Large construction sites: the lessons learnt from managing extreme situations

In the 1970s, the large construction sites run by Spie-Batignolles all over the world constituted a management challenge. In environments which were often unknown and sometimes uncertain, and against a background of fierce international competition, it was necessary to react very quickly to increasing demands. It therefore became necessary to rationalise management but without becoming bureaucratic. Faced with this dilemma, Spie-Batignolles developed a special kind of organisation, which was called "self-organisation", according to certain rules. François Jolivet explains how this worked and shows how it was a forerunner for project management methods which are used today in design management.