Contribution à une théorie de la planification adaptative : la stratégie procédurale
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Aix-Marseille 3Disciplines:
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Abstract EN:
Planning systems aim to allow organizations to develop themselves "in harmony" with their environements. But elaboration and improvement of these planning projects cannot be "optimized" when both the oraganizations and their environments are complex (multidimensional, uncertain, not explainable by causal relations), the situation is still more difficult when the planning project itself is complex (multi decision criteria, multi-agents, multi-firms. . . ). To face these problems, we must design planning systems in a fundamentally different way. We must insist on their capabilities to be permanently re-adapted. That means new methodologies, new tools, and so on this "re-design" also means a new vision of the planners' rationalities. H. A. Simon proposes to understand this new vision as a transition from the classic "substantive" rationality (which aims to optimize behaviours) towards "procedural" rationalities (encouraging means ends interactions). This transition leads us to discuss the traditional idea of planning where a single, non evolving goal determines all the planning effort. To this "substantive planning" (that is, planning based on substantive rationality), we propose to substitute in complex environments a "procedural strategy", based on a procedural rationality. We propose therefore to transform planning goals, and planning itself, from "an optimization of program sequences" towards "the design of processes organizing trials and errors processes".
Abstract FR:
Les systemes de planification visent a assurer un developpement reflechi des organisations "en phase" avec les environnements au sein desquels elles fonctionnent, evoluent, se transforment. Mais l'elaboration et la modification de ces projets d'action est difficilement "optimisable" des que ces organisations et leur environnement sont percus complexes (multidimensionnels, incertains, irreductibles a des explications causales). Cette difficulte est aggravee dan s les cas-de plus en plus frequents, semble-t-il ou ces projets d'actions collectives sont eux-memes percus complexes (multi-criteres, multi-sites, multi-agents, etc. . ). Pour faire face a cette difficulte, les systemes de planification doivent etre concus comme fondamentalement "adaptatifs", tant dans leurs caracteristiques (horizons, sous-systemes concernes) que dans leur methodologie et leurs instrumentations. Cette "re-conception" appelle a un nouvel "entendement" par les acteurs economiques de la (ou des) rationalite(s) qu'ils mettent en oeuvre pour planifier l'action collective. Nouvel entendement que h. A. Simon a propose d'interpreter par le passage des formes de rationalite "substantive" (ou optimisante) aux formes de rationalite procedurale (interactive et tatonnante). Ce passage conduit a remettre en cause l'idee d'une planification ou la determination ex ante d'un but ultime, intangible, conditionne de maniere quasi automatique l'ensemble du processus. A cette "planification substantive" (reposant sur la rationalite substantive), on propose de substituer dans les environnements complexes une "strategie procedurale", qui substitue aux "enchainements de programmes" des "procedures guidant les tatonnements".