Abstracts
Résumé
Cet article propose une réflexion sur les enjeux managériaux liés à la gestion quotidienne de la sous-traitance. À partir d’une enquête menée auprès de conducteurs de chantier relevant de grandes entreprises belges de construction, nous montrons comment la gestion quotidienne des sous-traitants conduit à de nombreuses situations d’arbitrage visant à permettre la bonne exécution des projets. Nous détaillons l’évolution des pratiques de gestion quotidiennes, qui visent de plus en plus à attirer et à fidéliser les sous-traitants devenus particulièrement rares et indispensables, dans un contexte de pénurie structurelle de main-d’oeuvre locale spécialisée. Cette analyse nous conduit à une discussion mettant en évidence 1) l’importance du management de proximité dans la gestion et l’entretien des relations de sous-traitance, 2) les interdépendances générées par l’état actuel du marché du travail et 3) les risques de ces évolutions pour les professions de manager de proximité.
Mots-clés :
- Conducteur de chantier,
- Construction,
- Fidélisation,
- Pénurie de main-d’oeuvre,
- Sous-traitance
Abstract
This article reflects on the managerial challenges associated with the day-to-day management of subcontractors. Based on a survey of site managers working for large Belgian construction companies, we show how the day-to-day management of subcontractors leads to numerous arbitration situations aimed at ensuring the successful execution of projects. We detail the evolution of everyday management practices, which are increasingly aimed at attracting and retaining subcontractors who have become particularly scarce and indispensable in the context of structural shortages of skilled local labor. This analysis leads us to a discussion highlighting 1) the importance of local management in the management of subcontractor relationships, 2) the interdependences generated by the current state of the labor market, and 3) the risks of these developments for local management professions.
Appendices
Références
- Addis M. Boyd D., & Raiden A. (2016). Theorizing Expertise in Construction. Construction management and economics, 34(7-8), 433-438.
- Ahlstrand R. (2022). Structures of subcontracting: Work organisation, control, and labour in the Swedish building sector (Doctoral dissertation, Lund University).
- Alberti G. (2014). Mobility strategies, ‘mobility differentials’ and ‘transnational exit’: the experiences of precarious migrants in London’s hospitality jobs. Work, Employment and Society, 28(6), pp. 865–881.
- Alberti G. & Danaj S. (2017). Posting and agency work in British construction and hospitality: the role of regulation in differentiating the experiences of migrants. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 28(21), pp. 3065-3088.
- Berntsen L. & Lillie N. (2016). Hyper-mobile migrant workers and Dutch trade union representation strategies at the Eemshaven construction sites. Economic and Industrial Democracy, 37(1), pp. 171-187.
- Bresnen M. J., Wray K., Bryman A., Beardsworth A. D., Ford J. R. & Keil E. T. (1985). The flexibility of recruitment in the construction industry: Formalisation or re-casualisation? Sociology, 19(1), 108-124.
- Brucker Juricic, B., Galic, M., & Marenjak, S. (2021). Review of the Construction Labour Demand and Shortages in the EU. Buildings, 11(1), 17.
- Buckley M., Zendel A., Biggar J., Frederiksen L. & Wells, J. (2016). Migrant work & employment in the construction sector. International Labour Organization.
- Caro E., Bernsten L., Lillie N. & Wagner I., 2015, « Posted Migration and Segregation in the European Construction Sector », Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, no. 10, vol.41, pp. 1600‑1620.
- Causa, O., Soldani, E., Nguyen, M., & Tanaka, T. (2025). Labour shortages and labour market inequalities: Evidence and policy implications (No. 1832). OECD Publishing.
- De Wispelaere F. (2020). La lutte contre le travail au noir dans le secteur de la construction en Belgique, Document de discussion, KU Leuven – Institut de recherche sur le travail et la société.
- De Wispelaere F. (2022). Foreign subcontractors in the Belgian construction sector. A cross-analyses of the challenges and possible solutions. International seminar “From Antwerp to Qatar: The long road to decent work in the construction sector”.
- De Wispelaere F., De Smedt L., Muñoz M., Gillis D. & Pacolet J. (2022). Posted workers from and to Belgium. Facts and figures. Recherche menée pour le compte d’Actiris (Cahier des charges n° 3-2019)
- Deffontaines P. (2021). Au-delà de l’informel : réputation et normes sur les chantiers de construction en Ukraine. Sociologie du travail, 63(1).
- Dimitriadis I. (2022). Migrants and undeclared employment within the European construction sector: Challenging dichotomous approaches to workers’ agency. Work, Employment and Society, 09500170211072777.
- Dubois A. & Gadde L. E. (2002). The construction industry as a loosely coupled system: implications for productivity and innovation. Construction management & economics, 20(7), pp. 621-631.
- Eccles R. G. (1981). The quasifirm in the construction industry. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 2(4), pp. 335-357.
- Elbashbishy, T. S., & El-adaway, I. (2024). Assessing the impact of skilled labor shortages on project cost performance. In Construction Research Congress 2024 (pp. 361-370).
- Fellini I., Ferro A., and Fullin G. (2007). Recruitment processes and labour mobility: the construction industry in Europe. Work, employment and society, 21(2), pp. 277-298.
- Fellows R. & Liu A. M. (2012). Managing organizational interfaces in engineering construction projects: addressing fragmentation and boundary issues across multiple interfaces. Construction management and economics, 30(8), pp. 653-671.
