5. To conclude

In our search for sources of flexibility in the field of industrial organization, we came across the concept of integration several times. Surprisingly, while integration is a term commonly used in the context of so-called "modern" production, the meanings we found were little or not at all compatible with a search for flexibility. Only integration by fusion applied to product design (delayed differentiation or group technology) can provide interesting leads.

More generally, to fully understand and implement flexibility, we insist on the need to adopt a cross-functional approach, involving decisions in several areas:

• strategy: diversification, innovation, investment, decentralization, employment logics (loyalty versus precariousness) ;

• production, on which we focus: technology, organization,...