Contenu du sommaire

Philip Milburn : The relational competence : control of interaction and professional legitimacy. Barristers and mediators. The paper looks at the structural process defining the relationship between a practitioner and a client, exploring it both in terms of social interaction and as a professional performance, thus locating the analysis at the turnstile of these two domains of sociological theory. Two activities are scanned in this perspective, both close in their content and different in their context of exercise : the criminal defence by barristers and para-judicial forms of mediation. The expectations of the client concerning the professional performance compel the practitioner to negotiate a definition of the relational frame with him, thus defining the contents of his status and his achievement. The frame consists in a co-operative behaviour towards the purpose assigned to the relationship : the judicial defence or the resolution of the dispute. They proceed from a compromise between practitioner and layman, the latter being the author of the chosen solutions. In determining this relational regime, the practitioner shows a kind of competence underpinned by ethics as much as expertise. Besides, this process contributes to the legitimacy of the performance and hence of professionalism, which cannot be restricted to status or knowledge but implies an empirical definition of professional authority and independence. and hence of professionalism, which cannot be restricted to status or knowledge but implies an empirical definition of professional authority and independence.

Marie Buscatto : Managers in the margin : stigmatization of an intermediate hierarchy. The rationalization projects which have taken over large modern organizations have destabilized and weakened their intermediate hierarchy. The explanations in terms of organization define clearly the way in which this weakening is produced. They do not however explain so clearly the relative commonplace character of social marginalization of intermediate managers, observed in an insurance company. In spite of their repeated efforts to become the intended managers, these supervisors find themselves struck in a denigrated social position which has lost its prestige. Even if all salaried workers deplore this situation, they define it as being due to the personal incapacity of supervisors to evolve. The psychologization of social relations, shown by the salaried workers in their gestures and daily discussions, is in fact part of the psychological modernity which characterizes the individualistic contemporary society.

Nathalie Richebé : The reactions of salaried workers to the « competence logic » : towards a renewal of exchange between salaried workers. This text proposes the analysis, based on a case study, of the mutual negotiations, strategies and adjustments brought about by the introduction of « competence logic » in an organization. First, it shows that new human resource management rules introduced in this manner cause a renewal of the salaried-workers' exchanges and provokes diverse reactions, based on both criteria of equity and point of interest. Secondly, the text analyzes how judgment of competence is structured during the assessment interview and the resources put forward by the actors to build on or to contradict the legitimacy of this judgment. It illustrates how difficult it is to implement « objective » assessment of people in work contexts where the same possibilities of evolution are not offered to everyone. Finally, the text raises the question of judging between individual and collective competence.

François de Singly, Karine Chaland : Playing the « supporting role » in a conjugal team. The case of the wives of a prefect or sub-prefect. The wives of a prefect or sub-prefect are expected to play a role alongside their husband, in public too. Without being misappreciated, this domestic work is often not taken into account ; the context is in fact unfavourable to the extent that contemporary society advocates individualization and barely legitimizes such roles, defined as a relation based on personal dependence. The weight of a prefect, or sub-prefect and his wife in the representation of their work meant that it was necessary to follow the Goffmanian analysis for the dramaturgical perspective. The concepts of team, role, on and off stage make it easier to understand the position of the prefect's or sub-prefect's wife in the prefectorial environment. Based on a collection of twenty in-depth interviews, it was shown that the participation of these wives in their husband's work varied from one person to another. To compose their role as « wife of », these women selected from the list available the role they thought they should play. The cultural and social resources they have, has an influence on the time they devote to their role as well as on the choice of repertory which are not all identical neither in terms of legitimacy nor power. The problem of relations between sexes or of ways of life, frequently excludes the notion of role : this article is to show that it is possible, as long as a new definition is provided, to use this notion to analyze the ways in which women behave when assigned to domestic work.