CEPEL

Tiffany MATIAS

Career history

  • Since 2024: Research Engineer for the Key Initiative on Public Transition Policies (KIPPT)
  • 2023-2024: Temporary teaching and research assistant, University of Montpellier
  • 2018-2023: PhD Political Science, University of Montpellier
  • 2017-2018: Digital Transformation Project Manager, SNCF Mobilités.
  • 2015-2017: Master's degree in Research and Consulting, University of Montpellier (with honors).
  • 2014-2015: Bachelor's degree in Political Science, University of Montpellier (with honors).
  • 2012-2013: Professional degree in digital communication, work-study communications officer.
  • 2011-2013: BTS Communication, Work-study communications officer.

Research topics

The new spirit of the SNCF. Digital transformation as a way of moving beyond the railway company's neo-managerial shift

Summary:

This thesis examines the significance of digital transformation within the SNCF and its link to previous neo-managerial reform initiatives. It is structured in three parts, aiming to understand the project centered around the concept of digital transformation, to conduct a sociological analysis of the actors involved, and to identify the strategies and mechanisms they use to impose their agenda within the organization. With regard to the project, the results highlight that behind the concept of digital transformation, the "modernization" project consists of spreading a new spirit, which takes the giants of the digital economy as its reference model. The project therefore goes beyond the SNCF's neo-managerial shift, promoting a movement of neo-commodification and neo-rationalization that is part of the broader trend of post-new public management. With regard to the actors involved, the results show that this project is being driven by employees who are distant from the history and destiny of the organization and who are in favor of the SNCF's new financial performance objectives. They are therefore contributing even more to making digitalization a factor in the reform. However, these actors are embroiled in professional and organizational struggles, which limits their power to act. To compensate for this, they seek to enlist all of the organization's employees in their project, making extensive use of mechanisms designed to spread this new spirit throughout the organization.

Sociology of organizations – New public management – SNCF