The “Mille Feuilles” Theory

The proliferation of communications channels within enterprises has direct implications both for managerial behaviour and for corporate management. Professor Michel Kalika* of Paris-Dauphine University has analyzed this phenomenon in a prize-winning paper** published in a French computer science journal.

His so-called “mille feuilles theory” describes how communications are structured within enterprises and suggests how companies can reduce information overload.

How does the “mille feuilles” theory apply to enterprise communications networks?
Michel Kalika: Communication is one of the most fundamental processes of management. Managers spend a considerable amount of time communicating and interacting.

In the last ten years, we have seen a revolution in enterprise communications, which has been fuelled by the advent of new technologies. Examples are the internet, corporate intranets and videoconferencing, which have been added to existing modes of communication such as meetings, phone calls and so forth.

These technologies were supposed to enhance communications and save time for managers. However, in reality, we have found that in the majority of companies, electronic communications have supplemented traditional communications tools rather than replacing them.

As a result, managers’ schedules are often full and they are pressed for time. The “mille feuilles” effect describes the way in which these technologies are layered on top of each other.

Is this “layering” the only cause of the “mille feuilles” effect?
M. K.: It’s the consequence of information overload. But the real reason for the “mille feuilles” effect is that we tend to adopt new communication tools without thinking about how to structure the organisation in relation to those tools.

The proliferation of communications channels rapidly becomes overwhelming and is a key source of stress for managers. In most companies, supervisory and managerial authority remains reliant on what I call “leadership presence”, that is to say direct, face-to-face contact between individuals.

However, the contemporary enterprise is typically a highly distributed organisation and interaction between mangers and individuals has become increasingly virtual. Managers must raise their awareness of this phenomenon in order to tackle the roadblocks within their organizations.

Do you think that this issue is currently being resolved?
M. K.: Unfortunately, no. If anything things are getting worse. The data for our paper was
gathered from an annual survey*** of 500 companies and several thousand employees which has been undertaken since 2000. The evidence shows that the feeling of information overload increases each year!

How can it be tackled?
M. K.: Any approach must start by profiling and mapping the organisation and then examining how managers are spending their time. This involves measuring the time spent in face to face meetings and virtual meetings, communicating on the telephone, and reading and replying to emails.

This data can be used to structure and prioritize the way in which different tools are used. Face to face meetings should be used for the most important interactions and electronic tools can be used for day-to-day activities.

Do you address these issues with your students?
M. K.: Absolutely, these are very topical and important issues. So they feature prominently in our undergraduate curriculum as well as in continuous training programmes, such as the Executive MBA and Executive Doctorate in Business Administration which I set up at Paris-Dauphine University.

I also cover these topics in my presentations for corporate seminars and conferences.

You have included this topic in the curriculum for your master’s in Consulting & ERP, which was launched this year by Paris-Dauphine University in partnership with CSC.
M. K.: The master’s programme was born out of a series of discussions with CSC [see box]. We saw a gap in the provision of training in terms of ERP consulting and solutions which this international, bilingual, degree programme is designed to fill.

The first class will graduate in 2008. CSC hires a lot of new graduates and was extremely responsive in establishing the degree programme with us. For its part, Paris-Dauphine University has a strong track record of collaborating with business.

So, it’s a win-win partnership. My ambition is for us to extend our collaboration in training to include the field of research.

* Michel Kalika is a professor at Paris-Dauphine University and has lectured on management science, business strategy and information systems research since 1997.

Since 2000, he has been director of the master’s research project “128 e-Management” and chair of the Dauphine-Cegos Observatory of e-Management.

He has been director of the CREPA Research Centre in Management Science & Organisation (DRM UMR CNRS 7088) since 2005.

** “La théorie du mille feuilles, le rôle du contexte” by Michel Kalika and Nabila Boukef Charki, Sytèmes d’Information et Management, 2006, vol.11, no. 4. Winner of the 2007 CIGREF AIM prize in the “Best Paper” category.

*** Dauphine-Cegos Observatory of e-Management.