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International audience; Meta-organizations (MO) are a specific form of organization that has significantly developed over the past decades (Ahrne & Brunsson, 2005, Berkowitz & Dumez, 2016). Decision-making processes within MO are one of the key points of their sustainability. Decision-making processes are increasingly being studied in the field of MO as they provide a better understanding of the nature of decisions taken and of the different participative arrangements emerging within MO (Berkowitz, Crowder & Brooks, 2020, Bor, 2014). Although MOs are studied within many areas, little work has been undertaken in the cultural sector. At the same time, the networking of these actors within a MO represents important support (Lorenzen, 2018). In a context of declining and scarcity of public funds, these associative structures tend to gather within MO. Understanding how this type of MO works is essential for the heads of associations in the cultural field. In this vein, UNESCO highlights that the cultural sector has been receiving an increasing interest thanks to its contribution to economic growth (3% global contribution to the world's GDP). Therefore, it is a highly growing market and a transformative one through income generation and job creation. In France, the cultural sector represents 47 billion euros (2.3% of the national GDP) and 2.5% of the total employment (671 580 employees) (French Ministry of Culture).Most papers about decision-making processes in MO points to the slowness of decision-making processes and, above all, to the difficulties of overcoming the phenomenon of inertia (Ahrne & Brunsson, 2005). When decisions are successful, they are leveled from the bottom to allow all participants to find their way into their decisions. These decisions lead to the elaboration of charters, recommendations, not binding regulations (Garaudel, 2019; Berkowitz et al., 2020). However, it is not yet clear how decision-making processes in MO are structured over time. For this purpose, we need to understand decision-making processes not as one unique process but as multiple processes that succeed one another. We raise the following research question : how are decision-making processes structured over time, and what are their characteristics during the MO lifecycle?Our results illustrate how the MO called "Collectif de Festivals" (an association created in 2005 gathering 27 cultural festivals in the region of Brittany in France) was shaped over the first years of its creation by highlighting two decision-making processes and their specificities. The first process observed led members to discuss and validate the shared values of their future charter, consisting of sustainable development principles in festivals. The second process brought members to consolidate the decisions taken during the previous phase and create an association.Our contribution is to show that the overall gradual decision-making process is made of a succession of decisions over time that allowed the MO to organize. In addition, key factors for success in decision-making processes are not the same throughout the history of the MO. This research also shows the extent to which decision-making processes are interlocking and dependent. These results can contribute to the formalization of managerial processes/recommendations and good practices within the cultural sector organizations represented by festival associations.

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International audience

La mise en œuvre des poles de competitivite, des 2006, fait partie d’une politique gouvernementale de soutien aux entreprises et aux territoires visant a mieux positionner la France dans la competition economique internationale. L’objectif est de renforcer le tissu industriel de certaines regions par une forte injection d’investissements publics dans des projets lies a l’innovation et a l’internationalisation des entreprises. Ce texte traite des effets de l’installation du pole de competitivite ‘Arve Industries’ et, en particulier, du degre d’implication des PME (Petites et moyennes entreprises) locales dans cette demarche collective d’innovation. Du point de vue theorique, nous avons fait appel, d’une part, aux approches sur l’economie territoriale car la notion de territoire fait partie integrante de la logique des poles de competitivite et, d’autre part, aux etudes portant sur la dynamique de production et transfert des connaissances dans les reseaux territorialises. Dans ces deux approches, la proximite est presentee comme un facteur important a la base des rapports de cooperation entre les acteurs concernes (entreprises, laboratoires et universites) dans le domaine technologique. Et ce, car l’innovation mobilise des connaissances tacites, peu formalisees, dont la circulation repose fortement sur une composante relationnelle presente dans un milieu territorial. Du point de vue empirique, ce travail est base sur une enquete de terrain menee a partir d’entretiens semi-directifs avec 22 patrons de PME et 6 organisations d’appui a l’industrie locale. L’objectif principal etait d’apprecier le point de vue des PME sur le fonctionnement du pole et leur participation aux projets proposes. Nous avons ainsi observe que le milieu du petit patronat local est partage. Interroges a propos de leurs rapports avec cette organisation, il y a ceux qui ne voient que des avantages a les entretenir et d’autres qui se montrent plutot reticents a s’y integrer en soulignant les desavantages d’une telle demarche. De facon generale, les effets du pole sur la dynamique locale de partenariat sont encore assez modestes pour une serie de raisons : le fait d’etre une initiative recente dont la strategie n’est pas encore adaptee aux specificites des PME. Il faut aussi tenir compte du caractere individualiste du petit entrepreneur peu enclin a une demarche collaborative avec des partenaires potentiels. En somme, le transfert de connaissances techniques explicites, caracteristique importante d’un milieu innovateur, n’est pas une pratique repandue dans les PME enquetees. Et pourtant, le pole represente un soutien important pour leur adaptation aux nouvelles contraintes de la mondialisation en leur fournissant les moyens d’evoluer vers les technologies d’avenir, ce qui, dans le cas particulier de la Vallee de l’Arve, concerne le passage du micro decolletage vers la mecatronique. Enfin, l’objectif de cette recherche est de contribuer a l’accompagnement de l’action des poles de competitivite en France et surtout aux reflexions sur la place des PME dans des dynamiques locales d’innovation.

