Contribution to the study of the complexity of public action through the research-intervention method: case of the municipality of Ouarzazate

Abstract

This communication is mainly interested in the paradoxical nature of public action and its implications in terms of steering and good management. Thus, we question the main contributions of paradox theory (Smith and Lewis, 2011), particularly in terms of managing paradoxical tensions within organizations. Indeed, within the framework of a research-intervention carried out within a Moroccan territorial community, namely the commune of Ouarzazate, we apply the model of balance of paradoxes proposed by Smith and Lewis (2011) then we put into perspective our results with the concept of interactive control of Simons (1995). Thus, this article will be presented in the form of three parts: the first part will be devoted to the epistemic characteristics of the theory of paradoxes, going through its genesis and positioning it in relation to previous works having developed a paradoxical approach to organizations (Caremon (1986 ); Quinn and Cameron (1988); Perret and Josserand, 2003). Also, we will demonstrate the dynamic equilibrium modeling of these paradoxes; the second part will present the research methodology adopted, which is intervention research (David, 1999; Plane, 2000; Savall and Zardet, 2004; Henriot and Khenniche, 2019; Cappelletti and Khenniche, 2022) initiated at the end of 2020 within the municipality from Ouarzazate; and finally the third part, which will be the subject of the results of our study. Through these three stages, we were able to achieve a management of the existing paradoxes by achieving a certain reconciliation of the different objectives of the municipality object of our study.

JEL Classification: H00, H7

Paper type: Empirical research