Spring’s odyssey: Managing global innovation strategies in a fragmented and unstable world[L'odyssée de Spring : manager des stratégies d'innovation globale dans un monde fragmenté et instable]

Innovation, traditionally associated with market competition, is today increasingly "administered" by public policies, in the name of societal imperatives, such as the fight against the climate crisis, or sovereignty. How does a company belonging to a globalized industry integrate the increasingly precise and intrusive regulations of the various countries whose markets it wants to conquer? This article provides some answers to this question, based on an analysis of a project for an accessible electric vehicle, designed in China for the Chinese market, and then marketed in Europe under the name Dacia Spring. First, we present the theoretical framework of global innovation strategy management, and then outline the research question addressed in this article. Next, we analyze the progress of the project, from its emergence in China to its commercial launch in Europe, focusing on the opportunities and constraints linked to the intrusion of public policies on electric vehicles, and on the way in which the project was able to integrate them into its management. Finally, we draw lessons from this case both in terms of the management of the pilot project in the target country and in terms of global deployment. Firstly, we highlight the importance of "innovative development", combining the traditional imperatives of quality, cost, and lead-time for the development of a conventional product with the needs of an exploration and decision-making process in a new context. Then, in a situation of multi-company and multi-cultural cooperation, generally imposed by the project's host country, we emphasize the importance of a project organization that ensures decision-making autonomy and integration of team players. In terms of global deployment, we analyze how companies can use these local pilot projects to manage global innovation strategies, following project lines that combine capitalization of learning and piecemeal adaptation to a variety of local contexts. In conclusion, we summarize the theoretical and empirical contributions of this research, its limitations, and the research prospects it opens up.