Research Team

Team 1: Management and Information and Communication Technologies (MATIC)

Head: Prof. Djamila TOUMI

The MATIC team specializes in research on optimal management of information and communication technologies (ICT) implementation and use within organizations, and their impact on various organizational aspects, particularly performance.

Research objectives can be broken down into the following points:

  • Exploring new information and communication technologies and their influence on management strategies, by conducting research on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, Big Data, and the Internet of Things (IoT), and their integration into the world of management.
  • Studying digital transformation processes within organizations and proposing effective implementation models.
  • Evaluating ICT governance practices across different organizations and proposing ICT management models aligned with current standards.
  • Conducting empirical studies to assess how ICT integration impacts performance indicators such as productivity, decision-making, and employee satisfaction.
  • Investigating security and data privacy issues in the use of ICT.
  • Studying the factors influencing the adoption and use of ICT by businesses and individuals.

Keywords: Digital Transformation; Processes; Information Systems; Organizational Performance.

Team 2: Entrepreneurship and SMEs

Head: Prof. Mustapha AMOKRANE

Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) play a vital role in innovation and job creation, serving as a solid foundation for many national economies around the world. Our research team focuses on the in-depth study of this sector to better understand the real challenges and opportunities shaping the future of SMEs, both globally and in Algeria.

Globally, more than 90% of businesses are SMEs, accounting for more than 95% of all enterprises and contributing to 60-70% of employment in OECD economies. In Algeria, the SME sector comprises approximately 1,300,000 businesses, with nearly 98% of them being small commercial or service-oriented enterprises. The majority of these businesses are family-owned and often reluctant to take out bank loans or to open up their capital to external investors. Additionally, some SMEs under-report their actual revenues, thereby avoiding full taxation. A significant number of SMEs also operate in the informal sector, escaping regulatory oversight, however its number is difficult to quantify precisely.

Despite the multiple state support measures made in favor of these businesses, the results are not always substantial. Economically-speaking, SMEs exhibit specific advantages and disadvantages that require tailored responses. With the rise of new technologies and globalization, economies of scale are losing their importance in many industries, thereby boosting the potential of small enterprises. For several years now, we’ve seen large international corporations adopt traditional SME practices, such as large-scale custom production or modular manufacturing, as exemplified by TOYOTA. This opens up many opportunities for SMEs, particularly in subcontracting, but can also make them more vulnerable. The growing complexity of their environment is intensifying challenges that Small and Medium-sized Enterprises traditionally face. This phenomenon is compounded by a globalized context where technology plays a dominant role. To remain competitive, SMEs must strengthen their management capabilities, improve their ability to collect information, and develop their technological base. Public authorities bear the responsibility to improve SMEs’ access to financing, information infrastructure, and international markets.

The team seeks to explore the following themes:

  • Studying the foundations of entrepreneurship in Algeria, focusing on:

The national policy on investment promotion;

Forms of entrepreneurship;

The relationship between universities, the vocational training sector, and entrepreneurship;

  • Studying the entrepreneurial rationale of public and private stakeholders and its repercussions on the Algerian economy. 
  • Studying, on a large-scale and nation-wide, the SME sector in Algeria, aiming to address the following points:

The national policy on investment promotion;

Forms of entrepreneurship;

The relationship between universities, the vocational training sector, and entrepreneurship;

  • Studying the entrepreneurial rationale of public and private stakeholders and its repercussions on the Algerian economy. 
  • Studying, on a large-scale and nation-wide, the SME sector in Algeria, aiming to address the following points:

Overall diagnosis of the Algerian SME sector to identify its strengths and weaknesses across major sectors of activity;

The role of SMEs in innovation and job creation;

Innovative methods for SME financing;

  •  SMEs and local development:

Carrying out a diagnostic study to examine how these businesses and companies adapt to the uncertainties of their local environment;

  • Internationalization of Algerian SMEs, challenges and opportunities:

Proposing a comprehensive national economic strategy tailored to the SME sector—said strategy is expected to take into account the findings of the aforementioned diagnosis, drawing inspiration from the best international experiences in the field.

Key words:  Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs); Entrepreneurship; Economic Development; Informal Sector; Innovation.

Team 3: Strategic Management, Competitive Advantage, and Foresight.

Head: Prof. Mezhouda Abdelmalik

Research Themes 

  • Strategic organizational management. 
  • Development of the strategic capabilities of organizations. 
  • Knowledge management and intangible capital training.  
  • Entrepreneurial mindset and competitiveness. 
  • Strategic foresight. 
  • ICT and competitive advantages. 
  • Human resource management. 
  • Assessment and management of organizational performance. 
  • Strategic intelligence and information systems.  
  • Governance and strategic decision-making. 
  • Change management. 

