2024-11-07 08:41:00
With the Qualiopi certification system, the organization of professional training has entered a mode of monitoring and evaluation which risks compromising its creativity, denounces psychologist Jean Cassanas. He points out how, in the professions of psychological care, “teaching” the therapeutic relationship requires the inventiveness and commitment of trainers/clinicians. Will the originality of the training survive this “normative” drift? An article to download for free.
In her book on the Eichmann trial (1), Hanna Arendt discusses how this bureaucrat, who was not particularly anti-Semitic, was able to implement logistical and accounting rhetoric which, once adopted, distanced him from all conscience of the terrible consequences of his action. She specifies that it is the characteristic of totalitarian systems that they do not need bloodthirsty men to produce the worst…
I will start from the hypothesis that the evolution of our societies increasingly integrates this risk when they develop multiple systems of control of the individuals who compose it. The starting point of my reasoning concerns the way in which Western states have, under the pretext of “modernization”, chosen to use since the end of the 1990s, new methods of public management described by certain sociologists as “gentle barbarism” (2). What is it about?
The new public management
This new public management has had the effect of significantly increasing the psychological pressure on everyone in a work situation. It first developed in private companies then public companies and finally for 10 years in the non-profit sector such as hospitals, administrations, local authorities, educational or social institutions. We can now measure the consequences on mental health at work: depression, feelings of harassment, hyperactivity, professional burnout, suicide attempts in the workplace, etc. The vocabulary underlying the use of these methods by senior executives of all these institutions are always the same: operational project, visibility, management, audit, employability, responsibility, skills assessment, contract. As Jean-Pierre Legoff says: “External constraint (for those who work) is replaced by an attempt to internalize constraints and standards (…) Each employee is placed before a contradictory, deeply destabilizing situation: they are required to be autonomous but must comply to strict performance standards; he is supposed to decide in complete autonomy at the same time as he is made to know that he has little choice” (3).
Thus, the SKILLS become standards presented as goals that the subject must achieve if he wants to adapt to developments and keep his job. We will therefore not be surprised to find that: “with reference to cognitive sciences, intelligence is considered as an information processing mechanism whose operation and improvement are the business of specialists” (4). In this dehumanized world, “evaluating consists of measuring the gap in relation to the objective using a certain number of indicators which make it possible to quantify the degree of performance achieved” (5).
• To read more: Know-how or interpersonal skills?Jean Cassanas, psychologist
1 – Hanna ARENDT (1953): Eichmann in Jerusalem. Report on the banality of evil, Folio history.
2 – Jean Pierre LE GOFF (2003): Gentle barbarism. The blind modernization of businesses and schools, Ed. discovery.
3 – Ibid p 22
4 – Ibid p 34
5 – Ibid p 35
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#Knowhow #interpersonal #skills #Mental #Health
**Interview with Jean Cassanas on the Impact of Qualiopi Certification in Training**
**Interviewer:** Good morning, Dr. Cassanas. Thank you for joining us today to discuss the implications of the Qualiopi certification. You’ve expressed concerns about how this certification might affect creativity in training programs, particularly in the field of psychological care. Can you elaborate on that?
**Jean Cassanas:** Good morning. Yes, I believe that the introduction of the Qualiopi certification has created a framework that prioritizes standardization and compliance over the essential human elements of training. In psychological care, the therapeutic relationship is deeply personal and requires a level of creativity and adaptability that can be stifled by rigid normative structures.
**Interviewer:** You mentioned a “normative drift.” Can you explain what you mean by that?
**Jean Cassanas:** Certainly. By “normative drift,” I refer to the risk that training providers may increasingly conform to prescribed standards and metrics as dictated by the certification process. This can lead to a loss of innovative approaches and the ability to tailor training to the unique needs of individuals. When everything becomes a checkbox, we risk losing the very essence of what it means to engage empathetically in a therapeutic context.
**Interviewer:** You drew parallels to historical bureaucratic systems and their dehumanizing effects. How does that connect to today’s training environment?
**Jean Cassanas:** In my studies, particularly from texts like those of Hannah Arendt, it’s clear that bureaucratic systems can diminish our moral agency. Similarly, in today’s context, the structure of Qualiopi and similar certifications, while well-intentioned, may lead to a situation where trainers—like bureaucrats—perform their roles without fully considering the nuanced human interactions involved. This detachment can lead to training that is effective on paper but lacks real-world applicability.
**Interviewer:** Given these concerns, what do you propose as a solution to maintain creativity in training?
**Jean Cassanas:** We need to advocate for a balance between accountability and creativity in training programs. Training organizations should have the flexibility to design their curriculums in ways that foster innovation while still meeting necessary standards. It’s crucial to engage with trainers and practitioners in dialogue to ensure that the certification process supports rather than restricts their work.
**Interviewer:** Thank you, Dr. Cassanas. Your insights shed light on the delicate balance between maintaining standards and encouraging innovation in training and therapeutic practices. We appreciate your time today.
**Jean Cassanas:** Thank you for having me. It’s vital that we continue this conversation.
