Tiffany Matias' thesis defense

The new spirit of the SNCF
Digital transformation as a way of overcoming the public corporation's neo-managerial turnaround

The defense will take place on Thursday September 7 at 2pm at the Faculty of Law and Political Science of the University of Montpellier (Salle des Actes, building 1). It will be followed by a reception, to which you are also warmly invited.

The jury is composed of :

Jean-Yves DORMAGEN, Professor, University of Montpellier (thesis supervisor)

Laura MICHEL, Associate Professor, University of Montpellier (co-supervisor)

Clément MABI, Senior Lecturer, Compiègne University of Technology

Guillaume MARREL, Professor, University of Avignon

Magali NONJON, Senior Lecturer, Science Po Aix

Éric SAVARESE, Professor, University of Montpellier

Nadège VEZINAT, Professor, University of Paris 8

Thesis summary: 

This thesis examines the significance of digital transformation within the SNCF and its link with previous neo-managerial reform undertakings. It is structured in three parts, aiming both to grasp the project articulated around the notion of digital transformation, to carry out a sociology of the actors behind it, and to identify the strategies and devices used by the latter to impose their agenda within the organization. With regard to the project, the results underline that behind the notion of digital transformation, the "modernization" project largely consists in the dissemination of a new spirit, which takes the giants of the digital economy as its reference model. As such, the project goes beyond the SNCF's neo-managerial turnaround, fostering a movement towards neo-marketing and neo-rationalization and forming part of the broader trend towards post-new public management. As far as the actors are concerned, the results show that this project is driven by employees who are distant from the organization's history and destiny, and in favor of SNCF's new financial performance objectives. They thus contribute even more to making digitalization a contribution to reform. However, these players are embedded in professional and organizational struggles, which limits their capacity for action. To compensate for this, they seek to enlist all the organization's employees in their project, by widely mobilizing devices whose purpose is to spread this new spirit within the organization.

 
For logistical reasons, please let me know by return e-mail if you wish to attend the defense.