Tradition and modernity. Humanity and know-ledge. Peace and realism. The impressions are many and the emotions mixed. One does not know what to expect at this DNV-certified Benedictine monastery, founded in the 7th century on the river Seine west of Rouen, France.
Quality takes top priority with the monks. The monastery production plant contains state-of-the-art equipment for printing, copying, and producing CD-ROM discs. Frances most advanced companies are on its customer list . In 1999, Fontenelle Microcopie, as the plant is named, won the Normandy quality-assurance award. The facility is now aiming for the French and even the European award.
We all have our preconceived notions as to what a monastery is. What the people are like. How strict and serious, and even boring, their lives are. When Brother Nicolas Vinot Prefontaine tells us that the lights go out at 10pm, and that the monks get up at 5am, I cant help asking: What happens if you dont put the lights out at 10pm? Then I end up very tired, he replies drily.
ISO certification adds dynamism
Many people think that we lock ourselves away when we enter a monastery. But the opposite is true, says Brother Nicolas, quality-assurance manager of the production plant which DNV recently certified to ISO 9002. We open ourselves up to God and to people.
The goal for our production plant is to have total quality and to maintain this quality, says the head of the monastery and its factory, Father Didier le Gal. We have looked on ISO certification as a helpful tool that adds dynamism to the entire company and its employees.
Michele Planeix-Dumas is the DNV auditor performing the ISO 9002 certification. It has been both different and valuable to work with the monks, she says. Their system is fine. They have it all written down correctly. They are concentrated and dedicated about what they have done and will do. And they are totally unaware of stress, without all the disturbances we have in our everyday life. I have sometimes found the same dedication in smaller companies, but seldom in large ones.
Technology, quality and culture
Three criteria are necessary to success: technology, quality and culture, emphasises Father le Gal.
Fontenelle Microcopie has more than 30 employees, 12 of whom are monks. The others are civilian employees all men from the surrounding area. This is a different kind of workplace for them, but obviously a better one. The staff turnover rate is far lower than at other companies. Any problems are discovered and dealt with through employee surveys and dialogues.
The employees have participated in various historical projects, such as a study of Roman and Gothic art. This year, geology is the theme. How were the Alps formed? What flora and fauna are to be found there? It ends up with a trip to the Alps, in which all the employees take part. We look on knowledge as a way of making people tolerant, says le Gal, who can also see the benefits and joys involved in passing on this knowledge to the employees families. Instead of just talking about sport, they can also talk about cultural issues at the dinner table.
Breakfast with the customers
Some of the employee training involves everyone, irrespective of their jobs, going out to meet the customers. Customers are also invited to breakfast at the monastery four times a year.
Seminars are arranged biennially, the latest one being in October last year on the theme of Human beings and quality. Top speakers from the monastery and well-known French companies attracted an audience of close to 100.
Leading industrialists also come here for a break, and perhaps to seek relief from a hectic working life. They may live in the monastery and join the monks in prayer, conversation and self-denial for up to 10 days.
Profit used on social work
The profit generated from CD-ROM production is spent on running both this monastery and others, and on extensive social work, perhaps the most important of which is work with deprived young people who have to be helped into real life. Real life is also where St Wandrille monastery is to be found with its own website ( www.st-wandrille.com ) in English too and an e-business scheme planned for implementation in a year or two.
A unique society. A society from which we could all learn a lot.