L’objectif de cette étude consiste à étudier et à comparer le développement du capital humain des PME ayant implanté des systèmes ERP open source et celles ayant implanté des systèmes ERP propriétaires/commerciaux, durant les phases d’implantation et de post-implantation. Pour ce faire, nous avons effectué une étude de terrain dans 10 PME réparties, en fonction de leur stratégie logicielle, en deux groupes : un groupe de cinq PME avec des ERP open source et un groupe de cinq PME avec des ERP propriétaires. Les résultats de cette étude indiquent qu’il n’y a pas de différence entre ces deux groupes de PME en ce qui concerne le développement de leur capital humain (c’est-à-dire du capital humain interne et du capital humain externe accessible), durant les phases d’implantation et de post-implantation. Les résultats de cette recherche trouvent que les PME avec des ERP open source n’ont pas de relations directes avec les communautés des ERP open source, ce qui constitue un déficit structurel au niveau de leur réseau de relations. De plus, cette recherche trouve que les PME avec des ERP open source ne s’appuient pas sur les communautés des systèmes ERP open source pour développer leur capital humain interne parce que, comme les PME avec des ERP propriétaires, elles n’ont pas assez de ressources TI (ou de personnel) au niveau de leurs départements informatiques. / Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in industrialized countries’ economy. Due to increasing internal and external pressure, SMEs need to adopt integrated information systems such as ERP systems, like the big enterprises. The rapid expansion of ERP systems’ adoption by SMEs is due to two phenomena: 1 - the advent of lighter versions of commercial ERP systems and 2 - the rise of open source ERP systems. Managers of SMEs, wanting to adopt an ERP system, are facing two software strategies: the software strategy directed towards the open source ERP systems and the software strategy directed towards the commercial/proprietary ERP systems. The ERP systems are information systems extremely complex and difficult to set up, because they incorporate and integrate several functional domains under a single technological platform. The establishment and evolution of an ERP system require a large amount of knowledge and of diversified expertise. This knowledge and expertise constitute human capital. According to the literature, human capital is a strategic organizational resource and a source of competitive advantage. In this study, we defined human capital as the sum of the human capital acquired or developed internally (i.e., the knowledge and expertise developed in-house) and of the available external human capital (i.e., accessible knowledge and external expertise). The literature supports that open source communities offer several opportunities of learning (acquisition and development of knowledge and skills) and of human capital development to their members. Thus, in the current economic context, where all companies are looking for a competitive advantage, which software strategy (open source ERP or commercial / proprietary ERP) is more advantageous to SMEs, regarding the development of human capital during the implementation and post-implementation phases? The objective of this research is to study and compare the human capital development of SMEs in the context of an open source ERP project versus a commercial/proprietary ERP project, during the implementation and post-implementation phases. The empirical study was conducted with 10 SMEs divided into two groups: a group of five SMEs with open source ERP systems and a group of five SMEs with commercial ERP systems. The results of the present thesis show that there is no difference between these two groups of SMEs regarding the development of their human capital (internal and external), during the phases of implementation and post-implementation. With regard to the human capital developed in-house, during the implementation and post-implementation phases, the results of this research show that SMEs, regardless of their adopted software strategy (open source ERP system or commercial/proprietary ERP system), develop more business human capital than technical human capital. This poor development of in-house technical human capital in SMEs having adopted an open source ERP and those having adopted a commercial ERP results from the lack of IT personnel at their IT departments. This research has identified several factors (technological, organizational and environmental) that may impact on the development of the internal human capital of SMEs. This study finds that the technical absorption capacity of the SMEs, irrespective of their software strategy (ERP open source and proprietary), is lower than their business absorption capacity due to the lack of IT personnel of SMEs. Regarding the available external human capital, this research finds that there is no difference between SMEs with an open source ERP and SMEs with a proprietary ERP, during the implementation and post-implementation phases. SMEs, regardless of their software strategy (ERP open source and proprietary), have the same structures of social ties. This research finds that SMEs with an open source ERP do not have direct relationships with the communities of open source ERP, which constitutes, according to the literature on the development of human capital (Coleman, 1988), a structural deficit. This explains why the available external human capital of SMEs with an open source ERP is similar to that of SMEs with a proprietary ERP. The results of this research show that SMEs, irrespective of their software strategy (ERP open source and proprietary), continue to use the external human capital of their partner-integrator to manage the evolution of their ERP systems, during the post-implantation phase.

Cette étude porte sur les préoccupations de techniciens en milieu scolaire dans le cadre de l'intégration d'un nouveau système d'exploitation. Elle vise les objectifs suivants : 1) recenser les préoccupations des destinataires d'un changement dans le cadre du passage au système d'exploitation GNU/Linux et 2) savoir en quoi, selon eux, ces préoccupations risquent d’affecter leur façon de travailler avec un nouveau système d'exploitation. Quatre techniciens vivant un projet d'expérimentation visant à implanter le système d'exploitation GNU/Linux dans une commission scolaire furent interviewés. Les entrevues visant particulièrement à faire ressortir les craintes, les peurs, les préoccupations et les comportements de « non-changement ». Les résultats de l'étude ont démontrés que les techniciens vivant le projet d'expérimentation vivaient des préoccupations dans 3 phases de préoccupations sur une échelle de sept, soit les préoccupations centrées sur le destinataire, l'organisation et l'expérimentation. Malgré de nombreuses préoccupations les techniciens disent qu’ils sont prêts à aller de l'avant avec GNU/Linux à condition de respecter certaines règles, notamment en ce qui a trait au type d'installation du système d'exploitation GNU/Linux. / This study delineates the concerns of computer technicians pertaining to the integration of a new operating system (GNU/Linux). The study has the following aims: 1) to quantify and qualify the technicians concerns ; and 2) to examine whether or how these concerns might affect the ways in which recipients work within a new operating system. Four technicians undergoing an integration of the GNU/Linux operating system were interviewed. Interview questions focused technicians fears and concerns about the operating system as well as any elements that may – or may not – lead techniciens to not effectuate a system change. The results of the study show that the technicians had concerns in 3 particular phases (out of a potential scale of seven phases). Their concerns primarily revolved around the recipient, the organization and the experimentation itself. The study also shows that even if notable concerns are present, the technicians are still willing to implement the GNU/Linux operating system. Appeals to certain rules and what type of installation ought to occur (with respect to GNU/Linux) figured prominently.