Institutional change and professional practices: The case of French doctoral education

Based on empirical research on the effect of doctoral schools in French university, this paper analyses under which conditions the implementation of a new institution impacts work practices i.e. the ways by which individuals and collective actors perform their activity. It focuses on the micro-practices of actors, in order to shed new light on the micro-level works which put the new institution into action. The paper contributes to existing theory in three different ways. First, it shows that institutional change does not generate new practices per se. Institutional change impacts work practices if the pre-existing practices are close to the new desired norm as promoted by the new institution. It thus emphasises proximity as a main mechanism of new practice diffusion, when actors are interdependent on each other. Second, in professional contexts based on practices distant from the new desired norm, actors adopt the new institution and change their practices if they are able to solve unaddressed problems. Such a dynamic is mainly based on the creation of new organisational arrangements or tools which mediate and enable problem solving activities. Finally, it proposes a delayed and indirect effect of the introduction of the new institution. By generating new interactions among actors, the new institution creates opportunities for comparisons across professions, legitimating one amongst the several existing norms in the field. Comparison amongst actors or disciplines leads to some categorising themselves as deviants, who lose legitimacy and power in the organisation.professional practices, institution, institution change, university

THE ROLE OF PRACTICES IN INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE THE EVOLUTION OF DOCTORAL PROGRAMS IN FRANCE 1990 – 2008

Whether based on the figure of institutional entrepreneur or the dynamic of social movements, models of institutional change have yet to solve the paradox of embedded agency. Studying institutional change from the angle of practices allows introducing a channel by which seeds of change enter the field without modifying logics at first. Political entrepreneurship or grassroots initiative will play a critical role in institutional change as long as they can rely on existing practices. Evolution of conditions to perform day to day activities introduces new problems; solutions trigger the development of new activities. Routinization of new activities leads the emergence of new practices. Non-adoption of practices hinders institutional change. Practices thus inspire, support and limit institutional change. Basing our observations from a case study of the French Doctorate defined as an institution, shifting from research and study to professionalizing diploma, we build a process model of institutional change integrating the dynamic of practices.

THE ROLE OF PRACTICES IN INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE THE EVOLUTION OF DOCTORAL PROGRAMS IN FRANCE 1990 – 2008

Working paper serie RMT (WPS 10-08) , 38 pWhether based on the figure of institutional entrepreneur or the dynamic of social movements, models of institutional change have yet to solve the paradox of embedded agency. Studying institutional change from the angle of practices allows introducing a channel by which seeds of change enter the field without modifying logics at first. Political entrepreneurship or grassroots initiative will play a critical role in institutional change as long as they can rely on existing practices. Evolution of conditions to perform day to day activities introduces new problems; solutions trigger the development of new activities. Routinization of new activities leads the emergence of new practices. Non-adoption of practices hinders institutional change. Practices thus inspire, support and limit institutional change. Basing our observations from a case study of the French Doctorate defined as an institution, shifting from research and study to professionalizing diploma, we build a process model of institutional change integrating the dynamic of practices

Autonomie des universitaires, autonomie des universités

Le concept d’autonomie occupe une place centrale dans les travaux sur l’enseignement supérieur, qu’ils se situent en sociologie des professions ou en théorie des organisations. Dimension considérée comme caractéristique de la condition académique par les académiques eux-mêmes, présentée comme facteur explicatif principal de la forme organisationnelle des universités, elle est souvent également mise en avant dans les questions de recherche des travaux sur l’enseignement supérieur : En quoi est-elle caractéristique d’une certaine forme organisationnelle ? Constitue-t-elle le facteur explicatif des supposées difficultés à faire changer les universités? Comment est-elle visée plus ou moins directement par les réformes ? Est-elle réellement menacée? Dans ce contexte, il nous a paru intéressant de revenir sur cette notion, tout d’abord en précisant quelles conditions d’activités concrètes elle a désigné au cours de l’histoire, puis en discutant son caractère quelque peu réifié et générique dans les recherches sur la transformation des universités, pour finalement proposer des éléments de relativisation de la notion d’autonomie, notamment d’un point de vue épistémique. Le premier objectif de ce travail est donc de rappeler que l’« autonomie » qui s’est en effet quelque peu émancipée de ses conditions concrètes d’existence pour acquérir une dimension générique décrivant la condition académique, revêt des réalités concrètes différentes selon les pays et les époques. Le second objectif est de réfléchir à la place de l’autonomie dans les recherches sur l’enseignement supérieur et de montrer à quel point cette dimension a été centrale dans les études organisationnelles sur les universités, ainsi que de réfléchir à la manière dont elle oriente la construction des questions de recherche sur le sujet. Ces deux axes invitent à reconsidérer la place de l’autonomie à la fois dans la réalité de la condition universitaire et dans les recherches organisationnelles sur l’enseignement supérieur. Il s’agit donc d’élargir la focale sur les universités comme objet d’étude, de les resituer dans un paysage institutionnel et social plus large, afin de repenser et peut-être renouveler les questions de recherche permettant de les étudier

