Left SLB a few years ago. Remember the Group President saying....and I quote "You are too close to the employees....they would do whatever you asked of them". In my day, this was the pinnacle of achievement for a manager. I took SLB criticism as the highest compliment for an American management style. And, my view remained unchanged. To succeed in business, one must value employees first. French styles may differ but the US isn't France and we don't aspire to be. A real global company respects and aligns with all cultures in which they do business and MAKE MONEY.
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IT'S VERY SAD TO SEE THIS HAPPEN TO SO MANY GOOD COMPANIES AND PEOPLE WHO WERE SWALLOWED UP BY THESE SCUMBAGS. MAY THEY ALL ROT IN HELL!
Doll wouldnt be fired today. He was screwing the boss's sister. That set the model for how to get ahead in SLB.
I'm a slow learner. Maybe you could demonstrate.
quit your bitchin' there are billion jobs out there. if you can't learn to s--- a dick of your friend, move on!
Smith Bits is a perfect example of this style of management. Even the managers who are long time Smith employees have been converted to SLB's management style. You can no longer trust the people you have worked with for many many years. People who used to be your friends. They've played a big part in thoroughly and absolutely ruining this company. It's a damn shame. We used to love this job.
Company has changed so much indeed. They would let go Henri George Doll if he was around today...
The days of the family oriented company are over… the company has turned into something extremely unethical… managers lying to your face is the new way… this is how they will train the new generation… I hope they are smarter than to work for a company which does not value employees … at the end of the day what matters most is their fat pockets… boats, cars, country clubs… company paid memberships…
The last post describes the current SLB ethos very well, skill, experience and product knowledge count for very little, it has been happening for many years.
The future of this organisation is very poor unless a huge rethink of what's really important I.E. skills and true ability are valued.
At present SLB survives by buying out effective companies with good products to maintain a market lead, most of the good products and services in use today are not SLB designed , the technical and engineering skill sets no longer exist.
A Short term outlook to maintain a good balance sheet to satisfy the shareholders will lead to a long term decline of this company.
Until recently it was possible under the US management style to work up through the ranks. That has largely disappeared due to the appearance of Professional Management, including HR. This aligns more closely with classical European management styles that are still largely based on social class (connections) than actual ability. Blame it on globalization. At least under the classic US system it was possible to work for people who were familiar with the tasks that they managed. In the European system the elite group is expected to avoid getting their hands dirty with work and leadership replaced by irregularly timed round table talks. Now that the systems are merging you get what you see today - a disregard for time-honed skills, the perception that procedures can replace experience, and a widening gulf between the elites hiding behind their KPI's and closed-door internal meetings and those who actually carry the business. You know it is getting bad when clients tell SLB managers not to come back until they have a clue about what they are talking about.
Is that so different from other big corporations in the USA? And currently CEO is from Norway, worked for Exxon in past - so what you are all talking about?
I agree that there may be too large % of French-speaking people in management in the USA in comparison with other nations. And this is not because of their good skills - this can be just because of connections. But are American bosses better??? Not sure.
I did not like French bosses too by the way. But Americans were not better, they were different.
S--- a dick, move up. Take it from behind, keep your job
Simple as that .
None the least , you have to be fake as ever to survive this type of leadership running the show.
SLB management definitely does not reward the type of leadership that is described. Instead they insist on a two-tier culture of elites (the 4%) and everyone else. To get into that 4% you have to be willing to destroy your best friend and work the system so that others take the blame for your own failings. Never lead, never make a decision, and don't leave a paper trail.
Now I understand why French management are arrogant and technically ignorant. Sooner or later, they will be discarded by capitalism, because it is not sustainable.
who gives a s*** what you are