Xavier Philippe

Xavier Philippe is Associate Professor of Sociology of Work at EM Normandie (Caen, France) since 2015, after earlier posts at NEOMA and Rouen Business Schools. Holding a 2012 PhD in Management Science & Sociology of Work (co-tutelle ESCP-CNAM, Paris), he explores how managerial tools and symbols become institutionalised through what he terms the "organisational imaginary", drawing on literary, philosophical and ethnographic materials.

Education:

• 2012 – PhD in Human Resources & Sociology of Work, Conservatoire national des arts et métiers (CNAM) & ESCP Business School, Paris

Research focus: Philippe interrogates the ideological work that legitimises devices such as corporate universities, team-building rituals, digital HRM or generational labels. Recent projects mobilise authors like William Morris or Michel Houellebecq to critique disengagement, the "Great Resignation", consumerist employment relations and the contemporary appeal of craft. His empirical sites range from French SMEs and public administrations to equestrian mega-events and suburban drug-dealing gangs, examined through qualitative, processual and critical lenses.

Publication trends: Across 16 peer-reviewed articles (2014-2024) he blends management journals with sociological and psychosociological outlets, progressively shifting from organisational symbolism toward cultural critiques of neoliberal work. Recurrent themes include boredom, liquid modernity, aesthetic work, legitimacy struggles and generational disillusionment.

Scientific recognition:

• Best Paper Award, Academy of Management Annual Meeting 2024 (with co-authors)

Teaching & service: He teaches Organisational Behaviour, Human Resource Management, Research Methodology and Dissertation Methods to graduate students at EM Normandie and is a regular contributor to public debates via The Conversation, Harvard Business Review France, L’Express and professional conferences.