Diane-Gabrielle Tremblay

Balancing work and family with telework? Organizational issues and challenges for women and managers

This article presents a research on telework and deals with the following questions: Who are the teleworkers (sex, age, main socio‐occupational categories)? What are the impacts of telework on work organization and working conditions, particularly for women, and in terms of work‐family balance, since telework is sometimes presented as a solution to problems of reconciling work and family responsibilities? Finally, what is the level of satisfaction among teleworkers and why are they satisfied or dissatisfied with this system? Are there differences between various groups on this regard? We insist on the dimensions of working conditions and autonomy in telework and highlight the fact that there is a risk of polarization according to gender, women being more frequently in a situation where they have less autonomy than men in telework, although many also see telework in a positive way, as an “escape” from a bureaucratic work environment.

Social economy-based local initiatives and social innovation: a Montreal case study

This paper analyses the role of social economy-based local actors in developing social innovation in Montreal. On the basis of a case study in the garment industry, the paper analyses the role played by community economic development corporations in the economic and urban reconversion in the city. The paper has five sections: 1 the problems and the issues facing Montreal’s garment industry 2 the theoretical concepts used in the analysis, i.e., proximity, social innovation, and governance 3 a brief introduction of community economic development corporations (CDEC) in Montreal 4 presentation of a case study in which a CDEC promotes the implementation of a fashion designers’ cluster in a Montreal neighbourhood 5 the analysis of the specific role played by the CDEC in the development of this cluster. The paper shows that innovation is not the exclusive playing field of high-tech sectors and aims to expand our vision of innovation to include stakeholders who mobilise resources that are not academic but rather the result of institutionally and locally-based learning.

Contrasts in Clustering: The Example of Canadian New Media

New media is part of the new information economy, and its roots lie in computer graphics and in creative specialized services used in motion picture production, advertising, and other programming especially for television. This paper examines the similarities and differences between Canadas three new media concentrations in the metropolitan centres of Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal. It investigates whether the industry emerged from similar activities and whether differences in the pattern of development in each region explain contemporary new media activities. It evaluates differences in local market opportunities and whether local specializations have emerged. The third focus is on the predominance of small firms in new media and whether there are differences in the social foundations of production.

Systèmes locaux et réseaux productifs dans la reconversion économique : le cas de Montréal

Resume Ce texte s’interesse a la reconversion de la metropole montrealaise a l’economie du savoir. Cette transition est marquee par l’importance croissante des entreprises de haute technologie, notamment dans les filieres de la bio-pharmaceutique, de l’aeronautique et des telecommunications. A partir d’une enquete aupres de 80 entreprises, l’article analyse la place de la proximite et du local dans cette reconversion. L’analyse est faite a partir de certains indicateurs tels les facteurs de localisation, l’integration productive, l’effet de la proximite sur le potentiel innovateur, le marche local et le partenariat avec des organisations locales. Le texte montre que l’echelle pertinente pour comprendre la dimension territoriale de la reconversion qui a lieu a Montreal est l’echelle metropolitaine. Montreal apparait comme une combinaison de reseaux productifs localises imbriques a une echelle metropolitaine.

Work–Family Balance: Is the Social Economy Sector More Supportive … and is this because of its More Democratic Management?

Abstract This research compares perceived organizational support to work–family balance measures and policies in various work environments to determine whether the organizational context can be a mediating variable or whether the social economy sector, with its mission and management approach (participatory decision-making) might have an influence on organizational support to work–family balance. We studied the social economy sector and compared findings with three other sectors in the public service that have a public service mission but not the same democratic or participatory management mode: a metropolitan police service, social work, and nursing, all in the same city. Our research identifies many significant differences between the four sectors, essentially owing to the characteristics of the social economy sector. In addition to our quantitative research, we conducted interviews (36) in the sector and results indicate that the specificity of the social economy sector, i.e. mission and management mode, explain the overriding concern for work–life balance in the social economy sector.

