“Finally I found a company where I can deliver credible people management”
In a new job, the first 100 days are crucial. When the honeymoon phase is over, the employee should know if things will work out. Peter Buyle has just finished this important period. For the department manager of Service Management & Support, no skeletons have tumbled out of the closet. “I was looking for an honest and authentic company. And I found it at Colruyt Group.”
Why were you hired?
Peter: “I’m the department manager of a number of services developed by our IT department. These are services linked to training and management, for example. But also the development of the processes we need to operate our IT infrastructure and software solutions. I always worked in a client oriented environment. Therefore, I want to help build a service oriented organization, to improve the alignment of client expectations with our services.”
How do you determine if a company is right for you?
“I have a certain set of values. Authenticity is important. And we should consider people as a strength, not as machines or lemons we can squeeze. I want to empower people at the workplace. I was looking for an organization that has the same set of values, where I can be a credible people manager. If not, I wouldn’t stay for long anyway. My physical appearance betrays that I can behave slightly anarchistic if something doesn’t fit in my value pattern. But at Colruyt Group, I found a match.”
You haven’t experienced any hidden defects in the first 100 days?
“A lot of companies declare they are honest and authentic, but sometimes it turns out not to be the case. Colruyt Group is very transparent about its values. During the job interviews I dug deep to be sure that it wasn’t sanitized story telling. I felt the values in every discussion. That’s how I got more and more convinced that things were right.”
How did your integration go?
“I felt at home from day one. They don’t leave you to your own devices. Taking care of each other, that is taken more serious here than in most companies. Colruyt Group has a specific culture, but you get the necessary time to adapt. And if the value pattern is right, you want to adapt happily. Here, they have respect for the individual. I think that’s nice.”
Was it hard to find your place in that strong corporate culture?
“You have to assume that you will be absorbed by the corporate culture. This company has a shared memory, everything is linked. Everyone automatically thinks: Who should I get involved? Who should I notify? It’s in the DNA: making a success story together. The results are services and products that are embraced by the whole company.”
What did you noticed most clearly in your first 100 days?
“Size matters. Our IT department has 1,800 collaborators in Belgium, France and India. That’s exceptionally much. If you have so many IT collaborators, you will never be the only one doing your specific job. A starting business analyst will become part of a community of business analysts. In other companies, you will be on your own to figure everything out. If you want to be a part of a whole where you can build solutions, then you are at the right place at Colruyt Group.”
Let’s all get cozy. But are the collaborators also happy with the resources and the growth?
“The question here is: Do we have enough people to do it? I expected that a retailer would be economizing on everything, all the time. That happens here too sometimes, but more consciously. Technology and people are considered as enablers and differentiators. That is probably the most important reason why Colruyt Group has been so successful for so long. The most important challenge is to keep on making the right decisions.”
And what decision will you make? Will you stay for another 100 days?
“Personally, I’m very optimistic about the future. This is the first time that I find a company where the values are right. That gives me a lot of energy. I think I will stay for a very long time.”
