Les risques psycho-sociaux : Retour sur 3 années de recherche entre les Hautes Ecoles de Genève, du Valais et de Fribourg, Oxial et avec le soutien d’Innosuisse.

Dans une entreprise, le risque humain peut être abordé comme un risque de gestion d’entreprise et pas seulement comme un problème médical. Le stress, le présentéisme, le burnout, les conflits et le turnover sont des exemples de risques qui affectent les organisations et les individus. Cependant, les entreprises ne sont pas en mesure de lutter efficacement contre un environnement toxique et ses effets néfastes si elles ne disposent pas des outils adéquats.

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Dans une entreprise, le risque humain peut être abordé comme un risque de gestion d’entreprise et pas seulement comme un problème médical. Le stress, le présentéisme, le burnout, les conflits et le turnover sont des exemples de risques qui affectent les organisations et les individus. Cependant, les entreprises ne sont pas en mesure de lutter efficacement contre un environnement toxique et ses effets néfastes si elles ne disposent pas des outils adéquats.

Notre projet de recherche, utilisant une approche quantitative et qualitative, contribue à remédier à cette situation et a développé un dispositif simple pour identifier et désamorcer les risques humains. Nous avons élaboré un modèle à 4 dimensions résumant les conditions d’emploi et les facteurs organisationnels et relationnels. En outre, nous avons collecté des données qualitatives pour déterminer les obstacles et les motivations à informer une entreprise sur les quatre dimensions identifiées. Ceci nous a permis de concevoir une méthode de collecte de données garantissant une confidentialité et un anonymat total.

Ces résultats nous ont permis de créer une plateforme numérique pour la collecte de données sur les facteurs organisationnels et individuels afin de détecter un environnement toxique à un stade précoce et de prévenir ses effets néfastes avant qu’ils ne se manifestent dans toute leur puissance destructrice.

Voici quelques-unes de nos publications officielles :

• Dubosson, E. Fragnière, A. Fournier, S. Meier, S. Vane. “Measuring real time occupational stress in organizations via a digitalized risk management app”, Part of the Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologiesbook series (SIST, volume 276), April 2022

Various studies (e.g., European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, 2007) have shown the highly detrimental effects of toxic environments on human health and organizational performance. For organizations, the implication about stress is that it leads to harmful behaviors that prevent managers and their teams from achieving goals. In the literature, many questionnaires based on a variety of metrics have been developed and tested to measure and assess the quality of work life (i.e., stress, organizational justice, etc.). The goal of our original research was to identify the most meaningful items and combine them into a unique score and an effective decision-making module. In this new paper, we report on the development of a new app that we developed and used for the first time to regularly take a kind of temperature of job stress in two companies. A long process of trial and error was necessary to be able to collect very confidential information from employees, both anonymously and longitudinally, to measure human risk in the workplace objectively and globally. As a next step, our goal is for the organization to be able to provide a preventive risk response in case of identification of a deterioration of occupational stress.

• Dubosson, M., Fragnière, E., Meier, E. and Rochat, D. (2020) “Facteurs endogènes et exogènes contribuant à un déni individuel des risques humains liés à la digitalisation du travail”, Revue Psychanalyse et Management, Spéciales et Hors-Séries, no 1, Octobre, pp. 65-80

Les technologies de digitalisation, et l’AI en particulier, impactent profondément les postes dans leur nombre et leur contenu. Le futur recèle d’incertitudes et de risques pour les employés. Cependant, ceux-ci restent étonnamment positifs, voire trop optimistes. Dans une recherche qualitative de 62 entretiens, on observe que les risques et les résistances sont identifiés, mais cela concerne les autres, pas soi-même ! Ceci est dû à des facteurs endogènes attribuables au contexte d’entreprise, comme le manque de communication et la formation, et à des facteurs endogènes comme le biais d’optimisme comparatif. Ces facteurs sont importants dans la réduction des potentiels risques humains associés à une réalité future moins positive qu’attendue.

