The notion of " agency "  is increasingly present in sociology and philosophy, particularly those devoted to gender issues and empowerment issues. But what exactly is agency ? Why is the notion debated ? To what extent can it be useful in companies ? Let's take a closer look at the concept!

 

 

 

To act or " to be acted " ?

The notion of agency appeared in the 1990s, notably under the pen of the philosopher Judith Butler, as a counterpoint to structuralist approaches to gender issues.

 

In the structuralist approach, women and men belong to distinct sociogroups because of what society considers to be feminine and masculine. Thus, even if in the sociogroup of women, not all have the same condition, the same experience, the same culture or the same problems, they have in common that they are women in the eyes of society. They are " acted ", whether they like it or not, by gender stereotypes, by sexism, by the patriarchal order. These are all codes with which each woman (as an individual) can play, negotiate and develop her identity palette by positioning herself in a more or less compliant way with what is imposed on all women. But none of them has the power to change something about the "structure" in isolation. What a woman constructs that is singular for herself has no influence on the "feminine" or on the social order that organizes the relations between the "feminine" and the "masculine."

 

 

Judith Butler questions this approach through her work on " gender disorder". For her, the category of " women " does not resist intersectionality : social class, age, culture, sexual orientation or other identity markers intersect and their multiple conjugations result in diversified conditions.

 

In addition, Butler is interested in the effects of gender subversions on society. When individuals assigned to women (or individuals assigned to men) do not recognize themselves in the " female " group (or in the " male " group), do not perform well and do not position themselves in relation to these categories either, this disturbs the gender markers for everyone. In other words, when individuals are " acting " and no longer " acting ", they can exert a real power of transformation on society : they can not only propose new categories (in terms of gender : breaking the female/male binary to bring about non-binary or queerness...) but also contest the very principle of categorization.

 

 

 

Acting on oneself, on others, on one's environment

Agency consists of acting intentionally on three levels : on oneself, on others, on one's environment.

 

• About oneself: making conscious decisions about one's identity, one's future, one's place in the world, one's personality... It means questioning what we are by distinguishing between the part of what is imposed on us (from which we can decide to detach ourselves or that we can reappropriate) and the part of what we choose independently of heritage, social expectations, feelings of obligation (to please, not to disturb, because it is easier, because it seems that we can't do otherwise...). It refers to authenticity and autonomy.

• On others: acting on oneself induces transformations in the relationship.

" Choosing oneself" also means having others respect one's identity, one's " being oneself " and one's " project to become ". In concrete terms, this means that if I identify as non-binary, I have the right to ask others not to consider me according to their own assessment of my identity but as a person whose gender is not reducible to the distinction between female and masculine. Another example : when I decide to set limits and say "say no " (to an excessive workload, to behaviors that don't suit me, etc.), I have the right to be heard and respected in this intention, even if it clashes with the other person's vision (of work, acceptable behaviors, etc.). This action on the relationship leads others to distance themselves from their own categorical shackles and to consider their relativity.

• On one's environment: acting on oneself and on one's relationship produces effects on the environment in that it subverts the norm, legitimately giving rise to " other possibilities ". This is what we will observe, for example, in empowerment projects that have enabled communities to solve their own problems and from which we draw inspiration to respond to global issues. We can mention the Chipko movement of management of an Indian forest by women fighting against the appropriation of local land by industrialists, which is today not only considered as the birth certificate of ecofeminism but also as an emblematic example of collective self-management effectively responding to environmental challenges.

 

 

 

Agency to rethink leadership  

The notion of agency, initially forged to think about the power to act of discriminated populations deprived of room for manoeuvre, is interesting to explore in order to rethink leadership in companies. To build one's own leadership, must one first and foremost be fully aware of one's ability and willingness to act ? Can we do without an empowerment path that includes a whole work of deconstructing the relationship to the norm in order to access positions of responsibility ? How can we counter the resistance of the environment to the expression of a subversive " being oneself "? How can we affirm our " being " while respecting that of others and also organizing a coherent collective ? These are all questions, among others, that the notion of agency puts on the agenda for reflections and debates on the place of each other at work today and tomorrow.