Le paradigme du don : critique ou leçon de management ?

Adapting firms to change relies heavily on the small initiatives taken by operatives in the field or on the line. A group ingenuity is thus produced that can be interpreted in the light of the theory of gift-giving, whence a major issue for management: how to take advantage of unremunerated activities (“gifts”), in particular by recognizing their value? For reasons more cultural than economic, a firm’s management often fails to “receive” such gifts because the reception implies knowing how to give something back.