La gestion des volontaires dans les associations humanitaires : un passage par les contingences de l'implication

The management of volunteers in humanitarian associations : through the contingencies of commitment

• Auteur / Autrice : Patrice Valeau
• Direction : Pierre Louart
• Type : Thèse de doctorat
• Discipline(s) : Gestion
• Date : Soutenance en 1998
• Etablissement(s) : Lille 1

Mots clés

Mots clés contrôlés

Personnel

Associations sans but lucratif

Bénévoles

Résumé

Cette recherche questionne l'experience des volontaires des associations humanitaires. Elle aborde plus particulierement les liens entre les engagements qui composent leur implication et leur contribution aux projets de developpement sur lesquels ils sont affectes. Notre approche qualitative considere, au dela de la "bonne volonte" que manifestent la plupart des volontaires, l'heterogeneite de leurs capacites a construire une realite acceptable pour tous. Les connaissances produites mettent tout d'abord a jour le processus implicationnel a travers lequel le volontaire adapte ses engagements aux donnees de la situation. Ce processus se compose de phases d'anticipation, de projection, de confusion et d'ajustement. Un second modele identifie ensuite les modes en fonction desquels le volontaire convoque, face a des problemes concrets, les engagements dont il se prevaut a l'occasion de ses discours. Nous distinguons ainsi differentes modalites : le pragmatisme, le conditionnel, l'exclusif et le discernement. Ces modeles apportent des reponses possibles aux questions d'ordres ethique et pratique que se posent les responsables des ressources humaines des trois organisations etudiees (msf, l'afvp et le scd) concernant les repartitions possibles et souhaitables des responsabilites entre l'association et ses volontaires. Nous preconisons une gestion integrant les contingences des aptitudes emergeant du processus implicationnel. A travers l'accompagnement de ce dernier et une "autonomie conditionnelle" orientee dans le sens d'une responsabilisation progressive, l'association peut, a terme, esperer amener le volontaire a un niveau de "discernement" lui permettant d'assumer ce qu'elle attend de lui.

This research focuses on the experience of volunteers in humanitarian associations. It questions the link between the different forms of commitment that constitute their involvement and their contribution to the development projects on which they work. Rather than looking at the volunteers willingness to work, which most manifest, our qualitative approach considers their ability to construct a reality acceptable to everyone. Our findings have identified an involvement process through which the volunteer can adapt his commitment to the situation. This process includes phases of anticipation, projection, confusion and adjustment. A model has also been developed that outlines the ways in which the volunteer calls upon the commitment he presents in his discourse, in the face of concrete problems. We can thus distinguish different ways : pragmatism, conditional, exclusive and discernment. These models make it possible to answer the ethical and practical questions posed by the heads of human resources about the division of responsibilities between the association and the volunteers. We advocate a management strategy integrating the contingencies of aptitudes emerging from the involvement process. Through the management of this process, including an accompaniment of the volunteers orientated towards a progressive responsibilisation, the association can, in time, hope to lead the volunteer to a level of "discernment" allowing him to fulfil its expectations.