La rémunération basée sur les compétences : Déterminants et incidences

Cette étude s’intéresse aux déterminants et aux incidences de la rémunération basée sur les compétences. Les données ont été colligées par questionnaire auprès de 189 responsables de la gestion des ressources humaines à l’emploi d’entreprises du secteur privé comptant plus de 200 employés. Les résultats confirment que l’adoption de la rémunération basée sur les compétences est positivement reliée à la culture de gestion participative. Après avoir contrôlé pour la taille de l’entreprise et la présence syndicale, les résultats montrent que, comparés aux autres, les répondants qui sont à l’emploi des organisations où l’on adopte la rémunération des compétences sont statistiquement plus portés à estimer (a) que leur organisation est plus performante tant sur le plan de la finance que des ressources humaines et (b) que leur processus de gestion du rendement est plus efficace tant pour réaliser la stratégie d’affaires que pour traiter équitablement le personnel.This study investigates skill-based pay systems. Under such systems, pay levels are determined according to the nature, variety or specialized knowledge or skills that employees acquire, demonstrate or apply in the workplace. The aim of this study is to answer the following questions: (1) Which organizational characteristics are associated with the adoption of skill-based pay? and (2) Which outcomes of interest are associated with the adoption of skill-based pay in terms of perceived organizational performance and performance management system effectiveness?Drawing from the contingency perspective, several authors suggest that leaders and organizations that pursue certain specific business strategies (e.g., quality emphasis, prospector, cost reduction, people-based strategies) are more likely to adopt skill-based pay schemes (e.g., American Compensation Association 1996; Donnadieu and Denimal 1993; Gomez-Mejia and Balkin 1992; Heneman and Dixon 2001; Heneman and Gresham 1998; Lawler 1990; Snell and Dean 1994; Thompson et al. 1997; Von Glinow 1985; Zarifian 1988, 1999). The resource-based view of the firm leads us to believe that skill-based pay is more likely to constitute a competitive (Barney 1991; Collins and Clark 2003; Snell, Youndt and Wright 1996; Wright, Dunford and Snell 2001) and a strategic compensation option (Gomez-Mejia and Balkin 1992) within firms in knowledge-based industries. Risher (2000) provides evidence that firms with research and engineering centers often compensate their research and development personnel as a function of their competencies.In recent years, few studies have investigated the possible impacts of skill-based pay on objective measures of organizational performance (e.g., Long 1993; Murray and Gerhart 1998; Parent and Weber 1994). Although such studies are of great value, skill-based pay may also lead to improved performance management since it requires that more attention be given to how results are achieved. Therefore, the emphasis is more on behaviours than on results (Heneman and Gresham 1998; Smither 1998). As such, skill-based pay requires that leaders identify key competencies that are consistent with their business strategy and are considered a source of competitive advantage (Lawler 1996; Zingheim, Ledford and Schuster 1996).Thus, this study investigates both the determinants and consequences of skill-based pay. The first three hypotheses flow from the need to better understand the organizational settings that are most likely to adopt skill-based pay.Hypothesis 1. Compared to other organizations, those that adopt skill-based pay are more likely to (a) favour a differentiation strategy based upon innovation, (b) favour a differentiation strategy based upon quality, (c) favour a differentiation strategy based upon the development of people, (d) avoid a differentiation strategy based upon cost reduction.Hypothesis 2. Compared to other organizations, those that adopt skill-based pay are more likely to share a business culture that values participative management.Hypothesis 3. Compared to other organizations, those that adopt skill-based pay are more likely to be in knowledge-based industry sectors.The last two hypotheses flow from the need to better understand the consequences of skill-based pay in terms of perceived organizational performance and performance management effectiveness.Hypothesis 4. Compared to other organizations, those that adopt skill-based pay are more likely to consider that their organization is relatively effective in the areas of (a) marketing, (b) human resource management, and (c) financial performance.Hypothesis 5. Compared to other organizations, those that adopt skill-based pay are more likely to consider that their performance management system is more effective in the areas of achieving (a) employee engagement, (b) business strategy implementation, (c) supporting organizational culture, and (d) equitable treatment of employees.A questionnaire survey was mailed to a sample of human resource managers from firms with over 200 employees. Data analysis was performed on the 189 completed surveys. The adoption of skill-based pay was determined with two questions. First, respondents indicated whether their organization uses a formal competency-evaluation system for at least one category of personnel. Second, if a positive answer was provided on the first question, respondents then indicated whether there is in their organization a direct link between the assessment of competencies and employee compensation. Positive answers to both these questions determined that skill-based pay was used.The findings from this study suggest that the adoption of skill-based pay is not a function of often-mentioned contingency factors such as organizational size or union presence, two control variables that are included in the analyses. Overall, the explained variance in the adoption of skill-based pay that could be accounted for by the independent variables included in the model – business strategies, business culture that values participative management, and being in a knowledge-based industry sector – was relatively low. The results do indicate, however, that the adoption of skill-based pay is positively associated with a business culture that values participative management. As such, the results of this study provide little basis for the theoretical perspective that views the adoption of skill-based pay as rationally determined by the business strategy. The business strategies investigated in this study provide little explanatory power. With regards to the consequences of the adoption of skill-based pay, the results suggest that – after controlling for size and union presence – respondents perceive relatively higher financial and human resource management performance. In addition, the results suggest that the adoption of skill-based pay is associated with more effective performance management in the areas of achieving business strategy implementation and equitable treatment of employees.Este estudio se interesa a los factores determinantes y a las incidencias de la remuneración según competencias. Los datos han sido obtenidos mediante cuestionario administrado a 189 responsables de la dirección de recursos humanos que trabajan por las empresas del sector privado con más de 200 empleados. Los resultados confirman que la adopción de la remuneración según competencias está vinculada a la cultura de gestión participativa. Los resultados, después del control según la talla de la empresa y la presencia sindical, muestran que los encuestados que trabajan por las organizaciones donde se ha adoptado la remuneración según competencias, comparativamente a los otros encuestados, son estadísticamente mas proclives a considerar (a) que su organización obtiene mejores resultados tanto en el plano de la finanza como de los recursos humanos y (b) que sus procesos de gestión del rendimiento es más eficaz tanto para realizar la estrategia de negocios como para tratar el personal de manera equitativa