Team Objectives: 

Today’s companies and businesses operate in a constantly changing environment, requiring strategic management to regulate their relationship with this environment through a clear strategic vision, to develop strategic resources that ensure defensible competitive advantages, and to create value for all stakeholders. 

In this context, the “Strategic Management, Competitive Advantages, and Foresight” research team seeks to develop research projects focused on themes within the field of strategic management and foresight, with the aims of:    

Contributing to the development of strategy approaches and competitive strategy frameworks. 

Developing innovative solutions to help companies build their portfolios of strategic resources (Human Capital, Organizational Innovations, Organizational Learning, Core competencies, etc.) 

Aligning operational decisions with the company’s long-term strategic choices. 

Anticipating future environmental threats and enhancing company competitiveness. 

Assisting companies in formulating their future development strategies.  

Developing tools that enable companies to prepare and implement their strategic plans. 

Embedding a culture of strategic management and best practices within companies. 

Team 4: Management of Public and Non-Profit Organizations

Head: Prof. Amine FERROUKHI

Our research activities are grounded in the foundations of public management, integrating multidisciplinary contributions from economics, public law, communication sciences, and management sciences. The research team focuses on the in-depth study of public or non-profit organizations from three (03) distinct yet complementary perspectives:

  • The building and strengthening of partnership relations for public or non-profit organization (PNPO).
  • The quality of public service delivery.
  • The consolidation and building of organizational relationships within PNPOs.

These three core concerns lead us to address the three (03) key areas: multi-level governance, public service delivery processes, and organizational climate:

  • One of our main research objectives is to explore the construction of partnership relations and innovative forms of coordination between public, private, and non-profit stakeholders. These relationships are intended to be developed and strengthened, fostering freedom of association among organizations. Although the law allows public organizations to engage in partnerships, the actual realization of these partnerships largely depends on the collective intelligence of the stakeholders involved: mayors, elected officials, territorial administrations, companies and businesses, associations, research centers, cooperatives, etc. These stakeholders are called upon to collaborate in identifying, defining, sharing, and designing partnership projects.  The research team focuses on the study of multi-level governance, analyzing the causes of the weak or absent governance in specific inter-organizational contexts such as household waste management, pooling of social actions, and the exchange of information on the public and common space management.
  • Improving the quality of public service delivery is crucial across public organizations, especially in the face of growing environmental pressures. Organizational innovation has thus become essential to meet the evolving expectations of various stakeholders including citizens, public service beneficiaries, non-beneficiary taxpayers, international or supranational institutions, businesses, as well as researchers and the academic community. Through an analysis of public service delivery, our team aims to examine how public organizations adopt and implement quality standards.
  • Studying the organizational climate in public administrations and identifying sources of professional dissatisfaction: Using an exploratory approach, the research team analyzes the organizational environment of public servants in order to better describe the existing climate and highlight the most relevant explanatory variables related to their well-being in the workplace.

Key words: Public Service; well-being of Public Servants; Quality of Public Service; Cooperation of Stakeholders; Partnerships in Public Service.

Team 5: Change Management and Corporate Culture 

Head: Dr. Abid Nabila

Research Themes 

Our research activities operate within a multidisciplinary framework, where change plays a central role. The research team aims to study organizational change, regardless of where it takes place. The themes mentioned below, though distinct, converge toward a possible complementarity between fields and theories.

1. Culture and change management in companies engaged in partnerships (different types of partnerships).

2. Foreign partnerships and the influence of imagined perceptions in change management.

3. Partnerships and cultural conflicts.

4. The company’s global business environment and risk management.

These major themes are the most imposing in organizational reality and, in our point of view, serve as a springboard for a better understanding of the dynamics of any type of change within companies.

Team Objectives: 

1) Consider the role of the cultural dimension in Algerian companies involved in partnerships amid national and international competition. (Ali Belaidi; Sidali Melloud; Yassine Ossaidane). When Algerian companies (private or public) engage in partnerships with foreign stakeholders, this often triggers profound organizational changes, particularly on the cultural level. Therefore, the main concern here is to understand the new dynamics through the norms and values generated by such organizational changes. While recognizing the potential conflicts arising by such contexts, the team explores possible ways to manage them within both sociological and institutional frameworks. These regulations will undoubtedly lead to shifts in priorities and values to which future management practices must adapt.

