Lessons from business to culture
A book that encapsulates a life of production and teaching
The idea that doing business is equivalent to cultural practice is now commonplace in many areas of economics, but not in all. Since time immemorial, methods of production and the organisations of production themselves have been an expression of the culture in which they emerge and evolve. Therefore, it is always necessary to consider the broader nature of the economy and production, and this is particularly timely. In his latest book, “Lezioni. Un percorso autobiografico” (Lessons. An autobiographical journey), Gianfranco Dioguardi, an engineer and professor of economics and business organisation who is considered one of the fathers of management engineering in Italy, does just that.
The book is a collection of the author’s professional experiences, ranging from academia and civic engagement to teaching and research, as expressed through his writing. In the first section, “Incontri con il Pubblico” (Meetings with the Public), Dioguardi brings together texts for companies and public institutions, as well as insights on various topics and lectures for specific events. In the second part of the book “Lezioni” (Lessons), the author presents speeches with a more didactic focus, dedicated to the management engineering that he helped create.
All with a unique approach, since Dioguardi is both a professor and a businessman. And it is precisely this characteristic that gives the book its extra dimension. A trait that emerges more in some places in the book, such as in the speech “For a Private Company”, which refers to the family business itself. “Our company is a living, vital, pulsating system,” writes Dioguardi, “and I am sure it will survive into the future with the philosophy I have outlined for you, despite unfavourable macro-environmental situations, because you have the will, the ability, the means and the class to make it survive.” This is a collection of must-read “lessons” from Gianfranco Dioguardi.
Lezioni. Un percorso autobiografico
Gianfranco Dioguardi
Guerini Next, 2025
A book that encapsulates a life of production and teaching
The idea that doing business is equivalent to cultural practice is now commonplace in many areas of economics, but not in all. Since time immemorial, methods of production and the organisations of production themselves have been an expression of the culture in which they emerge and evolve. Therefore, it is always necessary to consider the broader nature of the economy and production, and this is particularly timely. In his latest book, “Lezioni. Un percorso autobiografico” (Lessons. An autobiographical journey), Gianfranco Dioguardi, an engineer and professor of economics and business organisation who is considered one of the fathers of management engineering in Italy, does just that.
The book is a collection of the author’s professional experiences, ranging from academia and civic engagement to teaching and research, as expressed through his writing. In the first section, “Incontri con il Pubblico” (Meetings with the Public), Dioguardi brings together texts for companies and public institutions, as well as insights on various topics and lectures for specific events. In the second part of the book “Lezioni” (Lessons), the author presents speeches with a more didactic focus, dedicated to the management engineering that he helped create.
All with a unique approach, since Dioguardi is both a professor and a businessman. And it is precisely this characteristic that gives the book its extra dimension. A trait that emerges more in some places in the book, such as in the speech “For a Private Company”, which refers to the family business itself. “Our company is a living, vital, pulsating system,” writes Dioguardi, “and I am sure it will survive into the future with the philosophy I have outlined for you, despite unfavourable macro-environmental situations, because you have the will, the ability, the means and the class to make it survive.” This is a collection of must-read “lessons” from Gianfranco Dioguardi.
Lezioni. Un percorso autobiografico
Gianfranco Dioguardi
Guerini Next, 2025