Where Is the Work Team Based ? The Case of Matrix-Type Organisation in French Automotive Engineering Sector.

Où est le collectif de travail ? Le cas d'une organisation matricielle de secteur de l'industrie automobile française.

Rossitza Kaltchéva (1) , Katia Kostulski (1)

1 CRTD - Centre de recherche sur le travail et le développement

EAWOP17-SINGLE Teams and workgroups Team work, creativity and innovation EAWOP17-SINGLE-2116 Where Is the Work Team Based? The Case of Matrix-Type Organisation in French Automotive Engineering Sector. Rossitza Kaltcheva*, Katia Kostuski1 1Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, Paris, France Please indicate the type of paper you wish to submit: Oral Please incidate which Symposium you wish to submit your paper for: Scientific Symposium Content: The purpose of this research is to initiate a discussion on how the team is perceived today and where it sits in matrix-type organisations with a particular focus on the industrial engineering sector. The origins of the discussion lie in a social experiment in Clinic of Activity (Clot & Kostulski, 2011), which looked at actively re-engaging the social dialogue between the C-suite and the unions of a French automotive construction company. The main hypothesis of the research is as follows: if the difference in points of view on work quality, as experienced in everyday work activity, are better supported in dialogues, it will improve several work dimensions. The first one, the arguments, will be stronger. The second one, the decision making will be better. And last but not least, health and efficiency at work would increase. The applied methodology is the one of cross self-confrontation analysis (Kostulski & Kloetzer, 2014) and collective meetings. The work team outlines seem to be defined by criteria conflicts experienced by the technicians and the engineers, and linked to a technical issue. Whereas in a Taylorist organisation of work the team is defined by the task it has to complete. The implemented dialogical and clinical framework could not be applied to other research studies. In this type of matrix organizations, it turns out that the team as a resource is in transition. The feeling of isolation and loneliness which comes with these particular work functions (Goussard, 2011) could be transformed through new work structures. This note highlights an innovative way to circumvent the issue surrounding the weakening of the workforce. References Clot, Y. & Kostulski, K. (2011). Intervening for transforming: from activity to institution, an horizon of action in «clinic of activity » approach, Theory and Psychology, vol.21, n°5, 681-696. Goussard, L. (2011), L’organisation par projet. Enquête dans deux établissements des industries automobile et aéronautique, Thèse de doctorat de sociologie, sous la direction de J.-P. Durand, Université d’Évry-Val-d’Essonne, Evry. Kostulski, K. & Kloetzer, L. (2014). Controversy as a Developmental Tool in Cross Self-Confrontation Analysis, Outlines. 15, 2, 54-73. Disclosure of Interest: None Declared

Domaines: Sciences de l'Homme et Société

Rossitza Kaltchéva, Katia Kostulski. Where Is the Work Team Based ? The Case of Matrix-Type Organisation in French Automotive Engineering Sector.. Enabling Change through Work and Organizational Psychology, May 2017, Dublin, Ireland. . ⟨hal-02352296⟩