Professional values and organizational change dynamics: the case of the reform of doctoral training in France

At a time when the reforms inspired by New Public Management are prompting a hybridization of values, there is growing reference to the notion of values in managerial discourses within public organizations. While some studies consider the statement of values as a direct lever of change, others show that they are more of an obstacle. The studies that make use of institutional logics or economies of worth suggest a dynamic of change involving values, without exploring it as such. Focusing on the context of public professional organizations, this article explores the link between values and change by focusing on the process of adoption of new practices in response to a reform. Our qualitative research among academics during the implementation of the reform of doctoral training in France confirms that professional autonomy is often against reform, but also reveals that ‘professional values’ do not form a coherent and fixed whole: they are plural and generate a series of tensions that are, in turn, reflected by practices. The reform has the effect of inflaming controversies, leading to a possible change brought about by the professionals themselves

Supervision and Schizophrenia: the professional identity of Ph.D supervisors and the mission of students' professionalisation

International audienceProfessionalisation, defined as the transmission of competences adapted to the job-market, is one of the new missions of Doctoral Schools in France. Interviews with supervisors reveal a number of ambivalent attitudes towards this new policy. Supervisors do support the rhetoric of professionalisation, but are powerless to push their students towards other careers than the academic one. We interpret this as a challenge to the academic identity through the modification of what a Ph.D is, which, in turn, impacts on the content, output and meaning of supervision. We show that academics do professionalise their students, but only for the profession they know: academia. They only train the students whom they believe they can acknowledge as future peers, and the on-the-job training provided by Ph.D supervisors is implicitly directed towards academia. The absence of an explicit academic professional identity is discussed, as well as the fact that 'professionalising' must relate to a specific professional identity. We argue that only 'specific' professional identity can be transmitted, leading to questions about the implementation of the related policy

Implementing change in public professional organizations? : Professional practices and identity facing reforms

A partir d'une étude empirique sur la manière dont les universitaires ont adopté ou non de nouvelles pratiques après la réforme des écoles doctorales en France, ma thèse étudie comment une réforme organisationnelle par le haut peut changer les pratiques de professionnels autonomes. Les pratiques nouvelles ne sont effectivement adoptées que lorsqu'elles font sens par rapport à l'identité professionnelle. Or,celle-ci n'évolue pas en réponse à un pilotage précis des réformateurs,mais à la définition, par les professionnels, de problèmes nouveaux justifiant une modification des manières de faire. Par conséquent, un changement radical (impliquant une évolution de l'identité) ne peut être piloté par le haut, mais seulement favorisé à travers la structure de l'organisation : des interactions régulières entre groupes professionnels,et avec les autres parties prenantes de l'organisation (usagers, citoyens,financeurs) créent un terrain favorable à ce changement. Cette thèse discute la marge de manœuvre des réformateurs dans le contexte des organisations professionnelles publiques, ainsi que les leviers de changement à leur disposition.Based on an empirical study of how academics did or did not adopt new practices after the reform of doctoral school in France, my PhD thesis studies how a top-down organizational reform can change practices among autonomous professionals. New practices are effectively adopted only when they make sense relatively to extant professional identities. The latter do not evolve in response to a precise steering by the reformers, but to new problems definition by the professionals, leading to new ways of doing. Consequently, a radical change of practice implying an evolution of identity cannot be steered from top-down, but only supported by the organizational structure. Regular contacts between professional groups and with other stakeholders (users, citizens, funders) create a favorable context for such a change. My thesis discusses the possible scope of action for reformers in professional public organizations and the levers of change they might rely on

L'innovation participative en pratique(s). Gérer les tensions entre organisation et innovation ?

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