Twitter Interviews – #CKinterview
Today’s Cross-Cultural Interview is with Thierry De Baillon. You can also find him on Twitter: @t_de_baillon. This is a 2 part interview:
- Part 1 – The Blog Interview to get to know Thierry
- Part 2 – The Twitter Interview where Thierry answers 10 Cross-Cultural & International Questions
I met Thierry through some interesting cross-cultural discussions on Twitter. Thierry writes a bilingual blog and is an Online Communication Manager at a big French IT services group.
Thierry De Baillon – Part 1
Here is the first part of the interview with Thierry – The transcript of the Twitter Interview is now below. You can find the interview on Twitter with the hashtag #CKinterview.
Cindy King: Hi Thierry, For those who don’t know you, can you please tell us something about yourself?
Thierry De Baillon: I am born in Paris, and lived in different places in France during my childhood. I began my career working as an illustrator for fashion offices. At that time, the words “innovation” and “creation” were synonym of Japan, and I left Paris for Tokyo in 1981 for almost a year. Back in Paris, I spent my time between as copywriter and “trends scout” for the fashion industry and helping brands to develop products and build their image. I “fell” into the Internet ten years ago, when, as Marketing Director for Creeks (a French casual fashion brand), I built what has been the first French fashion e-commerce website.
Since then, I worked in different companies to build national or multi-national corporate online strategies.
Cindy King: How did you pick up your cross-cultural skills?
Thierry De Baillon: Working for fashion offices has been an incredibly valuable training. Imagine yourself traveling all around the world for short periods of time, your mission being to detect emerging trends in all cultural fields (fashion, design, music, fine arts,…) and to determine in these trends what is and what isn’t applicable to other markets. Analysis, synthesis and commercial output, based on your sense of innovation and your ability to listen and decipher cutting-edge signals.
Cindy King: How do you use your cross-cultural skills in your job?
Thierry De Baillon: Listening is key while working in multi-cultural environments, so is the ability to build a common ground which doesn’t impair anyone’s identity. On the “human” side, brands are often much more powerful than they even realize, and taking care that they don’t crush customers’ and employees’ personal culture is even more important than building them from the corporate side of view.
Looking at the way people use technology like social media according to their culture is also an incredible way to drive innovation. First time I went in China, in 1981, I remember for instance having being stuck by the way people used phone handsets. Chinese people usually talk loudly, and, not to deafen their interlocutor while phoning in the street, instead of removing the earpiece from their ear, they removed the microphone from their mouth, holding the handset upside-down!!! Same technology, used in a totally different manner to accommodate with a different culture…
I also nurture this personal taste for innovation through personal research, which I -try to- express through my blog and my Twitter feed.
Cindy King: Can you tell us about your blog?
Thierry De Baillon: Blogging is the flip side of my other main online activity, on Twitter. There, I am able to develop scenarios and share long term insights. I began blogging five years ago, as I was unemployed for a couple of months. I would consider myself as a “sporadic” blogger, as I closed it two times already, but couldn’t resist getting at it again.
My blog’s title, “Sonnez en cas d’absence”, is a sentence I saw written on a shop’s window, which means “Ring the bell if I am away”, that is if something interesting happens, or if somebody wants to start a conversation, I am always ready to step in and take part.
As an interesting example: on last April, I hadn’t blogged for two years, when I found myself part of an online experiment: a French translation of a Chris Brogan’s post, with other French twitterers/bloggers (Emilie Ogez, Florence Meichel, Yann Leroux, Mario Asselin and Lilian Mahoukou). They then posted the translation on their respective blogs, linking to mine, thus ringing the bell again.
Besides that, this title has another (non obvious, but equally important to me) meaning: when you see this sentence on a shop’s door, you immediately understand it. You see nobody, so you ring. But it is all contextual; reading the sentence and thinking about it, you may well say “hey, if this guy isn’t around, how could he actually HEAR the bell ringing?” A lot of things do not make any sense when put out of their cultural context. This is, I think, a great lesson for us all to remember.
Cindy King: Is there anything new about your blog you would like to share?
Thierry De Baillon: Since I restarted blogging, I write in French and in English. I found out that most of the subjects I am talking about (social media, branding, enterprise 2.0,..) find a more logical and precise expression in English than in French. It might be related to the fact that there is much much more material available in English upon these subjects, but this might also mean that the mere concepts these subjects rely on (engagement, active trust,…) have a deeper rooting in Anglo-Saxon culture. Just an intuition I hope I will be able to dig in.
The blog and Twitter have helped me to connect with a lot of fabulous people all around the world, and great conversations often take place about subjects I am passionate about. As I am currently looking for a new position (scoop), this also helps me leverage my knowledge and, who knows, maybe find new opportunities.
