PERMAentreprise Bold realism or managed Utopia?

There is another path... That much is certain!

Was Christopher Columbus a visionary genius, or simply a bold narcissist with the recklessness of an amateur sorcerer? The answer has shifted with the times. In the years following his first voyage, he was mocked, opposed, and envied. Then history — with a capital H — chose to immortalise his name in school textbooks. “No one is a prophet in their own land,” as the saying goes. It seems that the ups and downs of the waves Admiral Columbus sailed through are, in this sense, emblematic of the fate faced by trailblazers confronting the guardians of the status quo — the eternal struggle between disruption and continuity, boldness and realism, utopia and pragmatism.

The entrepreneur — the very embodiment of an adventurer — chooses not to remain on the dock of « what’s the point? » and casts off from the moorings of « come now, that’s impossible! » Knighted (bravely) as captain, and often the “sole” master of the ship, they learn each day to steer their vessel and avoid running aground. They inspire the crew, monitor its moods, and anticipate the fickle maritime whims of the Poseidon–Aeolus duo.

"As I descended the impassive rivers..."²

Thirty years ago, Sylvain Breuzard founded Norsys, an IT services company that now has 750 employees in France and Morocco. He too shares the destiny of a curious, daring navigator, a breaker of prejudices and a slayer of preconceptions. A Burgundian with a passion for the mountains, his parents were teachers and he studied computer science at university. After a stint as a teacher during his national service, followed by a few years as an employee of large IT service companies, he felt the need for a change of scenery, the possibility of a different approach to his profession. He then wandered through a sea of questions, between the islands of “How? For whom? For what? Towards what goal? With what impact?”

Will his expedition reach terra incognita—that elusive eldorado Marco Polo once praised for its riches? As with Columbus, the journey may well prove more rewarding than the destination itself. “I was passionate about developing Norsys to show that a business could grow successfully from an economic standpoint without being driven by a single-minded goal.” Actively involved in the Centre des Jeunes Dirigeants (Centre for Young Business Leaders), he devised his own approach to corporate social responsibility — even before it entered the regulatory landscape. Anticipating the social storms of the post-2000 era, he implemented initiatives well ahead of industry standards: the 35-hour working week, 20 days of paid leave agreements and a series of innovative measures — driven not only by economic considerations, but by social and environmental ones as well. He defended the idea that performance must be “holistic — or it would be nothing at all.”

"I’ve got problems for your solutions"

“We’re trapped in rigid ways of thinking, imposed by people who want to standardise everything. As a result, everyone ends up doing the same thing… and that’s what’s so awful!” says Sylvain. The pursuit of the comfort that comes from following the crowd helps avoid the stress of risk-taking and the anxiety that comes with boldness. “My path is to think differently, to challenge the dominant mindset and to prove through the practical reality of business that there is another way to succeed,” he adds.

His disruptive and experimental history is as dense as it is eloquent. 1996: creation of a subsidiary in Morocco, well before any digital offshoring. 2003: creation of a corporate foundation. At that time, Norsys was only an SME, and many large groups had not yet considered this approach. 2005: Norsys signs its commitment against discrimination, introducing anonymous CVs, offering training on prejudice and stereotypes, initiating a process of equal pay for men and women, and facilitating access to training. 2007: The company carries out its first carbon assessment. 2010: Creation of the ‘Étincelle’ network to support associations and help young people who have dropped out of school³. The list goes on... ‘What drives me is the ecosystem between economics, business, and social and environmental commitments.’

"The storm blessed my maritime awakenings..."

In 2019, Sylvain spoke of experiencing a deep personal reckoning, questioning the true meaning of Corporate Social Responsibility — the much-vaunted CSR. “Many companies see CSR as a nice acronym. They don’t know how to go about it and simply see it as expensive. They end up ticking the CSR box without even realising it — going through the motions rather than making real change. » It is clear that the impact of CSR actions on the world was not obvious... It was time to shift up a gear — and this new race toward virtue had less in common with a leisurely cycle ride and more in common with the punishing cobblestones of the Paris–Roubaix, beneath which lay the very page that needed turning. « After 20 years of CSR, » explains Sylvain Breuzard, philosophically, « it seems businesses are more interested in talking about their development — not really about CSR. »

"I encountered, you know, incredible Floridas..."