- FOREM (2022). Difficultés et opportunités de recrutement. Métiers/fonctions critiques et en pénurie. Veille, analyse et prospective du marché de l’emploi.
- Forrierre J., Anceaux F., Cegarra J., & Six F. (2011). L’activité des conducteurs de travaux sur les chantiers de construction : ordonnancement et supervision d’une situation dynamique. Le travail humain, 74(3), pp. 283-308.
- Gioia D. A., Corley K. G. & Hamilton A. L. (2013). Seeking Qualitative Rigor in Inductive Research: Notes on the Gioia Methodology. Organizational Research Methods, 16(1), pp. 15‑31.
- Gjerde, S., & Alvesson, M. (2020). Sandwiched: Exploring role and identity of middle managers in the genuine middle. Human relations, 73(1), 124-151.
- Groiss, M., & Sondermann, D. (2025). Help wanted: the drivers and implications of labour shortages. Applied Economics, 57(33), 4882-4896.
- Guffond J. L. & Leconte G. (2001). Le pilotage d’activités distribuées : le cas du chantier. Sociologie du travail, 43(2), pp. 197-214.
- Jansson, H., & Hilmersson, M. (2009). Escaping the trap of low-cost production and high dependency: a case study of the internationalization networks of small subcontractors from the Baltic States. In Research on Knowledge, Innovation and Internationalization (pp. 225-247). Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
- Jounin N. (2008). Chantier interdit au public. Enquête parmi les travailleurs du bâtiment, Paris : La Découverte, 274 p. (coll. « textes à l’appui »).
- Jounin N. & Paternoster L. (2009). Un patron peut en cacher un autre : Sous-traitance et intérim dans les secteurs du bâtiment et du nettoyage. Savoir/Agir, 10, pp.13-22.
- Kirov V., Markova E. & Peycheva D. (2016). « Hybrid work organisation in the construction sector in Bulgaria: employees or sub-contractors? », Emecon Employment and economy in Central and Eastern Europe, no. 1, vol. 6, pp. 1-16.
- Koolwijk, J., van Oel, C., & Bel, M. (2022). The interplay between financial rules, trust and power in strategic partnerships in the construction industry. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 29(3), 1089-1108.
- Lillie N. (2012). Subcontracting, posted migrants and labour market segmentation in Finland. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 50(1), pp. 148-167.
- Martin, L., & Benson, L. (2021). Relationship quality in construction projects: A subcontractor perspective of principal contractor relationships. International journal of project management, 39(6), 633-645.
- Neo H. (2010). Geographies of subcontracting. Geography Compass, 4(8), pp. 1013-1024.
- Nicolini D. (2002). In search of ‘project chemistry’. Construction Management & Economics, 20(2), pp. 167-177.
- Neuville, J. P. (1997). La stratégie de la confiance : le partenariat industriel observé depuis le fournisseur. Sociologie du travail, 297-319.
- Omotayo, T. S., Danvers-Watson, O., & Oyegoke, A. S. (2023). Subcontractor trust issues on payment and valuation practices in UK private projects. Journal of Financial Management of Property and Construction, 28(1), 64-90.
- Pink S., Tutt D., Dainty A., & Gibb A. (2010). Ethnographic methodologies for construction research: knowing, practice and interventions. Building Research & Information, 38(6), pp. 647-659.
- Purcell K. P. J. (1998). In-sourcing, outsourcing, and the growth of contingent labour as evidence of flexible employment strategies. European journal of work and organizational psychology, 7(1), pp. 39-59.
- Six F. (2016). L’ergonome et le chantier, Toulouse : Octares Editions.
- Strati A. (2003). Knowing in practice: aesthetic understanding and tacit knowledge. Knowing in organizations, A practice-based approach, pp. 53-75.
- Styhre A. (2011). The overworked site manager: gendered ideologies in the construction industry. Construction management and economics, 29(9), pp. 943-955.
- Thévenot N. (2012). Formes de mobilisation du travail et responsabilité de l’emploi : le cas de la sous-traitance en France. Idées économiques et sociales, (4), pp. 41-46.
- Thiel D. (2010). Contacts and contracts: Economic embeddedness and ethnic stratification in London’s construction market. Ethnography, 11(3), pp. 443-471.
- Thiel D. (2013). Builders: Class, gender and ethnicity in the construction industry. London : Routledge.
- Tinel B., Perraudin C., Thèvenot N. & Valentin J. (2007). La sous-traitance comme moyen de subordination réelle de la force de travail. Actuel Marx, (1), 153-164.
- Weil D. (2014). The fissured workplace. Cambridge : Harvard University Press.
- Winch G. (1998). The growth of self-employment in British construction. Construction Management & Economics, 16(5), pp. 531-542.
- Wuidar S. (2023). Pourquoi l’État peine à endiguer le phénomène du dumping social ? Enquête au coeur de l’inspection du travail dans le secteur de la construction. Travail, Emploi, Formation, 17 : 11-27.
- Wuidar, S. (2024). Flexibilité et Pénurie de L’emploi Sous Tension : Une Analyse par la Régulation du Travail Dans le Secteur Belge de la Construction (Doctoral dissertation, Universite de Liege (Belgium)).
- Xhauflair V., Deflandre D., & De Schampheleire J., (2006). « Le secteur de la construction vu par les entrepreneurs », Courrier hebdomadaire du CRISP, no. 12, vol. 1917, pp. 5-52.
