Résumé :La capacité à innover des entreprises ainsi que leurs ressources TIC sont généralement reconnues comme des gages de leur compétitivité. Dans notre article, ces deux sources de performance sont étudiées dans le contexte des Petites et Moyennes Entreprises (PME), en analysant notamment les retombées de l'accompagnement de l'innovation par les TIC. Notre recherche s'appuie sur une double investigation : une enquête menée auprès de PME de la région Bretagne et une collecte en ligne des performances financières de ces mêmes entreprises. Sur un échantillon final de 1086 entreprises, nous évaluons économétriquement dans quelle mesure la performance des PME peut être expliquée par l'innovativité, les ressources TIC (humaines et matérielles), ainsi que par l'effet combiné de l'innovativité accompagnée par les technologies de l'information. Le recours à une variable d'interaction mesurant les TIC directement mobilisées pour soutenir l'innovation des PME constitue l'apport méthodologique de notre recherche. L'investigation montre que les technologies de l'information contribuent à augmenter la performance des PME lorsqu'elles accompagnent des innovations : l'innovativité des PME a des retombées positives sur leur performance dans la mesure où elle est accompagnée par des investissements en TIC ou bien par un usage plus poussé des technologies déjà présentes dans l'entreprise. A contrario, l'innovativité et les ressources TIC considérées isolément minorent le niveau de performance des firmes étudiées. Ces différents résultats sont discutés au regard des caractéristiques spécifiques des PME. Mot-clés : Innovativité, technologies de l'information (TIC), Petites et Moyennes Entreprises, performanceCeci est la version finale du manuscrit accepté pour publication. Des éléments de présentation ou de détails typographiques peuvent différer de la version publiée. Management, vol. 19, n°2, 2014 2 Systèmes d'Information et Innovation in SMEs and ICTs' support: An assessment of their performance impactsFrançois DELTOUR*, Virginie LETHIAIS** * Ecole des Mines de Nantes, LEMNA ** Telecom Bretagne, ICI, Marsouin Abstract:Firms' innovativeness and their ICT resources are seen as two factors of firms' competitiveness. Our research tests these sources of performance in the context of small-andmedium enterprises (SMEs) and examines possible synergies with ICTs supporting innovation. Our research is based on a double empirical investigation: a survey is conducted among firms in the region of Brittany (France), complemented with an online investigation of their financial performance. With a final sample of 1086 firms, we perform an econometric assessment of SMEs performance, explained by their innovativeness, their ICT resources (skills and assets) and the combined effect of their innovativeness supported by ICTs. The interaction variable capturing the combined effect constitutes the major methodological originality of our research. Our investigation shows that ICTs contribute to performance improvement when supporting innovations: ...

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Large organizational projects must integrate the specific and dispersed knowledge of many individuals and groups to succeed. Thus, frequent exchanges between the project team and the organization's members are required. In this context, understanding of the knowledge integration process during cross-functional projects can be enhanced through the conceptual framework of social capital. A qualitative investigation of a French small and medium-size enterprise conceptualizes knowledge integration as a three-phase model: collection, interpretation, and assimilation. The case shows that the integration process is cyclical with overlaps and inter-dependencies among the phases. This study leads to refinement of the social capital role in knowledge integration and reveals the dynamics of internal and external facets of social capital. That is, internal and external social capital play differentiated roles depending on the three phases of the knowledge integration process. Finally, the study reveals the co-evolution of social capital and knowledge integration as a resulting longterm effect.

Small businesses face multiple constraints on innovating that open innovation (OI) has potential to help overcome. The aim of this study is to examine the association between business group affiliation and the extent of OI engaged in by SMEs. Unlike independent SMEs, those that have affiliations might benefit from internal and also external networks to initiate partnerships to innovate. We analysed data collected from 711 French SMEs that engage in innovation to assess the association between business group affiliation and open innovation practices. We found that business group affiliation has no significant relationship with the degree of engagement in open innovation or with partnership openness. Nevertheless, we found that affiliation to an international group influences the geographical openness of SMEs’ innovation. These findings contribute to our understanding of open innovation among SMEs by acknowledging the geographical challenges of partnerships in open innovation.