Sylvain then encountered the concept of permaculture, an Australian agricultural approach born in 1970, inspired by Japanese methods and based on three pillars: respect for the soil, respect for people, and setting limits on consumption with redistribution of surpluses. The idea took root in Sylvain's mind and he imagined similar ethical practices in the governance of his company: respect for individuals inside and outside the company, respect for nature, self-imposed limits on the use of resources (human and otherwise), accompanied by a redistribution of the wealth created by the company to all stakeholders, including local civil society... The concept of PERMAentreprise was born, and Sylvain paved the way for CSR 2.0 (or even 3 or 4).

For Norsys, the specific consequences were quick to emerge. Limits within the company are set by a vote of the employees or a decision by an ethics council appointed alongside the management committee. In concrete terms: “We no longer fly if the journey takes less than six hours and we no longer order from Amazon. No more plastic from caterers for our events. We don't necessarily accept all the projects that come our way, especially those promoting fossil fuels... On the other hand, the company voted 90% in favour of keeping charcuterie at after-work drinks... We're still a bit Gallic, after all”, explains Sylvain, tongue in cheek. ‘PERMA’ is realistic and non-dogmatic. The steering committee for this model decides on the voting rules based on the scope of the decisions to be made. “Management and employees are represented to varying degrees in order to achieve an enlightened democracy. I give absolute priority to debate.” That's it.

"I saw celestial archipelagos! And islands..."

How far will we go? Norsys undertakes a “PERMA audit” every two years to regularly review practices and habits. The “go/no-go” decisions on a project stem directly from the consistent application of three ethical criteria: sober and respectful use of resources (particularly human resources), respect for nature in the project design, and the arrangement of ecosystems involving all stakeholders. “The most important thing is that employees buy into the approach. When projects are selected and defined in this way, collaboration happens naturally, teamwork improves, competitiveness increases and people are more motivated.”

The adoption of new technologies, such as AI, raises the same questions. “Go/No-go” according to PERMA ethics? Norsys has set up a PIRATEs centre for Innovation, Applied Research and Technology to better decide why and how to explore these new territories.

The PERMA company is not stopping there and has set itself ambitious but pragmatic goals to make a strong impact. “Donating at least 25% of profits to civil society, employees and taxes... I'm not just making friends...” says Sylvain. “We’re trying to reduce our CO2 emissions by 50% in 5 years. If that's too demanding, we’ll commit to doing it over 10 years.” The PERMA model seeks to convince through consistency and measurable results.

Succeeding in life or succeeding at life?

Sylvain has published a book entitled ‘La PERMAentreprise’⁴, a viable model for a liveable future, inspired by permaculture. ‘We don't want to label the model, make it a registered trademark or a franchise. There are too many labels today. We want to convince people, make our approach go viral, and spread it through word of mouth among friends and family,’ Sylvain summarises.

In his film 1492, Ridley Scott films this dialogue between the character of Gabriel Sanchez (a nobleman, minister and royal treasurer) and Christopher Columbus.

Gabriel Sanchez: You're just a dreamer!

Christopher Columbus: Look outside, what do you see?

Gabriel Sanchez: I see towers, I see palaces, I see bell towers, I see civilisation... and I see spires rising up to the sky!

Christopher Columbus: All of this was created by men like me. No matter how long your life may be, Sanchez, there is one thing that will never change between you and me... I did it, and you... didn't (silence).

So be it.

¹ Pierre Laffitte used this title for his memoirs.

² The titles of the sections are taken from verses in the poem Le Bateau Ivre by Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891), except for the following, which is a quote attributed to Woody Allen

³ Today, the Étincelle network supports 600 young people per year, with an average age of 21. The programme consists of offering them a fun seven-day course to help them discover their true passion and imagine a career path. 75% take action. As Sylvain Breuzard sums it up: “Seven days is obviously not enough to start a business, but these young people will come out highly motivated, having asked themselves the right questions. We are more successful in life when we are pursuing our passion, our centre of interest.”

⁴ La permaentreprise, un nouveau modèle de développement pour des entreprises durables (The Perma-Company: A New Development Model for Sustainable Businesses) by Sylvain Breuzard, published by Eyrolles on 21 March 2024Encadré(s)

Sylvain Breuzard, La permaentreprise : Un nouveau modèle de développement pour des entreprises durables, Editions Eyrolles, publié le 21 mars 2024.

ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 2416014412 - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-2416014413