L'influence de l'appui du supérieur hiérarchique, des collègues et des dirigeants d'entreprise sur le succès du télétravail

Cette recherche analyse l'influence de deux formes d'appui, l'appui affectif et l'appui instrumental, provenant de trois sources d'appui en milieu organisationnel — celui offert par le supérieur hiérarchique, les collègues et les dirigeants d'entreprise — sur le succès en télétravail. Les données ont été recueillies par questionnaire auprès de 193 employés qui télétravaillent depuis au moins six mois au sein de trois organisations ayant un programme de télétravail. En général, les résultats confirment que plus les télétravailleurs estiment recevoir certaines formes d'appui de leur supérieur hiérarchique et des dirigeants de leur entreprise, plus ils évaluent favorablement certains indicateurs de succès en télétravail. Les résultats peuvent servir de référence aux dirigeants d'entreprise et aux gestionnaires qui souhaitent implanter ou améliorer l'efficacité d'un programme de télétravail à domicile.Teleworking from home may be an emerging trend in work organization, but authors have overestimated its popularity. In fact some studies show that, with its inconvenient aspects for both employees and employers, teleworking is not a panacea. In some cases the arrangement falls or only partially succeeds. Success in implementing a teleworking program is not guaranteed and relies on certain conditions. In view of the emergence of teleworking and the resistance to change it engenders, it is important to better understand the conditions that lead to a successful telework experience.This study focuses on a specific condition for success, namely the organizational support offered to home teleworkers. This is an important prerequisite over which an organization's leaders exercise a certain degree of control. More specifically, this study will attempt to answer the following question : To what extent do three sources of organizational support — that of telesupervisors, colleagues and senior executives — influence home teleworking success? Although the support provided to teleworkers is often considered a determinant of telework success, it has not been fully investigated. The few studies that do exist on the subject were conducted years ago, included only a small number of teleworkers, and explored the impact of personal characteristics and working conditions on a teleworker's attitudes and performance. To our knowledge, the present study is the fïrst to analyze the relationship between organizational support and the success of home teleworking. More specifically, we will analyze two forms of organizational support offered by various agents — emotional and instrumental support. Emotional support is expressed by sympathy and openness to the teleworker, while instrumental or hands-on support directly helps an employee meet work objectives. To our knowledge, this study is the first to propose and test a typology involving forms of support (emotional and instrumental), and to analyze their impact on home teleworking success. A questionnaire was distributed in three companies with home teleworking arrangements. The teleworking coordinator distributed the questionnaire to all employees who had been teleworking for at least six months. Most of the 193 respondents who returned the questionnaire are clerical workers (47%) or professionals (36%). On average, the respondents have 16 years of seniority within their organization, 8 years in their current position, and 3 years as teleworkers. They telecommute an average of 21 hours per week, and spend 13 hours at the company. Their average age is 42 years old. Slightly over half of respondents are women (56%), live with a partner (55%), and have children (56%). In terms of educational profile, 16% of respondents have a high school diploma, 25% a college diploma, 48% a bachelor's degree, and 11% a graduate or postgraduate degree. The "teleworking success" concept was measured with retrospective questions on 13 success indicators including job performance, work volume, feelings of belonging, advancement possibilities and job creativity. A factorial analysis (with Varimax rotation) generated three interpretable factors (eigenvalues above 1). Together, these three factors accounted for 65% of the scale variance. After dropping ambiguous scale items, those three factors were : Job performance (4 items, alpha = .85), quality of life (4 items, alpha = .81) and job commitment (3 items, alpha = .79). The strongest teleworking success factor was undoubtedly job performance since it explained 46% of the scale variance, compared with about 10% for each of the two other factors. The fourth teleworking success variable was satisfaction with teleworking which was assessed with three indicators : satisfaction with working at home, the home work environment, and the respondent's participation in the teleworking program.The support offered by three categories of key agents—telesupervisors, colleagues and senior executives—was assessed on a series of statements from our literature review. Each statement is associated with a 5-point Likert scale with values ranging from (1) rarely to (5) often. A factor analysis of the statements confirms that all types of support can be grouped into the emotional and instrumental forms of support. The factor analysis conducted on the supervisor support scale items generated four distinct factors that can in essence be sorted as follows under the emotional and instrumental headings : (1) The coordination and follow-up of the teleworker's tasks (instrumental support, 8 items, alpha = .81); (2) acceptance of telework as a legitimate work arrangement (emotional support, 5 items, alpha = .75); (3) performance planning (instrumental support, 2 items, alpha = .84) and (4) higher performance expectations (emotional support, 2 items, alpha = .70). Together, those four dimensions of supervisor support contribute 54 % of the scale variance. The factor analysis conducted on the colleague support scale items generated two factors that fit under the emotional and instrumental headings: (1) the coordination and follow-up of the teleworker's tasks (instrumental support, 4 items, alpha = .74) and (2) equal treatment of teleworkers (emotional support, 3 items, alpha = .61). A final factor analysis was conducted on the top management support scale items. Again two factors consistent with the emotional and instrumental support headings were retained : (1) the acceptance of telework as a legitimate work arrangement (emotional support, 4 items, alpha = .75) and (2) technical support (instrumental support, 2 items, alpha = .61). The results of our study generally confirm the importance of the instrumental support offered by telesupervisors (coordinating teleworkers' work and elaborating clear and specific job objectives) and by senior executives (giving appropriate equipment and specialized staff to repair them) on teleworking success. Results also confirm that the support of supervisors has a relatively greater influence on teleworking performance, which is the most important aspect of teleworking success (explaining 54% of the scale variance). It also appears that the emotional support offered by senior executives, that is their openness to telework, has a significant influence on job commitment. This study's results do not confirm a link between any forms of colleague support, either emotional or instrumental, on various indicators of teleworking success.These results may serve as a reference to companies and managers who wish to implement or improve the effectiveness of home-based teleworking. They demonstrate how different forms of support from various sources influence teleworking success, a concept that includes job performance, job commitment, quality of life, and satisfaction, all of which are variables that have a major impact on organizational performance.Esta investigacion analiza dos formas de apoyo, el afectivo y el instrumental, brindado por très fuentes de apoyo al interior de la organizacion, o sea el apoyo del superior jerarquico, el apoyo de los colegas y aquel de los dirigentes de la empresa, y la influencia que dichas formas de apoyo pueden ejercer sobre el exito del tele-trabajo. Los datos son recopilados por cuestionario administrado a 193 empleados que laboran desde al menos seis meses, en très organizaciones diferentes que ofrecen el programa de tele-trabajo. En general, los resultados confirman que cuanto mas los tele-trabajadores consideran que reciben cierta forma de apoyo de sus superiores jerarquicos y de los dirigentes de la empresa, mas ellos evaluan favorablemente ciertos indicadores de exito respecto al tele-trabajo. Los resultados pueden servir de referencia a los dirigentes de empresa y responsables de gestion que desean implantar o mejorar la eficacia de un programa de tele-trabajo a domicili

