Information, stratégies et pratiques de veille technologique dans les PMI *

This article presents the results of an empirical study aiming to identify the nature of technological scanning practices in SMEs, as well as the determinants of these organizations\u27 scanning behavior. A survey of 324 SMEs in Quebec allowed us to identify four configurations or types of technological scanning, namely ad hoc or minimal scanning, two intermediate configurations, and complex, well-organized scanning. The determinants are the firm\u27s strategy, its environmental uncertainty, its information networks, its R&D activities and the education level of its owner-manager. These results are analyzed and their implications for research and practice are discussed. * A first version of this article has been presented during the 13th yearly seminar of Canadian Council of the small entreprise and of entrepreneuriat, Montreal, october 31 - november 2, 1996. This research has been requested by the French-language Centre of Research in Computerization of Organisations (CEFRIO), Quebec