Jean-Pierre Bouchez has had two lives: the first in HR (VP HR at Thalès and Nielsen, then as a consultant and lecturer today); the second as a researcher (Université Paris-Saclay). He is the author of several books, including Les nouvelles pratiques collaboratives and L'économie du savoir. He looks back at the key success factors for innovative businesses.
Jean-Pierre Bouchez
You will soon be publishing a new book on collaborative innovation. What are the conditions required for this type of innovation to work?
There are several interlocking and articulated scales in terms of collaborative innovation ecosystems. At the macro level, there are geographical areas such as clusters; at the meso level, there are the innovative ecosystems of large companies through their links with their stakeholders; and at the micro level, there are the internal spaces of companies practising collaborative innovation. _NWOW _(New Ways Of Working) It is by combining these three dimensions, cooperation and competition, that we create a favourable environment for collaborative innovation.
Why is it vital to bring together knowledge-based businesses in a region, a town or even a district?
Since the seminal work of the economist Alfred Marshall over a century ago, it has been established that the concentration of players, particularly knowledge-intensive players, within agglomerations generates interaction and emulation. This contributes to the creation of new knowledge and the development of innovation. The Silicon Valley cluster is an emblematic example of this environment effect. But there are many other examples around the world: New York's Silicon Alley, Boston's Route 128, France's Euratechnologies digital cluster, and so on.
Can we apply the same premise (the importance of geographical location) to a company and its offices?
This is what NWOW work environments are all about: creating the conditions to encourage collaborative, cross-functional working. Enlightened companies are creating miniature clusters on their own scale, with new spaces that are open, collaborative and innovative. This is the case, for example, of Société Générale's new Dunes technology parkwith its different neighbourhoods. It embodies the Group's digital transformation within a digital space based on open and collaborative working methods.
Enlightened companies are creating miniature clusters on their own scale, with new open, collaborative and innovative spaces.
What transformations do you think digital technology has brought about in collaborative practices?
The use of digital media has undoubtedly helped to increase autonomy and the use of collaborative practices. But this call for autonomy - and therein lies the real paradox - often comes up against organisational and hierarchical control, which is hardly conducive to innovation. The challenge then is to find and build new balances and new regulations between reasonable control and welcome autonomy.