2) Technology and digitalization, a necessary transformation for Algerian companies. (Yassine Ossaidane; Ali Belaidi; Sidali Melloud). The era of technology and digitalization calls into question the managerial system and its organizational order. Furthermore, the relationship with the external environment is deeply affected by social networks, among others. In this area, our research team is interested in examining the place given to technologies within companies, as well as their direct and indirect impact on the internal environment. Regarding the external environment, the research team aims to explore how social media creates new opportunities for companies and businesses, while considering this transformation within broader social, cultural, and economic contexts.

3) Explore the entrepreneurial mindset among managers (Sidali Melloud; Ali Belaidi Yassine Oussaidane). Our research team investigates how to prevent leader obsolescence and identifies the key skills required in leaders for effective leadership. In the same vein, it examines the place of entrepreneurial mindset and the creation of a conductive environment for leadership in order to revitalize the company depending on its sector.

Team 6: Digital Entrepreneurship and Innovation (EDI)

Head: Dr. Belali Mounir

The Digital Entrepreneurship and Innovation (EDI) research team investigates the evolving dynamics of entrepreneurship in the digital age, adopting a rigorous and interdisciplinary scientific approach. Its main objective is to generate both theoretical and empirical insights into how digital technologies are transforming entrepreneurial processes, business models, and innovation ecosystems.

The team focuses on analyzing how new technologies reshape the entrepreneurial landscape, drawing from conceptual frameworks in management, economics, social sciences, and engineering. Its activities combine fundamental and applied research, with particular emphasis to sustainability challenges.

Research Areas

  1. Theoretical foundations of digital entrepreneurship
    • Developing and clarifying core concepts.
    • Analyzing theoretical approaches in digital entrepreneurship and innovation.
    • Studying the specific features of startups and emerging business models.
  2. Digital transformation and entrepreneurial dynamics
    • Impact of emerging technologies (AI, Blockchain, IoT, Big Data) on entrepreneurship.
    • New models for value creation and work organization.
    • Digitalization and evolution of entrepreneurial competencies.
  3. Innovation ecosystems and digital entrepreneurship
    • The role of incubators, accelerators, and tech hubs in supporting digital startups.
    • The collaboration between public, private, and academic stakeholders in driving innovation.
    • The influence of public policies on digital entrepreneurship.
  4. Digital entrepreneurship and sustainable development
    • Contributions of digital companies to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
    • Innovative business models integrating social and environmental dimensions.
    • Ethics and responsibility in digital entrepreneurship.

Through its research, the EDI research team contributes to advancing knowledge on digital entrepreneurship, while addressing key challenges related to innovation, competitiveness, and digital transformation in businesses.

Team 7: Governance and Regulation of Networked Public Services

Head: Prof. Messaoud ZEROUTI

This research team aims to make numerous contributions in theoretical and empirical academic research. The following are the main objectives that justify the creation of such a team:

  • Improving understanding of the challenges related to networked public services: Networked public services (such as transportation, water, and electricity networks) are vital infrastructure components. A research team focused on studying the governance and regulation of such services can help improve our understanding of the issues involved, by analyzing public policies, management practices, standards, and regulations.
  • Identifying best practices: By studying different governance and regulatory practices of networked public services, the research team can identify best practices—those that have yielded positive and satisfactory results in other contexts. These practices can then be examined to assess their applicability in the Algerian context, with the goal of enhancing the quality of networked public services provided by Algerian companies.
  • Promoting interdisciplinary collaboration: This research team aims to bring together researchers from different disciplines (economics, law, political sciences, etc.), thus fostering collaboration and the exchange of ideas. This can lead to more complementary approaches and a better understanding of the challenges involved.
  • Contributing to informed decision-making: Research results can be used to inform decisions made by public decision-makers, network managers, and regulators. Studies can provide accurate data and analysis on the costs, benefits, risks, and impacts of various policies and practices.
  • Participation in public debates: Members of the research team may contribute to public debates on networked public services, providing fact-based analysis and presenting arguments for and against various policies and practices. This can help improve the quality of public debates and raise public awareness about the challenges related to public services.

In short, a research team in Governance and Regulation of Networked Public Services can help improve understanding of the challenges involved, identifying best practices, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, support informed public decision-making, and contribute to public discourse. These contributions can positively impact the quality of public services and the well-being of citizens.

Key words: Governance; Regulation; Public Services; Networks; Best Practices; Interdisciplinary Collaboration.

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