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When it comes to negotiating over a collective dismissals plan, the French national legal framework explicitly encourages social partners to favour outplacement services over significant indemnity payments. However, significant above-mandatory redundancy payments are commonly granted to laid-off workers. Based on these factual observations, this article aims to identify the antecedent conditions, or, more precisely, the combinations of conditions, that lead to the granting of a large severance pay. We conducted a qualitative comparative analysis (Crisp set QCA) methodology applied to 20 monographs on downsizing operations that took place in France during the 2000s. The results show that above-mandatory severance payments are closely related to two major dimensions characterizing the economic and social context in which restructuring processes are carried out. The first one is about the balance of power prevailing between the company decisionmakers and the employees. This balance of power dimension is subsumed by two distinct conditions: the availability of financial resources and the presence of active unions. The second dimension relates to the moral and economic damages inflicted upon laid-off workers. This dimension is intrinsically connected to two downsizing process features, i.e. the perceived degree of legitimacy associated with the downsizing process and the degree of employability associated with the laid-off workers. Most notably, it appears that none of the identified conditions is sufficient by itself to induce the payment of a significant above-mandatory indemnity. However, some causal conditions may induce the outcome variable when they are combined with some specific other antecedent conditions. Thus, our research shows that the financial resource condition leads to the granting of an above-mandatory indemnity either in conjunction with a low degree of worker’s employability or in conjunction with both a weak perceived legitimacy of the restructuring process and the presence of active unions.

Organizations can be approached both as entities and as constantly evolving phenomena. The former are associated with the term ‘organization, ’ while the latter are specifically associated with ‘organizing.’ In the second meaning, organizations, such as constantly evolving flows, can make observation problematic. Three of these problems deserve special attention. Many events take place at the same time, which poses a challenge for observation. Then there is a question of what to observe, especially for the researcher outside the organization. And finally, the coordination between the actors is not always directly observable. This paper shows how observation by means of multiple-researcher shadowing (Czarniawska, 2007) or ‘multi-shadowing’ makes it possible for the observer to tackle these three difficulties. For the observer, shadowing (McDonald, 2005; Mintzberg, 1970) involves physically following the actors of the organization as part of a weak or even nonparticipating observational approach. ‘Multi-shadowing’ combines simultaneous instances of shadowing different actors in the same unit of time but not of place. We compare shadowing and multi-shadowing with other approaches of solo and multiple-researcher observation. Then, we show the interest and the limits of using multi-shadowing to observe hunting with hounds, which involves activities that, while traditional, borrow a number of characteristics from modern organizations if considered through the prism of organizing.

Organizations can be approached both as entities and as constantly evolving phenomena.The former are associated with the term 'organization,' while the latter are specifically associated with 'organizing.' In the second meaning, organizations, such as constantly evolving flows, can make observation problematic.Three of these problems deserve special attention. Many events take place at the same time, which poses a challenge for observation.Then there is a question of what to observe, especially for the researcher outside the organization. And finally the coordination between the actors is not always directly observable.This paper shows how observation by means of multiple-researcher shadowing (Czarniawska, 2007) or'multi-shadowing' makes it possible for the observer to tackle these three difficulties. For the observer; shadowing (McDonald, 2005; Mintzberg, 1970) involves physically following the actors of the organization as part of a weak or even nonparticipating observational approach.'Multi-shadowing'combines simultaneous instances of shadowing different actors in the same unit of time but not of place. We compare shadowing and multi-shadowing with other approaches of solo and multiple-researcher observation.Then, we show the interest and the limits of using multi-shadowing to observe hunting with hounds, which involves activities that, while traditional, borrow a number of characteristics from modern organizations if considered through the prism of organizing.

Organizations can be approached both as entities and as constantly evolving phenomena. The former are associated with the term ‘organization, ’ while the latter are specifically associated with ‘organizing.’ In the second meaning, organizations, such as constantly evolving flows, can make observation problematic. Three of these problems deserve special attention. Many events take place at the same time, which poses a challenge for observation. Then there is a question of what to observe, especially for the researcher outside the organization. And finally, the coordination between the actors is not always directly observable. This paper shows how observation by means of multiple-researcher shadowing (Czarniawska, 2007) or ‘multi-shadowing’ makes it possible for the observer to tackle these three difficulties. For the observer, shadowing (McDonald, 2005; Mintzberg, 1970) involves physically following the actors of the organization as part of a weak or even nonparticipating observational approach. ‘Multi-shadowing’ combines simultaneous instances of shadowing different actors in the same unit of time but not of place. We compare shadowing and multi-shadowing with other approaches of solo and multiple-researcher observation. Then, we show the interest and the limits of using multi-shadowing to observe hunting with hounds, which involves activities that, while traditional, borrow a number of characteristics from modern organizations if considered through the prism of organizing.

