La réforme administrative au gouvernement du Québec: étude du processus de changement sur la culture organisationneIIe

Sommaire: Plusieurs gouvernements ont mis en place des processus de réformes qui se traduisent par un processus de changement visant la modernisation de l'État. Ces processus cornportent une dimension axiologique influencée par la Nouvelle gestion publique. Considérant la réforme comme un phénomène psychosocial et culturel, cet article expose la perception d'acteurs clés vis‐à‐vis des processus de changement qu'implique la modernisation de la fonction publique quebecoise (Loi sur l'administration publique). Cette recherche, basée sur vingt entrevues réalisées auprès de direc‐teurs des ressources humaines de ministères et organismes, démontre que les perceptions de la réforme sont diverses et que l'influence de la politique dans les réformes se situe davantage dans les objectifs que dans le design. En plus de faire ressortir les principales initiatives et quelques obstacles au changement, la recherche illustre que la perception qu'ont les drh sur la nature réelle des changements est variable, et permet de les regrouper sous trois catégories. Enfin, cette recherche présente différents types de cultures témoignant de l'importance d'ajuster les modes d'implémentation pour le succès des réformes. Elle illustre l'importance de soigner la mise en cruvre des réformes plutôt que d'essayer de définir un modèle idéal. Un regard sur l'avenir vient enfin compléter cette étude. Abstract: Many governments have implemented reform processes that lead to modernizing the state. These experiences involve a value dimension influenced by new public management. Stating administrative reform as a cultural and psychosocial phenomenon, this article exposes the perception that key actors have of the change processes entailed by the Quebec public administration's modernization (Loi sur l'administration publique). This research, based on twenty interviews of human resources directors from ministries and public organizations, shows that the perceptions of the reform are diverse and that the political influence of the reforms appears more in the objectives than in the design. In addition to showing the principal facilitating initiatives and a few obstacles to change, the research illustrates that the human resources directors' perception of the changes' actual nature is variable and permits grouping them into three categories. Finally, this research presents different types of cultures, showing the importance of adjusting implementation modes for the reforms' success. It illustrates the importance of taking care of the implementation rather than trying to define an ideal model. A look at the future completes the study.     

Boundaries: The Balkans,the Law,and the Sacred

The recent Balkan Wars are a phenomenon of violence across psychicboundaries, the value-based cosmological Worlds that humans necessarilycreate as the substantive content of consciousness. This violenceresults from the human tendency to consider alien values perceivedacross a psychic boundary as a threat. This violence cannot beeliminated by eliminating these boundaries because these boundariesthemselves cannot be eliminated. Instead, the problem can be addressedonly in terms of establishing public institutions that honor a pluralismof values, thereby attenuating the threat that alien values pose.     

Administrative reform in the federal public service: signs of a saturation psychosis

Abstract. The thesis of this article is that managers in the federal public service have been required, in the past five years, to introduce and administer internal reforms which, in total, are far beyond the capacity of the system to absorb. As a result, managers have had to neglect their primary task of serving the public and are becoming increasingly impatient with the imposition of administrative reforms and the proportion of time required for their introduction and operation. In support of his thesis, the author spells out the consequences, in terms of the diversion of managerial effort, in implementing recommendations of the Glassco Report, collective bargaining, bilingualism and the decision to establish the Treasury Board Secretariat as ‘general manager and employer’ of the public service. The purpose of the article is to generate a debate which would lead to a more careful approach to introducing reforms and might even reverse some of the changes whose results do not warrant the effort required. Sommaire. La thèse de cet article, c'est que les cadres de la fonction publique fédérate ont dû, dans les cinq dernières années, initier et administrer des réformes internes qui, dans leur totalité, dépassent de beaucoup la capacité d'absorption du système. En conséquence, les cadres ont dû négliger leur tâche principale qui est de servir le public et ils tolèrent de moins en moins bien I'imposition de réiormes administratives et la perte du temps consacréà leur mise en vigueur. A l'appui de cette thèse, l'auteur expose les conséquences, du point de vue de la dispersion de l'effort des cadres, de l'application des recommendations du Rapport Glassco, des négotiations collectives, du bilinguisme et de la décision de faire du Secrétariat du Conseil du trésor ←le directeur général et l'employeur→ de la fonction publique. Le but de cet article est de susciter un débat qui aurait pour conséquence de faire aborder les réformes de façon plus prudente et qui pourrait même faire marche arrière lorsque les résultats des changements ne justifient pas l'effort requis.     

Does the three-factor model of psychopathy identify a problematic subgroup of young offenders?

The present study tests the utility of the personality-based three-factor model of psychopathy according to the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version (PCL:SV). This model of psychopathy excludes aspects of criminal behavior as opposed to other models of psychopathy. The main research question was to what extent the three-factor model of psychopathy can identify a problematic subgroup of young offenders. The sample consisted of 148 incarcerated young male criminal offenders, between 15 and 25 years of age (mean=19.07, SD=2.11) who were recruited from a central detention center for young offenders in a northern German county. Model-based cluster analysis of the three psychopathy factors showed that three different clusters labeled: (i) Unemotional/Impulsive-Irresponsible, (ii) Low traits, and (iii) Psychopathic personality, had the best fit to the data. The psychopathic personality cluster with high scores on all three factors of the PCL:SV exhibited, as expected, a significantly higher prevalence of conduct disorder and substance use problems, but was not significantly different from the other clusters on past criminality and previous incarcerations. In conclusion, the results showed that the three-factor model of psychopathy can be useful in identifying a problematic subgroup of young offenders.     

Adult Hirschsprung's disease diagnosed during forensic autopsy

We report a case of fatal Hirschsprung's disease (HD) discovered at autopsy. A 20-year-old man collapsed at home. Emergency medical personnel found him in cardiac arrest and all resuscitative efforts failed. He had a past history of chronic constipation since infancy. Forensic autopsy revealed a megacolon full of gas and stools. Microscopic examination showed absence of ganglion cells in a short segment of the rectum and enterocolitis in the left and transverse colon. HD is rarely described in adults. In many cases, patients complained of constipation since infancy but the affection remained misdiagnosed. The relative good tolerance of the disease is usually due to a short aganglionic bowel segment. Enterocolitis is a frequent and severe complication of HD in children but is rarely described in adults. This case suggests the importance of HD diagnosis in childhood in order to avoid fatal complications with forensic consequences.     

Dissemination of health technology assessments: identifying the visions guiding an evolving policy innovation in Canada

Health technology assessment (HTA) has received increasing support over the past twenty years in both North America and Europe. The justification for this field of policy-oriented research is that evidence about the efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness of technology should contribute to decision and policy making. However, concerns about the ability of HTA producers to increase the use of their findings by decision makers have been expressed. Although HTA practitioners have recognized that dissemination activities need to be intensified, why and how particular approaches should be adopted is still under debate. Using an institutional theory perspective, this article examines HTA as a means of implementing knowledge-based change within health care systems. It presents the results of a case study on the dissemination strategies of six Canadian HTA agencies. Chief executive officers and executives (n = 11), evaluators (n = 19), and communications staff (n = 10) from these agencies were interviewed. Our results indicate that the target audience of HTA is frequently limited to policy makers, that three conflicting visions of HTA dissemination coexist, that active dissemination strategies have only occasionally been applied, and that little attention has been paid to the management of diverging views about the value of health technology. Our discussion explores the strengths, limitations, and trade-offs associated with the three visions. Further efforts should be deployed within agencies to better articulate a shared vision and to devise dissemination strategies that are consistent with this vision.