Dynamique et diversité de l'usage des NTIC dans la coordination des activités productives. Le cas des réseaux verticaux d'entreprises « orientés conception »

This article aims at better understanding the new coordination devices associated with the emergence of a knowledge-based economy. We question therefore the apparent paradox that characterizes the literature on knowledge codification: while several authors insist on the specific properties of the ICTs allowing to coordinate « virtually » the activities inside vertical networks (the « sanguine » view of knowledge codification), others argue that interpersonal relationships are still crucial in such organizations (the « critical » approach of knowledge codification). In this article, we will refrain from taking either from these positions. More precisely, we argue that it is possible to articulate these positions by developing an approach that allows to understand the diversity and the dynamics of organizational forms. We develop therefore a typology of « network?s architecture » in which each organisational form is characterised by a set of distinctive coordination devices and mobilize it in a dynamic way.