Ce travail décrit comment des leaders syndicaux se reconstruisent une identité après avoir mené un conflit contre la fermeture de leur entreprise. Articulant les apports des théories critiques de l’identité, de la saillance identitaire, de l’auto catégorisation et du coping , une enquête par entretiens semi-directifs auprès de 50 leaders syndicaux ayant eu à gérer cette transition professionnelle fut menée. Trois équilibres identitaires sont dégagés : la crispation, l’entre deux et tourner la page. Le premier traduit un refus de réaliser la transition professionnelle. Le second met au jour une tension identitaire où le leader cherche à assumer une dualité identitaire alors que le dernier présente une transition identitaire achevée. Notre travail suggère que la capacité à se reconstruire d’un point de vue identitaire dépend d’une articulation de variables personnelles et contextuelles dont émergent les rôles clé du support social et de la nature de l’investissement syndical. Ces résultats contribuent à un renouvellement de la compréhension des transitions professionnelles comme de la dynamique identitaire dans un contexte de menace.

A l’appui de l’analyse de 48 récits de vie d’entrepreneurs militants CFDT et CGT ayant été les leaders de conflits contre des projets de restructurations lourdes, cet article s’interroge sur les conditions d’acquisition, de développement et de capitalisation des compétences pour l’action syndicale dans de tels contextes.L’article propose une cartographie des compétences que les leaders syndicaux de tels conflits affirment devoir être mobilisées dans l’action collective contre des restructurations lourdes. Il aborde ensuite les conditions d’acquisition de ces compétences, selon les différentes expériences formatrices vécues, entre formations et formation dans l’action. Il met en exergue quatre configurations : des « catapultés qui se révèlent », des « professionnels du militantisme », des « sous-équipés isolés », et des « expérimentés tétanisés ». Enfin, il met en exergue la place particulière qu’occupe la dimension de gestion des émotions dans ces situations. Formative Experiences, Socialisation and Skills: Company-Level Trade Union Leaders Confronted with RestructuringOn the basis of an analysis of the life stories of 48 CFDT and CGT union activists, who have been leaders of battles against major restructuring plans, this article examines the conditions of acquiring, developing and capitalising skills for trade union action in such contexts.The article proposes a cartography of skills that the trade union leaders of such battles claim must be mobilised in collective action against major restructuring. It then looks at conditions for acquiring such skills, depending on different kinds of formative experience – whether it is a matter of training courses or learning through action. It highlights four configurations: those who are “catapulted and reveal themselves”, “professional activists”, those who are “isolated and under-equipped”, and those who are “experienced and paralysed”. Finally, it highlights the special place occupied by management of emotions in such situations.

La crise donne une visibilité exacerbée aux « mauvaises pratiques » de gestion des ressources humaines et relance le débat sur le rôle, la légitimité et les objectifs de la fonction RH dans les organisations : s’agit-il de rechercher, dans une logique mécaniste et normative, les effets des pratiques de GRH sur les performances ? S’agit-il plutôt d’imaginer de « bonnes pratiques » permettant de repenser le rapport de l’économique et du social ? Des ripostes théoriques aux « mauvaises pratiques » de GRH se sont développées dans différents champs des sciences sociales, qui conduisent à dévoiler ce qui est habituellement dénié : le fonctionnement pervers des organisations, l’activité, les rapports de force. Management of human resources, work and employment. Which “good theories” could improve “bad practices” ? The current crisis tends to exacerbate “bad HRM practices” and revives the debate about the rôle, objectives and legitimacy of the HRM function in organizations : looking for better effects on performance (in a mechanistic and normative logics) or imagining some “good and innovative practices” that could help re-thinking the relation between economy and society ? Some theoretical replies have developed in different social sciences, unveiling some commonly denied dimensions : perversity in organisational life, activity, political relations.

This article explores the social mechanisms that lead French social partners to opt for severance indemnity when bargaining collective layoffs despite institutional frameworks that promote outplacement services over severance pay. Using a Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) methodology applied to 20 monographs on restructuring that took place in France during the 2000s, we explain above-mandatory indemnity by the combination of a power struggle balanced in favour of employees (availability of financial resources and presence of active unions) and moral or economic damage caused to laid-off workers (weak legitimacy of restructuring rationale and degraded employability).

Les organisations peuvent être approchées à la fois comme des entités (ce que le mot « organisation » suggère) et comme des phénomènes en constante évolution (ce que le mot anglais «  organizing  » permet de restituer). Entendues dans la deuxième acception, les organisations comme flux en constante évolution soulèvent des difficultés quant à leur observation. Trois d’entre elles méritent une attention particulière. De nombreux événements se déroulent au même moment : c’est un défi pour l’observation. Ensuite, se pose la question de ce qu’il convient d’observer, notamment pour le chercheur extérieur à l’organisation. Enfin, la coordination ne se donne pas toujours directement à observer.