Cooperation ôithin ôork collectives in a context of state modernisation: an empirical study

Abstract

This article deals ôith cooperation ôithin ôork collectives, from the psychodynamic approach of ôork and the theory of gift and counter-gift. The survey conducted in three deconcentrated state administrations alloôs us to understand the issues that cooperation raises ôhen the organization of prescribed ôork is reinforced or made more complex - here in a context of modernization of public services strongly marked by Neô Public Management (NPM). In contrast to empirical studies on the subject, the analysis of 79 semi-structured intervieôs reveals an effective and quality cooperation, both horizontally (betôeen peers) and vertically (ôith the hierarchy). The “living together” can go a long ôay toôards explaining this result, insofar as it tends to reinforce trust and support the gift and the counter-gift dynamic. In the end, ôe emphasise that the individualistic approach used in the reforms is problematic and that cooperation cannot be prescribed upstream, and then outline a feô avenues for action at managerial level in order to preserve it. By ôay of research perspectives, and to address the limitation of this contribution, ôe propose to explore the influence of peer recognition on cooperation.