Pierre Cossette

Research Integrity: An Exploratory Survey of Administrative Science Faculties

This research focuses on the perceptions of research integrity held by administrative science faculty members in French-language universities in Québec. More specifically, the survey was conducted to isolate and analyse the opinions of the target group concerning the seriousness and frequency of various types of conduct generally associated with a lack of integrity among researchers, peer reviewers and editors (or other assessment supervisors), the causes attributed to research misconduct, and the solutions proposed. Its main interest is to encourage researchers to reflect on the standards they would like to see introduced, based on their own statements concerning what they think and do about research integrity. Each of the 699 faculty members surveyed received a 91-item questionnaire by mail, and 136 completed and returned it. The results show, among other things, that the respondents did not take the question of research integrity lightly; in almost all cases, they considered the types of conduct studied to be at least moderately reprehensible and often very reprehensible. In addition, the same types of conduct were considered to be, or almost to be, moderately frequent. Causes were closely linked to the achievement of professional success. Solutions related to the promotion of publication quality instead of quantity and to the inclusion of at least one full session on research integrity in advanced programs were very clearly favoured. However, in all cases, the consensus did not appear to be very strong. The limits of the results are discussed, along with the recommendations and research possibilities to which they lead.

Analysing the thinking of F.W. Taylor using cognitive mapping

Although the ideas of F.W. Taylor have profoundly marked the twentieth century, they do not seem to have been understood in the same way by the people who have studied them. Aims to enrich our understanding of the ideas of this remarkable author. Proposes a graphic representation of Taylor’s thinking in the form of a cognitive map. Then analyses the structure and content of the map using the Decision Explorer software package. Most of the concepts and links shown in the map were drawn from “Shop management”, and the remainder were taken from The Principles of Scientific Management. The results highlight the relative importance of the concepts used by Taylor, the dimensions on which he more or less consciously structured his thinking, together with the characteristics of the concepts he considered basically as “explanations” or “consequences”, and the more or less systemic or circular logic that guided him in the organization of his thinking. Discusses the limitations of the results and some future avenues for research.

Heuristics and cognitive biases in entrepreneurs: a review of the research

The aim of this research is to highlight the main characteristics of empirical studies into the heuristics and cognitive biases of entrepreneurs, and to determine what could and should now be done. To review past research, we used ProQuest and the 31 databases to which it gave us access. Only 25 empirical papers were identified, mostly published since 2006. Among other things, the findings from these papers show that overconfidence and optimism, two biases often confused, are those that have received by far the most attention from researchers. Factors explaining or explained by them were highlighted. The only other biases to have received attention, albeit limited, were the law of small numbers, the illusion of control, the planning fallacy, escalation of commitment, the status quo bias, and the hindsight bias. Research on heuristics was rare, but the findings suggest that they tend to vary according to the context (stage in the entrepreneurial process, activity sector, country, etc.). As for the methodologies, most were structured around a synchronic design. A broad range of samples and data collection techniques were used, but analysis was mainly statistical. The findings suggest that the focus in future should be on which heuristics and biases are most used or present in a given context (and why), how they are formed and configured, and how to deal effectively with them. More in-depth studies would also be useful.

EXPERIMENTAL IMPLEMENTATION OF A NEW CREATIVE METHOD TO SUPPORT FUTUROLOGY BY SMALL BUSINESSES IN A STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVE

Small businesses, like large corporations, are required to demonstrate creativity and innovation if they are to survive and flourish in a competitive and increasingly demanding world. Among other things, they must regularly and systematically explore major trends in their environment in order to detect possible business opportunities. The academic literature stresses the importance of this task but despite this, few researchers have, up to now, shown any interest in developing and assessing methods and tools to support businesses in their futurology efforts. This study is intended to correct this deficiency, at least partially; it defines a new method designed to assist small businesses in carrying out futurology in a strategic management perspective, and describes an experimental implementation of the method.

Gestion de la connaissance et cartographie cognitive: une étude sur la collaboration interorganisationnelle

RésuméL’étude approfondie des représentations individuelles peut être considérée comme une étape fondamentale de la construction d’une vision partagée. Une telle analyse serait particulièrement utile en contexte de collaboration interorganisationnelle (ci) compte tenu du niveau de complexité de ce type de partenariat. Cependant, les recherches ont généralement accordé peu d’attention à la perception qu’ont les acteurs du succès de leur ci. L’objectif de la présente recherche est de montrer que la cartographie cognitive, comme outil mis au service de la gestion des connaissances, peut enrichir notre compréhension du succès des ci. On verra ici comment la cartographie cognitive permet de dégager les similitudes et les divergences dans la manière dont les acteurs issus de deux organisations liées par une entente de partenariat dans le domaine de la réadaptation au travail structurent leur représentation du succès de leur collaboration. Huit participants ont été invités à déterminer de manière autonome les concepts et les liens de leur carte cognitive sur le sujet, à l’aide d’un guide développé à cette fin. L’analyse comparative des cartes individuelles a été réalisée à l’aide du logiciel Decision Explorer et a porté sur l’importance relative des concepts y figurant, sur l’étude des facteurs considérés comme des «explications» ou des «conséquences» privilégiées ainsi que sur les caractéristiques des groupes émergeant d’une analyse de regroupement (cluster analysis). Les résultats ont mis en relief, entre autres, la grande diversité intra et interorganisationnelle des représentations d’une bonne collaboration. Malgré cette diversité, les acteurs accordent une place centrale à la communication entre les partenaires et au succès de leur intervention auprès du patient. Cette recherche a aussi montré qu’il était possible pour les sujets de déterminer les concepts et les liens de leur carte cognitive sans l’accompagnement intensif du chercheur, ce qui constitue une première dans le domaine de la cartographie cognitive.AbstractThe examination of individual cognitive maps can help those concerned to get a shared view of a problem. This exercise could be especially helpful for people who take part in an interorganizational collaboration (ic) given the complexity of this kind of partnership. However, very few researches have focused on the way participants conceptualize the success of their ic. The aim of this study is to demonstrate how the cognitive map can be used as a knowledge management tool to improve our understanding of ic success (ics). More specifically, we will show how the cognitive map can be useful to reveal similarities and differences between cognitive maps about ics. Eight professionals who work in two different organizations within the field of work rehabilitation have constructed their cognitive map about the success of their collaboration with the other organization concerned. A guide has been developed to allow participants to construct the map without the assistance of the researcher. A comparative analysis of individual maps with Decision Explorer software has focused on relative importance of concepts, on the examination of factors that are considered either important explanations or consequences, and on cluster analysis. Results have shown among other things a significant difference between representations of success of ic, not only at an interorganizational level, but also at an intraorganizational one. Despite this difference, participants tend to consider communication between partners and successful clinical intervention as key elements in their understanding of ics. This research has also contributed to the development of cognitive maps by allowing participants to elaborate their maps without intensive assistance from the researcher, which is a first in the field of cognitive mapping.