Impact of discussion spaces on managers' working conditions: the need for individual support?[Impact des espaces de discussion sur les conditions de travail des managers : la nécessité d'un accompagnement individuel ?]

For several years now, management sciences, work psychology and ergonomics had developed theories about discussion spaces. Such spaces are considered as new management tools, as well as resources to prevent psychosocial risks. Previous work focused on the way discussion spaces are implemented, contucted and structured, and on approaches to support and train managers who lead them. However, there is only poor research regarding the way one can encourage managerial commitment to action and support managers in changing their practices. Our research-intervention, carried out within a large-scale distribution logistics platform, proposes a methodological approach to these issues. In parallel with the discussion forum system, we propose to provide individual support to managers. This approach aims to help the managers implementing corrective and preventive actions given their own activity and corresponding set of constraints, and will necessitate multiple changes (e.g., competences, allocated time, work …). We suggest that these two levels of intervention, individual (via the manager's coaching sessions) and collective (via the discussion spaces), could both be necessary to the proper use of the outcomes brought about by the discussion group.