The Film and Audiovisual Production in Montreal: Challenges of Relational Proximity for the Development of a Creative Cluster

Film and audiovisual production are part of the new media sector, one of the main sectors of the creative industries. The sector has evolved from purely audiovisual techniques to various creative specialized services used in television, advertising, and motion pictures. Montreal has long been known as an important North American hub for film and audiovisual production. This reputation has continued over recent years with important developments in the visual effects sector. However, increased competition over recent years and the desire to maintain activity in Montreal have spurred interest for the application of a cluster policy in the film and audiovisual sector, and interest in relational proximity has increased in order to ensure this creative industrys future. We investigated the birth of the cluster policy in this sector and this article discusses the challenges and difficulties in developing cooperation between businesses of a competitive creative sector, highlighting the fact that geographic or physical proximity is not enough and that relational proximity is not so easy to develop. It also highlights sources of success and thus can be useful for a better understanding of proximity issues in relation to creative cluster development.

Workload, generic and work–family specific social supports and job stress: Mediating role of work–family and family–work conflict

Purpose The present study aims to investigate the mediating role of work–family conflict (WFC) and family–work conflict (FWC) on the effects of workload and the generic and specific work–family social support in job stress. Design/methodology/approach Using AMOS 20 through bootstrap analysis for indirect effect, the study assessed the abovementioned relationships based on data collected from 258 respondents in the hospitality industry in Quebec. Findings The findings indicate that workload increases job stress via WFC and FWC. Both generic and specific work–family social support decrease job stress through WFC and FWC. Organizational support for reconciling work and family life is more significant than generic supervisor support. Family support reduces job stress via WFC but not via FWC. Research limitations/implications In future studies, it would be interesting to explore the effects of variables such as gender, marital status, hotel category and the job category, as well as cultural origin. Practical implications The results of this research should alert employers in the hospitality industry to engage in family-friendly policies that include not only practices such as working time arrangements, family leave and onsite child care services, but also to be committed to create a family-friendly culture and to adopt the best forms of supportive policies at work. Originality/value By emphasizing cross-domain effects, the present research contributes to the existing knowledge by testing the mediating role of WFC and FWC in the effects of workload and various resources of social support on job stress.

Telework and mobile working: analysis of its benefits and drawbacks

Telework and mobile work have been the object of much interest, but there has been little research on who practices it and what are the advantages. We evaluated the advantages and disadvantages for individuals in a large multinational in Belgium. In this organisation, telework is called ‘mobile work’, and includes not only telework at home but also work done at the client’s office, in satellite offices, TeleCenters, etc. We observe that the technical possibility to do telework and gender are significantly related to the practice of mobile work, while age is not, contrarily to expectations. Also, while women are often associated with telework, it is men who are relatively more numerous in mobile work. They mention advantages such as less interference by colleagues, a gain in flexibility, personal and professional development, fewer trips and reduced time loss, better organisation of working hours and opportunities for a better allocation of time.

IT self-employed workers between constraint and flexibility

This research focuses on the degree of work autonomy which IT self-employed workers enjoy. It relies on quantitative and qualitative data. We found that strategic autonomy (ability to choose ones work objectives) is linked to individual characteristics: education and expertise, whereas operational autonomy (ability to choose the adequate methods) is correlated to contextual factors such as the type of clients and the kind of contracts.

Policies for Creative Clusters: A Comparison between the Video Game Industries in Melbourne and Montreal

Abstract This paper analyses whether the video game industries in the main video game hubs in Australia and Canada have the attributes of creative clusters. Three components are analysed: (1) The significance of cross-fertilization with other creative fields in the emergence and growth of the cluster; (2) The benefits of clustering; (3) The role of policies in the maturation of those clusters. The case studies included are the most notable video game clusters in Canada and Australia: Montreal and Melbourne. The research methods applied are semi-directed interviews with policy advisors and game developers in each context. As an outcome of this research, its findings reveal that the video game industry in Melbourne cannot yet be qualified as a creative cluster but is rather still very much embedded in a technology culture. In Montreal, the cluster is more mature and presents the attributes of a creative cluster, as there are interrelations between the various actors of the cluster, and with other creative activities. In both contexts the impact of policies on the maturation of the cluster is limited; rather, attaining a critical mass of video game companies is necessary for cross-fertilization to occur.