Abstract

Reflections on the genesis and developments of the theory of social regulation are intertwined with personal memories of meetings and exchanges of points of view with Jean-Daniel Reynaud. The criticism of the functionalist vision of the organization and regulation of human action stands out. The original characteristics of the sociology of work and their influence on the birth of French ergonomics, the evolutions of the study of work and its changes, the affinities between the theory of social regulation and the theory of organizational action are evoked. Historical reconstructions highlight issues that are still current.