La sélection des idées incrémentales et radicales : Les enseignements d’une étude de cas

This article examines the way in which the ideas put forward by the employees of an industrial firm are selected. Its objective is to provide a fine and renewed understanding of the process dimension of this key stage in the management of innovation and creativity. To achieve this objective, it explores the decision-making process at work within the Bosch MoP company, combining qualitative interviews (with 38 actors in the process) and study of the argumentative interactions exchanged during 4 deliberation meetings of the innovation committee in charge of the selection. The results show first of all that the idea selection process differs in its components, organizational scope and trajectories depending on whether one is dealing with incremental or radical ideas. These two types of ideas are also the subject of specific arguments during the innovation committees in charge of deciding on their acceptance or rejection. The results also show that selection is indeed a sequenced, modular (depending on the type of ideas put forward) and mixed process, where logical-mathematical and social approaches complement each other. JEL CODE: O31