Economies of the size

The current of the economies of the size analyzes the Organization S in term of conventions and agreements. It is resulting from common work of an economist of conventions, Laurent Thévenot and of a Sociologue disciple of Pierre Bourdieu, Luc Boltanski. It is an interdisciplinary approach.

The model of the economies of the size then brings a lighting to the Problématique of the coordination and agreement in Entreprise which is often forsaken in Sociologie of the organizations to the profit of the analysis of the Conflit, of the To be able and the Rationalité. It tries to answer the following questions partly. How are the agreements produced? How is coordination between the people within a company carried out?

Principles

According to Luc Boltanski and Laurent Thévenot, the organization or the company is by nature a space of rules and circulation of the goods. One cannot thus allow oneself to set up two paradoxical readings of the organisational phenomenon. The actors are inserted in at the same time conflict and co-operative situations.

Economy of conventions

Luc Boltanski and Laurent Thévenot thus reject naturally the cleavage which exists between two types of explanation, the economic explanations exclusively and the explanations exclusively sociological. They thus reject two types of models.

sociological models explaining coordination between the actors by conformity to a standard which would be essential on all. Consequently, the organisational order cannot rise from Règle S social réifiées or from phenomena purely Culture ls.
the economic models which are centered on the reports/ratios made up through the exchange and of the circulation of the well S which are power struggles and of To be able aiming at monopolizing the rare resources.

For these approaches, they substitute a model based on the economy of conventions. This one leaves the idea that so that there is exchange, coordination, co-operation between agents, it is necessary that there are Convention S between the people concerned; i.e. a system of reciprocal waitings between the people on their behaviors. These conventions can be written or not.

Systems of equivalence

To try, starting from this model, to include/understand how the situations of work are able “to be held” in the organizations, and to explain how the actors manage to set up the conditions of production of the agreements, Boltanski and Thévenot insist on certain essential features of all social situations:

Any situation must be analyzed within the framework of a understanding Sociologie. They should be studied through the representations that the people give some.
the researcher in sociology must lean in priority on competences of the individuals to evaluate the situations through systems of equivalence divided.

It is thanks to shared systems of equivalences, common sizes, making it possible each one to find the reference marks which will guide its relations in the situation, to characterize it, that relations between people can tie. According to Boltanski and Thévenot, “these sizes, these systems are spread in worlds governed by the coherence of the principles which are activated there. ”

Various worlds

They distinguish six worlds then. These worlds imply forms of agreements , different social objects, which will make it possible to recognize the nature of the situation, and of knowing on which mode of resolution of the conflicts and the controversies it is necessary to position.

the world of the inspiration . The developed objects are those which return to the creative genius.
the world domesticates . The figures of reference are those of the family and the Tradition.
the world of the opinion . The principal base is the reputation, the opinion of the other.
the civic world . The collective interest takes precedence there over the private interest.
the commercial world . In the center of the concerns the laws of the Marché are.
the industrial world . The performance, the Science are with the base of the effectiveness.

Controversies

On the basis of there, the actors can enter several types of relations.

It occurs a controversy in the same world . To close it, one resorts to a common higher principle. Because the people engaged in the same world have the same system of equivalence, they move in an identical size. The objects are identified and treated on a hierarchical basis in a compatible way.
It can coexist of the different worlds without discords . But in this case balance remains provisional.
It can occur a controversy between various worlds . The controversy can then be clarified in only one world. It can also be solved by an arrangement, the partners locally put agreement on a transaction. Lastly, the actors can arrive at a compromise, and in this case, they join together several worlds through a community property.

Pluralism of logics in company

This approach underlines the interest of a technique which takes into account the variety of logics to work in the companies. Multiple justifications are advanced by the actors to legitimate their actions, and each time forms of agreements or compromises different will be necessary to coordinate. Consequently, the installation of an organisational policy, if it does not take account of the shared systems of equivalence and conventions suitable for an organization, is extremely well likely to be dedicated by advance with the failure. Such is one of principal the teaching of the model of the economies of the size.

Internal bonds

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