Cindy King: Can you give us some deeper insights about yourself regarding your cross-cultural background?
Thierry De Baillon: I speak of course English and French, some Italian, a bit of German and Spanish, took Japanese lessons which I almost forgot,… and I would love to learn Arabic. Knowing that Arabic language doesn’t have a present tense – present is only intersection of past and future – totally fascinates me, as it induces a totally different perception of time. Languages are an crucial key to understand a foreign culture, as they relate to history, psychology, sociology, technology…
Cindy King: Have you come across any cultural stereotypes that bother you, or you find inappropriate?
Thierry De Baillon: All stereotypes bother me, and they are legion, as they are an expression of mental rigidity. Flexibility and openness are mandatory to be able to learn anything, and as the world is getting more and more complicated, and as things are evolving faster and faster, listening, thus learning, is a matter of survival.
Cindy King: Do you have a favorite movie that could help people understand cultural issues?
Thierry De Baillon: Blade Runner is a great tale about cultural blending and cultural misunderstanding. Even in future where a lot of different cultures have cross-fertilized (the little shops where Harrison Ford ask for an analysis of the scale he found, for instance, looks like a futurist vision of a Taiwanese market crossed with a Moroccan Medina), difference leads to misunderstanding, aggression, irrational behavior.
Part 2 – The Twitter Interview
@CindyKing: This is a Twitter interview with Thierry de Baillon @t_de_baillon – I’ll be tweeting with Thierry for about 15-30 minutes
Please join in if you have any questions or comments for @t_de_baillon
I’m using the hashtag ckinterview on TweetChat.com – You can follow this Twitter interview with @t_de_baillon there too
@t_de_baillon: Hi Cindy, thanks for inviting me today.
@CindyKing: Thierry, I wonder if you could share some tips & golden nuggets of advice…
First… What is your definition of culture in 120 characters? So… “Culture is…”
@t_de_baillon: The ground over which we build our individual and collective behaviors.
@CindyKing: Dare I say that you can tell this is a definition of culture by a Frenchman !
@t_de_baillon: 
French for sure, but maybe not that typical !
@CindyKing: …let’s make it harder – “Culture is…” in one word only
@t_de_baillon: Infrastructure. An IT word which describes well how this layer f rules determines the perimeter f our capabilities.
@CindyKing: “Culture is infrastructure” – that’s one I would never have thought of – lots of thoughts going on in my head
“Culture is infrastructure” – I like this because you can also see the issues with cultural barriers
@MiChmski: Culture is learned
@CindyKing: @MiChmski Thanks for this definition “Culture is learned” – it shows wisdom, doesn’t it?
@t_de_baillon: @MiChmski Learned or inherited, there is always a thin barrier
@CindyKing: @kadavids – Kim, what does @t_de_baillon ’s “Culture is Infrastructure” make you think of?
@kadavids: Hi Cindy! Two things come to mind: foundation and complications. Culture supports our existance, but misunderstanding or neglecting it can lead to unnecessary problems. I think infrastructure is a great definition; one that really made me think
@CindyKing: @sallyfalkow I know you must have a good 1 word definition for culture… what do you think of “Culture is Infrastructure”?
@sallyfalkow: Why 1 word? Culture is much more than infrastructure it’s a collective consciousness
@CindyKing: @sallyfalkow “Culture is Collective Consciousness” for more short definitions have a look at http://cindyking.biz/resources/cross-cultural-twitter-interviews/
@Thandelike: Re. IT culture definitions — it’s also “an operating system” #ckinterview
@CindyKing: Along the same lines… Can you finish the sentence “International business is…”
@t_de_baillon: Our day to day environment. Every business might be seen with an international bias: conversing and trading values with someone who has a different culture, even if from a different company.
@CindyKing: This is the definition of international business I like to use too
From your blog it’s easy to see your cultural expertise…
…What is the one tip you would give people to improve their cross-cultural skills?
@t_de_baillon: Travel, as “bare” as possible. When you are in need of something, you see how people react to your misery. Discovering people when out of your comfort zone is the greatest lesson ever!
@CindyKing: “Discovering people when out of your comfort zone is the greatest lesson ever!” – So right!
@ clarinette02: I quite agree with Thierry, learning language is important, but don’t be afraid it comes very quickly, the world is cross-cul
@clarinette02: I could add my positive exp of meeting many interesting cross-cult PPL on Twitter, my advice to every young: GO EXPAT
@CindyKing: What one bit of advice would you give people interested in international business?
@t_de_baillon: Be transparent, open, listen. In fact, develop very same qualities which r needed 2 be successful with social media
@CindyKing: It’s very interesting how we both notice similarities in international skills & social media skills
With your experience what tip would you give to people moving abroad?