Evaluation of a Participatory Ergonomics Intervention in Small Commercial Construction Firms

BACKGROUND: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) among construction workers remain high. Participatory ergonomics (PE) interventions that engage workers and employers in reducing work injury risks have shown mixed results. METHODS: Eight-six workers from seven contractors participated in a PE program. A logic model guided the process evaluation and summative evaluation of short term and intermediate impacts and long term outcomes from surveys and field records. RESULTS: Process measures showed good delivery of training, high worker engagement, and low contractor participation. Workers’ knowledge improved and workers reported changes to work practices and tools used; contractor provision of appropriate equipment was low (33%). No changes were seen in symptoms or reported physical effort. CONCLUSIONS: The PE program produced many worker-identified ergonomic solutions, but lacked needed support from contractors. Future interventions should engage higher levels of the construction organizational system to improve contractor involvement for reducing WMSD

Search for CP violation in D+→ϕπ+ and D+s→K0Sπ+ decays

A search for CP violation in D + → ϕπ + decays is performed using data collected in 2011 by the LHCb experiment corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb−1 at a centre of mass energy of 7 TeV. The CP -violating asymmetry is measured to be (−0.04 ± 0.14 ± 0.14)% for candidates with K − K + mass within 20 MeV/c 2 of the ϕ meson mass. A search for a CP -violating asymmetry that varies across the ϕ mass region of the D + → K − K + π + Dalitz plot is also performed, and no evidence for CP violation is found. In addition, the CP asymmetry in the D+s→K0Sπ+ decay is measured to be (0.61 ± 0.83 ± 0.14)%

Perceptions and Attitudes of Egyptian Health Professionals and Policy-Makers towards Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives and Other Promotional Activities

Pharmaceutical promotion activities in low and middle-income countries are often neither regulated nor monitored. While Egypt has the highest population and per capita use of medicines in the Arab world, we know very little about pharmaceutical companies promotional activities in the country.To explore and analyze the perceptions of physicians towards promotional and marketing activities of pharmaceutical companies among physicians and pharmacists in Egypt.Perspectives of different healthcare system stakeholders were explored through semi-structured, in-depth interviews conducted in 2014 in Cairo, Egypt. Interviewees were chosen via purposive sampling and snowball technique. Each interview was recorded and transcribed. Then qualitative, thematic analysis was conducted with the help of NVIVO software.The majority of physicians and pharmacists acknowledged exposure to pharmaceutical promotion. It was commonly believed that interaction with the pharmaceutical industry is necessary and both associated risks and benefits were acknowledged. The interviewed physicians considered themselves competent enough to minimize risks and maximize benefits to their prescribing habits. Views diverged on the extent and magnitude of the risks and benefits of pharmaceutical promotion, especially in regard to the influence on patients' health.Pharmaceutical promotion in Egypt is intensely directed at prescribers and dispensers. Physicians, pharmacists and policymakers expressed little skepticism to the influence of promotion towards their individual prescribing. Raising awareness of the pitfalls of pharmaceutical promotion is necessary, especially among the less experienced physicians

