Experimental approach and managerial engineering

This is also an engineering research project, as represented by topic 2. It aims to design and experiment with techniques, methods, tools and models for management. Three key areas of contributions can be identified, linked to (1) sustainable development and social innovation, (2) industrial performance and information systems security, and (3) managing innovation.

(1) Innovation in management serving sustainable development and social innovation

Our work over the last 4 years has led to a broader focus on societal issues. Over the next 4 years, this broader perspective will be reflected in research on the role of management innovation in the processes underpinning sustainable transformations in society. Several areas of engineering research will structure this topic:

• The development of socio-environmental accounting approaches to respond to the challenge facing all companies of evaluating their impact on the environment (also constituting a communication tool);
• Logistical planning techniques and tools (and especially business models and methods of cooperation) for short distribution circuits, the circular economy and the social and solidarity economy;
• Persuasion and nudging techniques with a view to influencing consumption behaviours so that the challenges of sustainable development and solidarity can be better accounted for.

(2) Industrial and logistical performance and the security of information and knowledge systems

Another part of this programme comprises activities of a conceptual nature and/or with experimental objectives. These relate to:

• The design and simulation of and/or experimentation with new industrial planning methods (based on MRP for example) and the design of planning methods specifically for the logistics of short distribution circuits;
• The design of and experimentation with systems and methods for the development of integrative forms of management;
• The development of frameworks and methodologies for the security of information systems in organisations.

(3) Ecosystems of innovation management, third places and ways to stimulate creative and entrepreneurial dynamics
Innovation management remains one of the team’s core topics. In this area, several research focuses give structure to the different projects. Traditional organisations have been partly deprived of some of the creative processes indispensable for innovation. Much of their ability to innovate rests on their capacity for interactions in many different forms – and with a greater or lesser degree of formality – with third-party stakeholders in innovation. We explore these capacities in several ways:

• by focusing our analysis on the ecosystem of innovation rather than an organisation (for example relationships between start-ups and major groups), with a broader vision of innovation management (impact on society);
• by focusing on the specific building blocks within this ecosystem (fab labs, innovation communities, etc.);
• by incorporating entrepreneurial dynamics (innovative projects) into our analysis, as well as the factors that can facilitate such dynamics.

The exploration of methods and techniques to make creativity more dynamic continues to be an objective for the team: their ability to access a large number of areas in which these methods and techniques can be deployed and combined with other methods is one of their strengths. The team will be looking at areas where creativity techniques are deployed in scenarios with extended participation (with a large number of actors and/or through digital interaction networks).

Levers and means of action

This programme will include several collaborative research initiatives. An ANR-type project on managing information systems security is also currently being submitted, and we hope to use Dauphine’s experimental laboratory to put in place collaborative initiatives with other DRM researchers.

Key projects and events to come	Researchers involved
ECMI project (behavioural economics for innovation management)	Emilie Canet, Béatrice Parguel and external DRM researchers
New methods for planning and overseeing industrial flows: demand-driven MRP (DDMRP)	Doudja Kabèche, Mustapha Sali
Managing the security of knowledge and information systems, hybridisation with quality management methods (ANR UserAck project)	Pierre-Emmanuel Arduin, Doudja Kabèche, Mustapha Sali and external DRM researchers
Impact of science fiction novels on innovation management in the case of nanotechnologies	Claire Auplat, Sébastien Damart
Influence of digital tools (collaborative consumption/gaming/commitment platforms) in transforming practices from the perspective of sustainable development, with a focus on waste (ADEME project)	Béatrice Parguel, DRM researchers and external DRM researchers
Expanding accounting practices for corporate carbon responsibility (ADEME project)	Alexandre Rambaud and external DRM researchers
Associated doctoral research:
Strategies for generalising agile methods in organisations, Akim Berkani (under the supervision of Sébastien Tran) The role of information systems in implementing piloting systems for extended enterprises, Ouiame Laaroussi (under the supervision of Sébastien Tran) Restoration of innovation capabilities through the emergence of corporate fab labs, Matthew Fuller (under the supervision of Albert David) Stimulating initiatives for innovation and change among key decision-makers with a view to favouring the development of innovative start-ups. A proposed theoretical framework and vision of alternative approaches, Antoine Thuillier (under the supervision of Albert David)