@t_de_baillon: Study the language first. It will give u invaluable clues about socialization. Talk with people who lived where u go
@CindyKing: Thierry – 4 more questions before I let you go…
What’s your favorite website for international or cross-cultural inspiration? …anything at all
@t_de_baillon: Twitter of course It’s an incredible way to find great people from anywhere in the world to discuss with.
@CindyKing: Exact! Twitter is a great source of inspiration of all things cross-cultural & international
…with all of your Twitter activities…can you suggest one other cross-cultural person to follow on Twitter?
@t_de_baillon: Besides you? 
Difficult task… @RevezNexus is a Spano-French in London w shows how culture is crucial in 2.0 world
@CindyKing: Thanks for sharing @RevezNexus – looking forward to connecting with him
So, now… can you suggest one other international person to follow on Twitter?
@t_de_baillon: @RickCogley, an American business consultant living in Japan. @vgr, an Indian innovator living in the US
@CindyKing: Great! another 2 people I don’t know and looking forward to following @RickCogley @vgr
Finally, are there any categories of international or cross-cultural people you would be interested in meeting?
@t_de_baillon: Yes. Would love to meet ethnographers & sociologists from allover the world. My job (socmed & enterprise) is so related 2 human behavior that I am always interested in sharing abt people motivations & social structures
@CindyKing: Wow Thierry – that was fast & fun …Thanks so much for your time!
@t_de_baillon: It was a real pleasure to share some insights with you. Thanks for all Cindy.
@CindyKing: I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did and invite everyone to read the full interview here
And I also invite you to continue the conversations on International Business Ideas
UPDATE: Read what Thierry posted on his blog post after this Twitter Interview: Corporate Culture Is Infrastructure
More On International Business Ideas
More Twitter Interviews
- Charmayne Paul – @psitutor
- Lucy Chatburn – @pocketcultures
- Doreen Iannuzzi – @DoreenatDMS
- Donna Jackson – @wisequeen
- Chris Cotter – @CotterHUE
- Jack Yan – @jackyan
- Silvia Cambié – @XCulture
- Bill Ward – @DR4WARD
- Seshu – @PicSeshu
- Neil Urquhart – @culturematters
- Klaus & Flavia Westerwelle – @transdomo
- Donagh Kiernan – @dkiernan
- Christian Hoeferle – @hoeferleconsult
- Caroline – @ohh_la_la
- Deborah Swallow – @DeborahSwallow
- Steve Roesler – @steveroesler
- Matthew Bennett – @matthewbennett
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Cindy!
What a great idea: conducting a Twitter interview. Sort of a reinvented, evolved genre.
When De Baillon defines culture in terms of behavior, my initial reaction is to ponder the absence of more static categories like values, beliefs, and collective mental paradigms. But perhaps such static categories can only be measured or have significance when manifested in behaviors. Would that be characteristically a French idea for a sector of the French?
Perhaps I also do not understand the word “infrastructure.” To my mind, the word conjures images of bridges, telephone poles, sewage lines, roads, and police and fire departments. Applying this figuratively to culture (via a www analogy?), I suppose a semi-isolated network of material and human resource nodes with relationships between them (links) together might reasonably be considered to comprise one culture.
I just worry that metaphors may run away with a bit of meaning. Or explain as much as they mask. Or am I to assume such limitations are taken into consideration over the long haul? Or that accepting a collage of pithy metaphors safeguards against misrepresentation and oversimplification? What is the church? It is a body with different organs, a family, a temple building, an assembly, a bride, a nation, a servant, and so on.
I feel somewhat like a dolphin sending out a high-pitched signal in order to find out what sounds will return. As if experimental talk is a part of listening (or a way to get slapped).
Peter´s last blog ..Tips to Avoiding a Search Engine Slap
Hi Peter,
What a wonderful thoughtful comment!
Yes, I do find Thierry’s answer “Culture is Infrastructure” very French – but not the typical French answer
I don’t take this all very seriously. It is for fun. I think I could come up with a different word each day… depending on my own personal filters. But I do find it very interesting to see different definitions… sort of like getting a tiny glimpse of a complex subject, from other people’s viewpoints.
I’m seduced by the word infrastructure because it does bring up the cultural boundaries we all have… and I can imagine some complex piece of engineering with all of our cultures in the middle with different boundaries, some linking together, some appearing to link together from one dimension, but when you look at it from another dimension they don’t link up. And how you need to have full 3 dimensional vision to see the whole picture, and then it’s so complex you need to actually get inside to actually understand it.
That’s the vision this definition gives to me… it’s funny how we can all see different things with a one word definition.