NEWCOMERS ONBOARDING: AN HR TOOL THAT COPE WITH OBSOLESCENCE OF COMPETENCES? THINGS LEARNED FROM SNCF RÉSEAU

Abstract

This article shows how onboarding of newcomers helps to cope with obsolescence of competences. While the literature focuses primarily on competences development, our article analyzes the factors that produce their obsolescence and ways to cope with them. The case study of an establishment of the SNCF Group allows us to identify the competences that have become obsolete and the organizational and HR factors that produced this dynamic. Our data also show that onboarding of newcomers allows to consider newcomers as the actors of a new organizational strategy that legitimizes them as a knowledge dissemination agents. Our results also show that the diversity of profiles (ages, experiences, personality traits, etc.) is a crucial factor for the renewal of competences because it allows the development of a “learning agility” promoting co-commitment and co-responsibility. Our article enriches the literature by identifying onboarding as a new strategic HR lever to cope with competences’ obsolescence.