Contenu du sommaire : Le numérique (dés)organise-t-il le travail ?

From knowledge sharing to collaborative work: the scope and limitations of digital tools
How can customer advisors be helped to collaborate in a bid to improve customer relations? By analyzing a company's gradual introduction of digital tools as part of a customer relations initiative, it has been possible to consider the role of such tools in the communication and sharing of information, indeed, in fostering new types of collaboration and the development of progressively cooperative, transversal organizations.

“Every man to his trade”: how farmers have responded to digital services
The supply of digital tools to farmers continues to grow because these tools imply increased profits. But is this implication reflected in the realities of farmers' lives? Why do farmers adopt new technology and for what purpose? What is the impact on their working methods? This article relies on the findings from two case studies to demonstrate that farmers use digital tools in the full knowledge of the path they have chosen and in accordance with how they construct their “trade”. The notion of “innovators” versus “recalcitrants” is therefore inappropriate because the same individual may behave very differently in their use of a particular tool. In the end, it is apparent that digital technology is simultaneously laying bare current transformations within the agricultural sector and operating hand in glove with these transformations.

Using digital devices within new forms of organization: emergence to stabilization
Nowadays, service sector organizations are increasingly investing in a variety of digital devices which have altered the contexts and contents of the workplace. These devices have been presented as indispensable to current management practices because they have engendered an array of organizational approaches that promote flexibility and mobility. This paper includes a study of the reasons for the emergence and stabilization of such tools during organizational transformation. We demonstrate how digital devices in an insurance company are used as part of a strategy to modernize the organization and optimize the workspace.

Branding has a set of new clothes on the social web. The intermediary role of community managers
The presence of companies on social web platforms (web 2.0) has seen a significant development since 2010. This article describes the intermediary role of the staff who are tasked with administering the new interactive promotional spaces, but who find themselves flooded with requests from internet users and operating under considerable time constraints. What has emerged is that community management ­ a form of organizational innovation designed to strengthen the proximity of companies to their online customers ­ should be increasingly regularized so that it becomes embedded in the corporate communication and customer relations strategies associated with digital technology.

Digital technology in the world of health care: the GP 2.0?
By establishing an e-Health Action Plan, 2013-2018, the Belgian government has endeavoured to hasten the move towards an integrated health system underpinned by health professionals adopting ICT. GPs have been subjected to a series of new measures which take no account of their differing professional circumstances: individual practice, voluntary organization or health centre. Indeed, the type of medicine being practised by GPs, their age, the scope of their professional activity, and environment-health relationships are all variables that influence the way e-health has been embraced as a part of a GP's everyday work routine. This has led to the tech-based vision of the authorities being countered by an assortment of strategies developed by GPs to deal with the new demands.

The Crisorsec application: a digital device sitting at the cusp of the challenges facing crisis management in urban centresCrisis management in urban centres relies on the participation of a growing number of participants from both the public and private sectors. The purpose of Crisorsec, a digital application, is to facilitate multiple-partner information sharing in real time. A study of this application and its uses shows that Crisorsec may have been designed for systems of horizontal, collaborative sharing, but since its implementation, it has struggled to circumvent a number of existing vertical, institutional systems. This is all the more noticeable when the circle of participants widens and when the focus of the response shifts to another location. In fine, the issues surrounding collective learning and device handling appear key to ensuring the suitability and longevity of the application.

Corporate coworking: hacking into the workplace?
Coworking spaces have appeared in tandem with the expansion of ICT and have found their way into companies. But why would a company wish to create this type of additional workplace? This article offers a glimpse into the reasoning behind the shift towards corporate coworking. The findings from an analysis of six projects around Europe show that the purpose of each project was not to create a space, but to move the organization forward in a world of digital transformation. The article also examines the links between these projects and the embedding of a digital culture in each organization, and at the same time, highlights some of the consequences of corporate coworking on the project companies.

Paradoxical effects of digital practices on workplace transformation in a university hospital
This interview relates to hospital research focusing on the perceptions of email handling amongst staff. The research has led to the discovery of other digital tools which have radically transformed work organization between doctors and assistants. The author formulates the hypothesis that email handling is of some small sociological interest because it offers a window onto organizational activity and transformation in the workplace.

Commercial real estate under the cosh of digital technology: from the designated office to the office of tomorrowThe aim of this set of testimonies is to shed light on the parallel development of digital technology and office layout. More and more companies have acknowledged that their workplaces are a source of economic value and a springboard for transformation. We examine the accounts of three representatives from the world of commercial real estate : two workplace consultants, one of whom is an expert in digital technology, and the commercial director for a designer, manufacturer and distributor of office furniture. The interviewees discuss recent developments in the workspace and envisage the office of tomorrow.