Jean-Alain Heraud – författare

This book is a general presentation of complex systems, examined from the point of view of management. There is no standard formula to govern such systems, nor to effectively understand and respond to them. The interdisciplinary theory of self-organization is teeming with examples of living systems that can reorganize at a higher level of complexity when confronted with an external challenge of a certain magnitude. Modern businesses, considered as complex systems, ideally know how to flexibly and resiliently adapt to their environment, and also how to prepare for change via self-organization. Understanding sources of potential crisis is essential for leaders, though not all crises are necessarily bad news, as creative firms know how to respond to challenges through innovation: new products and markets, organizational learning for collective intelligence, and more.

This book is a general presentation of complex systems, examined from the point of view of management. There is no standard formula to govern such systems, nor to effectively understand and respond to them. The interdisciplinary theory of self-organization is teeming with examples of living systems that can reorganize at a higher level of complexity when confronted with an external challenge of a certain magnitude. Modern businesses, considered as complex systems, ideally know how to flexibly and resiliently adapt to their environment, and also how to prepare for change via self-organization. Understanding sources of potential crisis is essential for leaders, though not all crises are necessarily bad news, as creative firms know how to respond to challenges through innovation: new products and markets, organizational learning for collective intelligence, and more.

Le système de recherche et d’innovation constitue un élément central de notre société moderne fondée sur la connaissance. Or, avec la numérisation de l’économie et la globalisation de la recherche comme des échanges, son contexte est en train de changer radicalement. Au vu des grands enjeux sociétaux tels que le changement climatique, les crises sanitaires ou les défis démocratiques, la science doit être requestionnée pour nous aider à construire un monde plus résilient et plus juste. La problématique est celle de l’organisation de la recherche.

En se référant aux fondements de l’économie et en prenant un recul historique, ce livre décrit les liens entre recherche, innovation et transformations sociétales de grande ampleur. Il considère de manière systémique le triptyque État-Université-Entreprise et suggère de reconfigurer tant les politiques publiques que les stratégies de recherche et d’innovation en entreprise, pour accorder davantage de place à la concertation stratégique entre acteurs, à tous les niveaux (Europe, États-membres, territoires). Une des questions centrales du livre a trait à la valorisation de la recherche, en évaluant ses impacts économique, mais aussi sociétal, environnemental, culturel et éthique.

De nombreux exemples, empruntés aux cas allemand et français, illustrent le propos en montrant l’évolution de leur système de recherche dans un contexte historique et culturel différent. Si les deux pays partagent beaucoup d’enjeux propres à notre époque, leur manière de répondre aux défis n’est pas exactement la même. La comparaison peut être fertile.

Due to their environmental and efficiency characteristics fuel cells are promising technological solutions for many energy related applications (stationary power generation, vehicle propulsion, portable equipment). This book describes the economic dynamics of fuel cells by analyzing their diffusion perspectives as well as the strategic and organisational arrangements designed to promote their development. The costs, risks and economic stakes of fuel cell technologies require both a sustained involvement from public entities and the setting up of innovation networks with a large variety of heterogeneous actors. This context corresponds to a new space for technological competition located at the intersection between firms, networks and national/regional systems of innovation. The book presents a comprehensive analysis of this cooperation/competition phenomenon through different theoretical and empirical investigations.