THE EMERGENCE AND THE FUNCTIONING OF INTERSTITIAL PROFESSIONAL DIGITAL SPACES SPECIFIED IN THE HRM OF THE FRENCH PUBLIC TERRITORIAL SECTOR: A LUHMANNIAN PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Professional digital social networks, defined as
interstitial professional digital spaces (IPDS) in
this research, arouse, because of their emergent and
ambivalent characteristics, empirical and academic
questions in HRM especially in the context of the
public sector.
From an exploratory study conducted on the IPDS
specified in the HRM of the French public territorial sector, this research suggests, first, a systemic
conceptualization for understanding the expectations
and processes around the IPDS’ functioning, and
second, an analysis of its management functionalities
in the development of HRM practices in this sector.
Based on the autopoietic system theory of Niklas
Luhmann (1927-1998) and on the existing work
which introduced Luhmann’s theory in the analysis
of digital systems (Kallinikos, 2005; Morner & von
Krogh, 2009), this research proposes a theoretical
framework for analysis whereas the IPDS is a digital
system with some self-renewal processes through
communications between individuals or groups who
are both contributors and consumers, assembled
by digital tools in interstitial digital spaces. IPDS
can be analysed with a framework formed by three
dimensions which interact : functional dimension,
technological dimension and vectorial dimension.
The results stemming from the observation data
show that, for HR professionals, IPDS are above
all complementary professional tools with different
features facilitating, in particular, the observation of
professional practices between peers and the selfobservation by communicating with peers.