Concertation or Negotiation? Distinguishing the Two in Order to Facilitate Decision-Making in the Context of Rehabilitation at Work
In the work rehabilitation context, stakeholders’ concerted action (“concertation”) is seen as key to return to work success. Yet, a theoretical debate is still surrounding the concept of “concertation”, which can be defined in a manner similar to negotiation. Moreover, no study has so far aimed at exploring multiple stakeholders’ collective decision-making processes based on their exchanges during a work rehabilitation program. This article puts forward operational definitions distinguishing “concertation” from negotiation and then tests these definitions in a work rehabilitation context. Definitions of “concerted action”, “concertation” and “negotiation” were first compared, which has resulted in the development of definitions that distinguish the last two concepts by the presence of conflict(s) and stakeholder relationships (cooperation/collaboration), among other things. The proposed definitions are then tested empirically using data from a multiple case study (N=6) that aimed at exploring stakeholders’ decision-making during a work rehabilitation program. This study supports the need to understand concertation and negotiation as types of decision-making processes that are complex and dynamic. It also supports the possibility of using the proposed definitions to distinguish concertation and negotiation in a work rehabilitation context. Their use could lead to significant benefits regarding the practices adopted in work rehabilitation contexts. Indeed, anticipating the type of decision-making could help to better target strategies in order to facilitate the achievement of decisions favourable to a sustained and healthy return to work for disabled workers. However, more studies are needed to better understand collective decision-making processes (including concertation and negotiation) in a work rehabilitation context, and their possible link to the success or failure of return to work.