• Dubosson M., Fragnière, E., Héritier, A.-S., Meier, S-, Wainwright, C. (2020) “Fostering « co-socialization » between patient and nurse to mitigate the risks of digitalizing health care services”, European Review of Service Economics and Management, no 10, pp. 109-131

The digitalization of services has also affected the practice of hospital care, particularly among nurses. In this study, we applied the focus group method with an exploratory aim among practicing students in nursing to see if the digitalization of administrative processes in hospitals was having an impact on their usual operating modes for treating patients. The collected data shows a disconnection between the difficulties evoked by the nursing staff in regard to exercising their profession and the digitalization of processes Following these observations, we propose a new theoretical model based on the SECI (socialization, externalization, combination, internalization) knowledge creation model. As the patient is co-producer of the service, our conceptual model consists of coupling the “SECI loop” of the patient with the “SECI loop” of the nurse at the level of the socialization stage.

• Dubosson, M., Fragnière, E. and Rochat, D. (2019). “Perceived risks regarding the impact of digitalization on the future of work: Towards a gap between the concerns of academics and workers’ attitudes?”, European Review of Service Economics and Management

Thanks to digital technologies, place and time have become less important than ever before. Employees have become digital nomads, benefiting from this alleged increase in flexibility. However, little effort has been put forth to understand how they feel about this change. We led semi-directive interviews of people active in the economy of services in Geneva. The results highlight a gap between employees’ fears and feelings, and research interests that may lead to increased human-related risks.

• Dubosson, M., Fragnière, E., Junod, N., Meier, S., Varone, S. and Fournier, A. (2019). “Integration of a Human Risk Module into a Risk Management Software”, Informatica Economică, vol. 23, no 3, pp. 5-15

In the scientific literature and in practice, many questionnaires based on a myriad of measures have been designed and tested to measure and evaluate perceived work stress or employee involvement. The objective of our research is to identify the most significant elements of human risks and to combine them into a single score at the level of teams and departments. Indeed, for companies, what really matters are the stress or dissatisfaction factors that lead to harmful behavior that prevent managers and their teams from achieving their objectives. Based on this research, we are developing a module that will be incorporated into the Oxial software and will also be available as a stand-alone module. This module will collect and analyze the data to calculate a single score measuring the level of human risk. This aspect is very innovative, because no risk management software currently includes a module dedicated to human risks.

Voici quelques-unes de nos conférences :

• Dubosson, E. Fragnière, A. Fournier, S. Meier, S. Vane. “Measuring real time occupational stress in organizations via a digitalized risk management app”, IE2021, Bucharest, Mai 2021

Various studies (e.g., European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, 2007) have shown the highly detrimental effects of toxic environments on human health and organizational performance. For organizations, the implication about stress is that it leads to harmful behaviors that prevent managers and their teams from achieving goals. In the literature, many questionnaires based on a variety of metrics have been developed and tested to measure and assess the quality of work life (i.e., stress, organizational justice, etc.). The goal of our original research was to identify the most meaningful items and combine them into a unique score and an effective decision-making module. In this new paper, we report on the development of a new app that we developed and used for the first time to regularly take a kind of temperature of job stress in two companies. A long process of trial and error was necessary to be able to collect very confidential information from employees, both anonymously and longitudinally, to measure human risk in the workplace objectively and globally. As a next step, our goal is for the organization to be able to provide a preventive risk response in case of identification of a deterioration of occupational stress.

• Dubosson, E. Fragnière, D. Rochat, M. Sitten, E. Berdeaux. Vers une dissonance cognitive due à une mauvaise compréhension du potentiel de l’IA : Etude des perceptions des employés en Suisse Romande, Psychanalyse et Management, La Rochelle, Oct 2019

Si les bénéfices fonctionnels et économiques de l’IA sont considérés, l’impact sur les employés n’est que très peu évoqué. En 2018, nous avons conduit 62 entretiens semi-directifs avec des employés travaillant en Suisse Romande. Nos répondants ne craignent pas que leur expertise soit remplacée par des robots, même intelligents. Ce risque existe pour les autres uniquement. Ils reconnaissent des impacts négatifs (stress, bugs, dévalorisation du travail, etc.) qui entrent en conflit avec des croyances positives. Cette situation de dissonance cognitive pourrait être génératrice de risques humains en entreprise, due essentiellement à une mauvaise compréhension de l’IA et de son potentiel. Le manque de communication pro-active de l’entreprise ne vient que renforcer cette situation à haut risque.

