Educational Foundations of Hierarchy

To understand French workplace hierarchy, one must first understand the educational system that produces French professionals. The grandes écoles system creates an elite track parallel to universities, producing graduates who often assume they're destined for leadership. An École Polytechnique graduate enters the workplace with different expectations—and faces different expectations—than a university graduate, regardless of actual competence.

This educational sorting begins early and intensifies through competitive examinations (concours) that determine access to elite institutions. The result is a professional class acutely aware of educational pedigree. In many French organizations, graduates of the same grande école form informal networks that can be more powerful than official reporting structures. Knowing someone's educational background provides instant context for their likely career trajectory and network affiliations.

The system produces highly competent technical experts and administrators but can also create rigidity. The assumption that someone from a particular school belongs in a particular role can limit mobility and innovation. Foreign-educated professionals often find themselves outside these networks, needing to prove themselves more extensively than their French-educated peers.