La « porte ouverte d'IBM » au service de la gestion des ressources humaines The IBM “Open Door” Program at the Service of Human Resource Management La “puerta abierta de IBM” al servicio de la gestión de recursos humanos

Résumé

Le programme dit de la « porte ouverte » d’IBM propose aux salariés de l’entreprise, en cas de conflit individuel avec leur supérieur hiérarchique, de recourir à un dispositif particulier de médiation/arbitrage interne. Cet article montre que ce mode original de résolution des conflits – peu courant en France – est source de justice procédurale et d’amélioration du climat social au sein de l’entreprise, malgré les inquiétudes qu’il peut susciter. Quoi qu’il en soit, le sentiment des salariés vis-à-vis de la « porte ouverte » est très sensible à l’information dont ils disposent, ce qui met l’accent sur l’importance de la communication autour de ce type de dispositif. La « porte ouverte » peut alors être considérée, au delà d’un mode de résolution des conflits, comme un outil de gestion des ressources humaines en tant que tel, favorisant la prise de parole et la responsabilisation des salariés au sein de l’entreprise.

Mots clés:

• médiation,
• négociation,
• résolution de conflits,
• justice

Summary

This paper deals with alternative dispute resolution in labour relations within the French context. By contrast with the United States and Canada, mediation and arbitration are rarely used in France for resolving individual or collective labour relations disputes. It is therefore interesting to study such a voice procedure in labour relations in France. This is illustrated by an empirical study of the French subsidiary of the IBM corporation. We focus our attention on the IBM “open door” policy that allows an employee who considers that he or she has been treated unfairly to formally request an executive manager to look at his or her grievance and potentially provide redress. A quantitative statistical analysis of 203 respondents shows that the “open door” favours procedural justice and equity within the company. However, the open door policy raises worries and anxiety among employees. Some of them might be afraid that the executive manager would decide the issue in favour of management. Some employees might also feel that using the open door policy could slow down the pace of their career. Opinion is also mixed as to the weight of custom and practice.

The study also shows the importance of information and communication with employees in fostering positive attitudes to the program and reducing their fears. Indeed, the better informed people are about the “open door” policy, the more confidence they show in the procedure, and the greater the perceived impact on procedural justice. Consequently, according to our study, using an internal mediation or arbitration process is all the more interesting in that it can help to build a sense of equity among employees who increasingly demand recognition and respect, as well as “voice” (according to Hirschman, 1970).

Keywords:

• arbitration,
• mediation,
• alternative dispute resolution,
• justice

Resumen

El programa llamado « puerta abierta » de IBM propone a los empleados de la empresa, en caso de conflicto individual con los superiores jerárquicos, de recurrir a un dispositivo particular de mediación / arbitraje interno. Este artículo muestra que este modo original de resolución de conflictos, poco corriente en Francia, es fuente de justicia procesal y de mejora del clima social en el seno de la empresa, a pesar de las inquietudes que este puede suscitar. Sea como sea, el sentimiento de los empleados respecto a la “puerta abierta” es muy sensible a la información de la que disponen, lo que hace resaltar la importancia de la comunicación en torno a este dispositivo. La “puerta abierta” puede entonces ser considerada, mas allá de un modo de resolución de conflictos, como un instrumento de gestión de recursos humanos en si mismo que favorece la expresión y la responsabilización de los asalariados en el seno de la empresa.

Palabras claves:

• mediación,
• negociación,
• resolución de conflictos,
• justicia