Coordination between production and commercial planning: Organisational and modelling issues

Coordination between commercial activities and production has long been identified as a cause of major difficulties within a company which is structured according to the main functions. Various analytical frameworks have tried to elucidate the organisational, information processing and incentive issues raised by this problem. Using the example of an agro-food company seeking new organisational forms while its markets were becoming increasingly deregulated, the design of material planning systems as the main managerial driver for reforming the organisation is identified. The critical role of modelling in an intervention process focused on planning design is discussed and the question as to why innovative efficient organisational forms can be devised this way is explained.