A implementacao de polos de competitividade, desde 2006, faz parte de uma politica governamental para apoiar as empresas e territorios no intuito de melhor posicionar a Franca na competicao economica internacional. O objetivo e fortalecer a base industrial em algumas regioes por uma importante injecao de investimentos publicos em projetos relacionados a inovacao e a internacionalizacao das empresas. Este texto trata dos efeitos da instalacao do polo de competitividade “Arve-Industries” e, em particular, do grau de envolvimento das PME (pequenas e medias empresas)locais na abordagem coletiva para a inovacao. Do ponto de vista teorico, utilizamos, por um lado, a abordagem da economia territorial, uma vez que a nocao de territorio e parte integrante da logica dos polos de competitividade, e, por outro, adotamos os estudos relativos a dinâmica de producao e transferencia de conhecimentos nas redes territorializadas. Em ambas as abordagens, a proximidade e apresentada como um fator importante subjacente as relacoes de cooperacao entre as partes interessadas (empresas, laboratorios e universidades) no campo da tecnologia. E isso acontece porque a inovacao mobiliza os conhecimentos tacitos, pouco formalizados, cuja circulacao depende fortemente de uma componente relacional presente em um ambiente territorial. Do ponto de vista empirico, este trabalho e baseado em uma pesquisa de campo realizada por meio de entrevistas semidirigidas com 22 gestores de PME e 6 gestores de organizacoes de apoio a industria local. O principal objetivo foi o de avaliar os pontos de vista das PME sobre o funcionamento do polo e sua participacao nos projetos propostos. Observamos, assim, que o meio dos pequenos empregadores locais esta dividido. Quando perguntados sobre sua relacao com a organizacao, ha quem veja apenas beneficios em mante-la e outros que se mostram um pouco relutantes em se integrar a ela, destacando as desvantagens de darem esse passo. De modo geral, os efeitos do polo sobre a dinâmica local de parceria sao ainda bastante modestos por uma serie de razoes, entre estas, o fato de ser uma iniciativa recente cuja estrategia ainda nao esta adaptada as especificidades das PME. Deve-se considerar tambem a natureza individualista do pequeno empresario, pouco inclinado a fazer esse caminho em direcao a uma abordagem colaborativa com parceiros potenciais. Em suma, a transferencia de conhecimentos tecnicos explicitos, caracteristica importante de um ambiente inovador, nao e uma pratica generalizada nas PME pesquisadas. No entanto, o polo representa um apoio importante para sua adaptacao as novas exigencias da globalizacao, fornecendo os meios de evoluir para tecnologias futuras, o que, no caso particular do Vale do Arve, diz respeito a transicao da microusinagem para a mecatronica. Finalmente, o objetivo deste trabalho e contribuir para o acompanhamento da acao dos polos de competitividade na Franca e, especialmente, para as discussoes sobre o papel das PME nas dinâmicas locais de inovacao.

Sub-theme 46: The Entanglement of Individual and Collective Identification Session II: Community and Belonging; International audience