L’étude des fondements de l’action chez le dirigeant Trois regards : réflexivité, intériorité, gouvernementalité/éthique

This thesis focuses on the study of the foundations of the action of large companies’ leaders in Quebec. These leaders have in common that they have assumed this role for over twenty years, are all highly recognized by the Quebec business community and are part of the same generation, that of the first-borns of the baby boom. This thesis apprehends the foundations of the action of these leaders from three different knowledge paths: reflexivity, interiority and governmentality. The reflective approach involves adopting a more cognitive analytical framework and provides feedback on action. The interiority approach calls on an affect analysis framework and consists of a work of interpretation of the interior life. Finally, the governmentality approach leads to an analysis of the basis of the leader's power and leads to the exploration of the place of ethics in managerial governance. The first article aims to bring out how the conscious and unconscious dimensions of a leader's interiority are at the basis of his action. The reflective gaze, based on these Christian and humanist values, allowed the establishment of a solid relationship of trust between employees and management. It also shows how defense mechanisms through the sublimation of aggressive overactive impulses allowed the leader to find creative ways to deny the pain felt and to lead constructive long-term projects. It is in this double sense that interiority can be seen as a foundation of leading action. The second article seeks to shed light on the foundations of the leader's action from a comparative study of management methods relating to a specific responsibility defined here as "paternal function". The study analyzes an important contrast between the two groups studied. On the one hand, in the absence of this paternal function, the leader obtains little legitimacy and credibility and the life of the group is marked by conflicting, immature relationships with the presence of an unprofessional, even vulgar language. On the other hand, in the case of the presence of this paternal dimension, the leader obtains respect and legitimacy, which translates into a group life based on collaborative relationships, a capacity for discussion and problem solving; in short, a development of the people in the group. This well- assumed responsibility on the part of the leader of the paternal function makes possible a work of sublimation of the aggressive - sexual - impulses allowing the development of a shared and constructive experience (transition from the individual psychic groupality to the group). The work of sublimation, of elaboration becomes possible by the establishment of rules, of well-kept limits by a leader assuming his vii responsibilities as guardian-protector, guide. This is why we can consider the paternal function as the basis of action. The third article has for object of analysis the moral constitution of the leader, that is to say the rules which he gives himself to live an ethical conduct by techniques of oneself. The moral constitution makes possible a better control of appetites, egoistic desires and suddenly, allows self-governance making possible a judicious governance of others. The study proposes to analyze the discourse of these leaders as founded by a double logic, one related to business and the other to the management of people. The article shows that leaders are the product of an epoch and a brief culture, of a very specific mode of subjectivation. More precisely, we show that these leaders share fundamental principles and values, for example telling the truth and consistency between deeds and words as well as notions of concern, recognition and transparency. In addition, the relationship between the subject-leader and his object, those he directs, appears under the dynamics of the knowledge-power relationship. The increasing complexity of this dynamic sometimes leads to a diversion of the ethical rule even to the point of disguising it. This study clearly shows that the knowledge-power relationship can be considered as the basis of the leader's action in his leadership profession. In conclusion, the results of the study on the foundations of action - “essential elements” linked to the knowledge embedded in action - bear witness to a change of paradigm, that is to say to a questioning of the leader as a referent for action, to take into account the function of leading firmly legitimized in an organized system.

Keyphrases: discours, speech, subjectivity, leadership profession, foundations of action, psychic life, power