Who are the experts? Representations and human resource management practices[Les experts en question(s) : représentations et pratiques de la fonction ressources humaines]

When competing for talent, organizations require researchers to contribute to the means by which they can attract and retain experts. This research has organizational stakes, as well as territorial and national stakes. The authors point out, in their state of the art, what is meant by the notion of expert, what are ones competences and the value ones represents for the organization. At the same time, a study based on 30 interviews with HRD, about practices dedicated to experts and their perception of experts' expectations, brings interesting results. The authors reveal four central intrinsic qualities of an expert : a rare resource difficult to replace, holder of specific knowledge, factor of capitalization of the experiments and internal and external recognition. They also identify 4 contributing elements of the expert to his or her organization : continuous monitoring, capacity for innovation and production of knowledge, ability to transfer knowledge and contribution to the quality of decisions to be taken. With regard to the dedicated HRM practices, 5 groups of organizational capacities were considered essential. These include the ability to create experts, recognize them, share the value they create, but also the ability to reinforce the positive image of their profession and their values, a nd avoid their exhaustion. This requires the mobilization of key persons. Finally, the authors synthesize these dedicated practices around a triple dynamic : the continuous creation of knowledge, power sharing and pleasure in projects.