The silent virtues of the management of the number 14 Paris Metro line

When the Paris metro is on strike, journalists often say that the Number 14 metro line cannot be on strike because it is an automated line. What they fail to appreciate is that this automatic operation is controlled by an operations centre managed by a small team who can choose to stop the service if they wish. Yet since its creation, the number 14 has never gone on strike. Why ? The answer can be found in the management methods used to lead a team of 300 employees, who ensure that the service of this line operates in a harmonious atmosphere, which is so difficult to achieve in an industrial environment. Mathieu Dunant highlights the 'silent virtue' of this management model. It is a virtue which one finds most often in public service activities but which the media - all too eager to report the negative side - tend to ignore. Another challenge awaits the RATP : based on the same model as the Number 14, they intend to automate the Number 1, and similarly ensure a continuous service.