• Dubosson, E. Fragnière, S. Meier, S. Varone, E. Berdeaux. “Determining the Main Variables to Measure Human Risk in Organizations: A Quantitative Survey Conducted in Switzerland », 10th International Research Symposium in Service Management (IRSSM-10), Dubai, Oct 2019

Research on questionnaires to measure variables related to work experience is abundant. However, these questionnaires are mainly used for scientific validation purposes. In this paper, we aim to create a human risk questionnaire, although grounded on the scientific literature, containing solely a limited number of questions to measure on a regular basis a single human risk score within an organization. We present recent results based on different statistical tests (e.g. ANOVA, CHI-SQUARE and linear regression) of a quantitative survey aimed at finding out which dimensions work best for assessing Job Satisfaction and Pride. Findings are in line with the scientific literature and show first that Job Satisfaction and Pride are both strongly linked to Hierarchical Position. Second, Job Satisfaction is essentially linked to recognition and meaning at work, management attention to employee well-being. Third, Job Pride is essentially linked to the meaning employees find in work activities.

• Dubosson, E. Fragniere, D. Rochat, M. Sitten and E. Berdeaux. «The emerging and uncontested digitalization of services could lead to cognitive dissonance due to a misunderstanding of the new role of artificial intelligence at work: an empirical study conducted in Switzerland”, XXVIII International Conference of RESER, Ceuta, Sept 2019

AI enjoys a form of widespread adoption in all service sectors and is rarely questioned. In 2018, we conducted 62 semi-directive interviews with employees in the service sector in French-speaking Switzerland to learn what they thought about the impact of digitalization and AI on their work. We see that employees do not make a distinction between AI and digitalization. Therefore, their own jobs are not at risk because their expertise cannot be replaced. It is also troubling to note that each digitalization at work is merely seen as a software upgrade that it is not accompanied by change management. It is as if no limits were set, with the risk that when digitisation does not work, the remaining employees will have to « take care of » the problems

• Dubosson, E. Fragniere, A. Heritier, S. Meier and C. Wainwright, “Fostering “co-socialization” to mitigate human related-risk and to counter growing dissatisfaction in an era of digitalization of health care services”, XXVIII International Conference of RESER, Ceuta, Sept 2019

In the health care sector, human risks affect the quality of services and increase the occurence of dissatisfaction, health problems or demotivation. Our results show that technology does not mitigate those risks, but exacerbates them. As digitalization is becoming prevalent, it is becoming more crucial to prevent them to happen. In a focus group with 10 nurses, participants expressed their willingness to provide personal data if it is used to improve their work environment. We propose to digitalize implicit knowledge from the data provided by collaborators to create an explicit knowledge base of the level of human risk. Knowledge creation will be reinforced through patient-worker interaction, referred as a co-socialization process.

• Fragnière, M. Dubosson, N. Junod, S. Meier and S. Varone, “Digitized governance to mitigate human-related risks: A software based on overall early detection”, 18th IE International conference, Bucharest, May 2019

Human workplace risk can be addressed as a business management risk and not only as a medical problem. According to Enterprise Risk Management (ERM), risk is what prevents the achievement of a business objective. The most famous ERM standards are COSO ERM and ISO 31000 and include all kinds of risk categories. However, no category specifically focuses on human risk as a business risk. Even though these risks are recognized by experts as significant risks, their identification at the global level of the company and especially their evaluation remain very complex. In this paper, we propose a brief literature review of models and questionnaires that make it possible to identify and probe these human risks at work. Our goal is to use proven scientific knowledge to create a regular, fast and ergonomic bottom-up data collection system to achieve an overall human risk score for companies. This score can then be integrated into an enterprise risk mapping and allow for better governance that also integrates human risks alongside more traditional risk categories such as operational, financial, strategic and compliance risks. The challenges of our research lie mainly in the relevant and simplified collection of company data and in the definition of an overall human risk score that will be based in a further research on advanced statistical methods

Si le sujet vous intéresse ou que vous voudriez participer à cette démarche, n’hésitez pas à nous contacter ici à tout moment.

Haute Ecole Spécialisée de Suisse occidentale : Magali Dubosson, Emmanuel Fragnière, Nathalie Junod, Samuele Meier, Sacha Varone

Oxial : Eric Berdeaux, Arnaud Fournier