AIMS 2013a
Corbel, P. and Boumrar, J. « Le projet intermédiaire comme moyen de construire de la confiance entre partenaires dans le cadre des coopérations à fort niveau d’incertitude », Proceedings of the 22nd conference of the AIMS (Association Internationale de Management Stratégique), Clermont-Ferrand, June 2013
Abstract:
This paper proposes an exploratory analysis of the role of intermediate projects in the construction of trust in the case of projects with a high degree of uncertainty. To do this, we proceed in two stages. In the first part, we show how the idea of this relationship between intermediate projects and trust emerged. It is both implicit in the literature and expressed more directly by practitioners. This expression of the practitioners' point of view is taken from a study of the relations between public research laboratories and companies as perceived by the latter (based on an analysis of semi-directive interviews with 14 R&D managers in charge of these issues). In the second part, we present a more in-depth analysis based on a longitudinal case study combining 24 semi-structured interviews and participant observation. The particularity of this case study is that it takes place in a context of great uncertainty, since it involves putting in place measures to prevent a risk that has never materialised on a large scale: the preventive management of the risk of biological terrorism.
This enables us to break down the phenomena by which carrying out joint intermediary projects feeds, on the one hand, confidence in one's skills, by allowing a form of demonstration of one's skills but also by becoming aware of one's shortcomings, and therefore of the value of cooperation, and, on the other hand, confidence in one's goodwill, through the interpersonal relationships that are formed or strengthened on this occasion. But the case study also shows that, in practice, the two seem to be largely intertwined. And these interactions themselves intersect with interactions between the individual and organisational levels.