The idea with all these trips is to cause a trigger, not to a simple benchmarking or for breeding pure and simple best practices", said Pascal Baudry.

"And this produces cohesion of team," noted Luc Blanchet, Chairman of Botanic, intends to press in the fall next to "stay the last innovations. Conventional meetings with politicians, local entrepreneurs, lobby groups, philosophers and teachers, add interests to workshops, hands-on activities, observation sessions and moments of immersion. Most often, the sharing of experiences with counterparts, sometimes come from different geographical backgrounds, is rewarding.

Creation of a common history

The Executive Committee of BNP Paribas Personal Finance which includes also an Italian and a Slovak is, for example, not forget his visit to Helsinki, "under fifty centimetres of snow, up to the loft of the great advertising online Alex". As Russell Reynolds, the consulting firm in recruitment of senior leaders, he signed with Leaders'Quest an exclusive partnership for 2 to 3 trips per year. Each time, the impact of travel shows on moments of meetings and establishment of a common history, which are anchored deeply in the memories. "We will look at the bottom of itself, it opens the mind and back these disturbed travel", view Nicolas Manset, Russell Reynolds in France Director-General, still under the emotional shock of a visit of Chinese factories.

"Of course, the participants in these trips are invited to leave office their preconceptions", prevents Lindsay Levin. François Villeroy de Galhau remembers left via WDHB with a State of mind sufficiently flexible to design, space of a few days, to move in a position of challenger then that his group is leader in the consumer credit to emerging innovation. In Botanic, the leadership team adopted the technique of the absorbent sponge. "We are embarked on exploratory, with the intention to work in France with beliefs and ideas full head," insists Luc Blanchet, gardening, intends to significantly expand its market share in the sectors plant, animal, bio and decoration of the House. In the HRD from Danone, allocated to each group of 4 to 5 people travel, they returned in their respective countries to decline there on a daily basis the concept of "People first". A know how better to consider all of the people of the business in terms of development and commitment", details Thierry Bonetto, Manager Learning and development from Danone.

Return of trip, number of participants speak of cohesion, other emulation, complicity or sharing a common history. "This opening to the outside world is motivating and inspiring," said Thierry Bonetto. "Life of what we learn in these moments there is far superior to that could produce a classic learning." But he must also keep in mind that all subjects do not require such an investment.

And all these study tours are not nor free of friction and misunderstandings between participants. That is why, to prevent, the organizers give importance to the time perspective and use "facilitators". Local who know decrypt the complexity of environments during daily sessions of "debriefing" in individual and collective work.