Unfolding the Culture–Competence Dialectic: A Cognitive-Situational Approach - PhD Research Progress in Management, Sorbonne Paris Cité University

This doctoral research explores the dialectical relationship between culture and competence through a cognitive-situational approach in management studies. While traditional perspectives tend to conceptualize competence either as an individual attribute (skills, knowledge, abilities) or as an organizational resource, they often overlook the situated and culturally embedded nature of competent action. In response, this research aims to develop a processual understanding of competence as emerging from the dynamic interplay between cultural frameworks and situated cognition in organizational contexts. Drawing on the theoretical foundations of situated cognition, practice-based approaches, and organizational culture, this work proposes a shift from a static and decontextualized view of competence toward a relational and enacted perspective. Culture is not treated here as a stable set of shared values or norms, but rather as a repertoire of meanings, symbols, and interpretive schemes that actors mobilize in action. Competence, in turn, is understood as a situated accomplishment, continuously shaped and re-shaped through interactions, interpretations, and contextual constraints. The central research question guiding this thesis is: How does the dialectical relationship between culture and competence unfold in situated organizational practices? More specifically, the research seeks to understand how cultural elements both enable and constrain the expression of competence, and how, reciprocally, competent practices contribute to the transformation and reproduction of organizational culture. Empirically, this research is grounded in a qualitative study conducted within the SNCF, a large and historically rich organization characterized by strong professional cultures and ongoing transformations. This context offers a particularly relevant setting to investigate how competence is enacted in complex, safety-critical, and highly institutionalized environments. The methodological approach relies on semi-structured interviews and qualitative analysis of situated practices, with a focus on frontline actors and their practical reasoning in everyday work situations. At its current stage, the research has led to the identification of preliminary analytical categories highlighting the mutual shaping of culture and competence. Early findings suggest the existence of a recursive dynamic in which cultural expectations orient action, while situated practices gradually reconfigure cultural patterns. In particular, the study points to the importance of tacit knowledge, informal coordination, and context-sensitive judgment in sustaining organizational functioning. This work contributes to the literature by bridging organizational culture and competence studies through a cognitive-situational lens, and by emphasizing the role of tacit, implicit, and practice-based dimensions of competence. It also provides insights into management practices in large, complex organizations such as SNCF, where competence is deeply embedded in collective routines and cultural heritage, yet constantly challenged by ongoing change.