THE PRESS IS TALKING ABOUT US
The culture of a company is increasingly that of an internationalized organization, through its operating markets, its partners, or its employees. Interculturality is therefore a strong component. How can it be managed and mastered? The founders of Gapsmoov shed light on this.
COVID-19 disrupted people’s lives — and projects — sometimes slowing them down. This was the case for the young company Gapsmoov, created in June 2020, whose market launch was delayed by a year. Probably a blessing in disguise. This painful, striking, destabilizing pause highlighted employees’ appetite for training. Short modules, long modules — learning is in style, bolstered by the publicization of the personal training account.
According to a study published by Xerfi in 2021, national spending on professional training should reach €28 billion by 2024, compared to €25 billion in 2020. And training organizations’ turnover should grow by 5%. In terms of languages, the room for improvement is enormous. According to EF’s annual English Proficiency Index, France ranks 34th in Europe — three places lower in one year. As for intercultural management? A wide-open field… one that Gapsmoov fully intends to shape.
Thibaut Issindou, co-founder of the platform, fell into it early, during an Erasmus stay abroad while studying at the Grenoble Institute of Business Administration. He later multiplied immersion experiences in China, India, and Mexico. Virginie Deshayes built her career over fifteen years working with key players in foreign language training. They met at Telelangue, in Luxembourg, in a multicultural environment where 170 nationalities intermingled.
Why take an interest in interculturality?
Virginie Deshayes: We are convinced that raising awareness of others’ cultures is everyone’s responsibility. Otherwise, mergers or acquisitions may fail, negotiations drag on, or even fail… This is why Gapsmoov offers a platform for language training and cultural decoding.
Thibaut Issindou: Intercultural management is a fairly young discipline. One of its pioneers is Dutch psychologist Geert Hofstede, who distributed a questionnaire in the early 1970s to 50 000 IBM employees to understand different management styles. Large companies were the first to adopt it. In groups like Airbus or Thales, misunderstandings could be observed not due to a lack of language skills, but to culture. Once the preserve of large corporations, the topic now interests more and more start-ups and unicorns, such as Back Market, because they grow quickly internationally.
“Is there now a general awareness among companies?”
Virginie Deshayes: Awareness emerges once there is pain. Yet it should come earlier. Cultural diversity is one facet of broader diversity, even if it is not the top priority. English courses are given… for English. For many, mastering the language is enough, combined with a little open-mindedness. And that’s it. But that’s not the case. We are still at the beginnings. This is the wrong remedy. Real evangelization work is needed.
What examples of managerial cultural differences can you give?
Virginie Deshayes: Meeting duration, for example. It is not the same in the United States, France, or Germany. A “brainstorming session” in France is a decision-making meeting across the Rhine. People leave with a clear action plan — very concrete. In France, it is an opportunity for verbal sparring: everyone expresses their point of view. It can take one, two, three hours.
The relationship to time is an important dimension of intercultural management. One can also mention conceptualization (why are we doing it?) versus pragmatism (how do we do it?).
Thibaut Issindou: Beyond this first aspect, we have identified 17 other cultural traits: how we work in teams, how decisions are made, how one speaks… In a 2021 article in Les Échos, 60% of business leaders said young graduates are not prepared to work in an international context. The needs are therefore significant.
Aren’t there more and more immersion programs that help raise student awareness of interculturality during their studies?
Thibaut Issindou: Brigitte Sauzay, Voltaire programs… I don’t know if the proportion of middle or high school students participating even reaches 5% today. While these still-marginal programs can foster awareness and openness, they are not designed to train students in interculturality within the workplace.
What is the intercultural management market in France?
Virginie Deshayes: It is a niche. The estimated turnover is €15–20 million, while the language training market is €300 million. And Gapsmoov is the only platform in this segment, with 120 videos, capsules, blended learning… The opportunity is huge. Today, about fifteen higher-education institutions have adopted it, with evaluation included. A dozen companies as well. We experienced wins and losses. We thought development would be faster, but awareness remains timid.
Thibaut Issindou: The market is more mature in Europe, with several years’ advance. Germany has several players. The tradition of encouraging young people to live abroad is very strong. Interculturality includes what is called a “silent language”. And no need to go far to feel gaps — China, India, Japan where “yes” can mask discomfort… Differences between implicit and explicit communication can already be studied with European neighbors. The French lean toward implicit; the Germans toward explicit.
What is your ambition?
Thibaut Issindou: Gapsmoov has been a Réseau Entreprendre laureate since last January and, for six months, a member of EdTech Lyon. We hope, thanks to these partners, to replicate the Voltaire project (grammar & spelling) within our field of expertise: interculturality, with certification.
— By Murielle Wolski
