Comment conduire le changement induit par un mégaprojet SI dans une organisation faiblement couplée ? Le cas des Universités françaises

This article aims at a better understanding of the under- lying mechanisms induced by an IS megaproject. Based on the context of French universities - seen as loosely coupled systems, a qualitative case study (re- sulting from the introduction of a new IS management tool after the LRU regulation) is used to generate con- ceptual as well as organizational results. The analysis shows that the IS has to be perceived as a cognitive and social artifact which deeply modifies the organiza- tional context. Beyond traditional project management, it is suggested that new forms of risk management as well as competence-based management could be help- ful to face the challenge of an IS megaproject in this specific context. In this sense, change management is needed before the beginning and after the completion of the project in order to get the tool socially accepted by its community. An effort of decentralized manage- ment is also strongly required in order to compensate the main characteristics of the tool, associated to a strong power of centralization.