Membership Category
- Regular
Institution
- Polytechnique Montréal
Discipline(s)
- Business Administration
- Management
Expertises
- Management of Organizational, Technological, Environmental, and Behavioral Changes
- Arts and Socio-Ecological Transition
- Environmentally Responsible Behaviors
- Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility
- Environmental Psychology
- Éco-anxiété et émotions
Biography
Virginie Francoeur is a professor of organizational change in the Department of Mathematics and Industrial Engineering at Polytechnique Montréal. She holds a Ph.D. in management (Laval University), a master’s degree in organizational development, and a bachelor’s degree in management (HEC Montréal). To further her knowledge of occupational psychology, she completed a doctoral internship at the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Valencia in Spain.
At Polytechnique, her mission is to train engineers in change management. Her recent research focuses on eco-responsible behaviors in the construction industry (Pomerleau), zero waste in the food sector (Équiterre), transforming waste into works of art (Biosphère), and technological change in the cultural sector (Culture Saguenay). To accelerate the socio-ecological transition, she published the book Eco-Responsible Behaviors in the Workplace with Presses de l’Université Laval in 2024. Thanks to her pedagogical innovations, she has won seven awards for excellence in teaching.
A fellow of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, she has published seven books in Canada and internationally (essays, poetry, and novels), co-directed a feature-length documentary film (nominated for a Gémeaux Award), and curated exhibitions. In 2023, she received the Women of Merit Award from the Y Women’s Foundation of Montreal in recognition of her positive impact on academia and society. Virginie Francoeur hopes to continue undertaking projects that inspire action to (re)place people and the environment at the heart of science and the arts.
Affiliated research axes
Change and Transition Management
Planning Optimization
Resource and Product Maximization
Policy levers
Projects funded by the RRECQ
Results of a Canada-wide study on zero waste transformed into art and impacts on environmentally responsible behaviours
Description
In Canada in 2016, only 9% of plastic was recycled, with packaging accounting for 47% of all plastic waste. There are several reasons why, including the operational limitations of facilities and recycling that requires selective separation and uncontaminated containers. In an effort to address the issue, the project aims to lead a pan-Canadian study on the levers of change for a transition to a zero-waste product offering.
The project’s innovation lies in its knowledge mobilization method, which raises awareness through art. Ten artists (writers, musicians, painters, etc.) will analyze the qualitative and quantitative data from the research and provide their interpretations in plain language. This co-creation approach cannot be categorized, since the results extend beyond standard environmental science theories. It is inspired by assumptions in art-based methodologies, sociological art and ecological art involving social interventions that actively engage communities.
The works will be presented in public spaces to provide avenues for understanding and discussion on ecology for audiences who are less familiar with the scientific and artistic communities.
Themes
- Behavior
- Change management
- Research-creation
- Zero waste
