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Beyond the Mirror: Better Understanding the Drifts of Internal Mobility Through the Case of France Télécom
[De l'autre côté du miroir : Mieux comprendre les dérives de la mobilité interne grâce au cas France Télécom]

Author

Listed:
  • Amélie Notais

    (ARGUMans - Laboratoire de recherche en gestion Le Mans Université - UM - Le Mans Université)

  • Anne Janand

    (UP8 - Université Paris 8, LED - Laboratoire d'Economie Dionysien - UP8 - Université Paris 8)

  • Yoann Bazin

    (CEROS - Centre d'Etudes et de Recherches sur les Organisations et la Stratégie - UPN - Université Paris Nanterre, Saïd Business School - University of Oxford)

  • Hugo Gaillard

    (ARGUMans - Laboratoire de recherche en gestion Le Mans Université - UM - Le Mans Université)

Abstract

Contemporary companies, like individuals, are caught today in an imperative of adaptation, and people working within organizations are required to be increasingly mobile and flexible. By conducting a longitudinal study of the case of France Télécom, this article takes a look "behind the mirror" and reveals how the group made use of internal mobility to meet competitive pressures, and how this practice evolved from a potentially virtuous tool into one whose excesses were central to the company's conviction for institutional moral harassment. The article highlights five configurations of internal mobility at France Télécom: (1) an extension of the scope of geographical mobility, (2) a large-scale redefinition of occupational roles, (3) a disjunctive function in social relations, (4) the erasure of historical administrative reference points, and (5) high-speed, forced internal mobility. It examines their effects and points to possible mechanisms for detecting and mitigating such practices in the future.

Suggested Citation

  • Amélie Notais & Anne Janand & Yoann Bazin & Hugo Gaillard, 2025. "Beyond the Mirror: Better Understanding the Drifts of Internal Mobility Through the Case of France Télécom [De l'autre côté du miroir : Mieux comprendre les dérives de la mobilité interne grâce au cas France Télécom]," Post-Print hal-05334514, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05334514
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-05334514v1
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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