TRY plant trait database - enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits-the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants-determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait-based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits-almost complete coverage for 'plant growth form'. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait-environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

Study of Bc+B_c^+ decays to the K+K−π+K^+K^-\pi^+ final state and evidence for the decay Bc+→χc0π+B_c^+\to\chi_{c0}\pi^+

A study of $B_c^+\to K^+K^-\pi^+$ decays is performed for the first time using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0 $\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ collected by the LHCb experiment in $pp$ collisions at centre-of-mass energies of $7$ and $8$ TeV. Evidence for the decay $B_c^+\to\chi_{c0}(\to K^+K^-)\pi^+$ is reported with a significance of 4.0 standard deviations, resulting in the measurement of $\frac{\sigma(B_c^+)}{\sigma(B^+)}\times\mathcal{B}(B_c^+\to\chi_{c0}\pi^+)$ to be $(9.8^{+3.4}_{-3.0}(\mathrm{stat})\pm 0.8(\mathrm{syst}))\times 10^{-6}$. Here $\mathcal{B}$ denotes a branching fraction while $\sigma(B_c^+)$ and $\sigma(B^+)$ are the production cross-sections for $B_c^+$ and $B^+$ mesons. An indication of $\bar b c$ weak annihilation is found for the region $m(K^-\pi^+)<1.834\mathrm{\,Ge\kern -0.1em V\!/}c^2$, with a significance of 2.4 standard deviations.Comment: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://lhcbproject.web.cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/LHCbProjectPublic/LHCb-PAPER-2016-022.html, link to supplemental material inserted in the reference

Feasibility of pseudocontinuous arterial spin labeling at 7 T with whole-brain coverage

Neuro Imaging Researc

Increasing leadership capacity for HIV/AIDS programmes by strengthening public health epidemiology and management training in Zimbabwe

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Increased funding for global human immunodeficiency virus prevention and control in developing countries has created both a challenge and an opportunity for achieving long-term global health goals. This paper describes a programme in Zimbabwe aimed at responding more effectively to the HIV/AIDS epidemic by reinforcing a critical competence-based training institution and producing public health leaders.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The programme used new HIV/AIDS programme-specific funds to build on the assets of a local education institution to strengthen and expand the general public health leadership capacity in Zimbabwe, simultaneously ensuring that they were trained in HIV interventions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The programme increased both numbers of graduates and retention of faculty. The expanded HIV/AIDS curriculum was associated with a substantial increase in trainee projects related to HIV. The increased number of public health professionals has led to a number of practically trained persons working in public health leadership positions in the ministry, including in HIV/AIDS programmes.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Investment of a modest proportion of new HIV/AIDS resources in targeted public health leadership training programmes can assist in building capacity to lead and manage national HIV and other public health programmes.</p

Targeted Deletion of p73 in Mice Reveals Its Role in T Cell Development and Lymphomagenesis

Transcriptional silencing of the p73 gene through methylation has been demonstrated in human leukemias and lymphomas. However, the role of p73 in the malignant process remains to be explored. We show here that p73 acts as a T cell-specific tumor suppressor in a genetically defined mouse model, and that concomitant ablation of p53 and p73 predisposes mice to an increased incidence of thymic lymphomas compared to the loss of p53 alone. Our results demonstrate a causal role for loss of p73 in progression of T cell lymphomas to the stage of aggressive, disseminated disease. We provide evidence that tumorigenesis in mice lacking p53 and p73 proceeds through mechanisms involving altered patterns of gene expression, defects in early T cell development, impaired apoptosis, and the ensuing accumulation of chromosomal aberrations. Collectively, our data imply that tumor suppressive properties of p73 are highly dependent on cellular context, wherein p73 plays a major role in T cell development and neoplasia