Competent enterprises above all
A recently published book analyses the close bonds between human factor and technological innovation
Individuals above all, even in an era that seems to be ruled by the digital transformation of production (and in many cases also of our individual lives) – indeed, at the end of each “corporate story”, we find what is technically termed the “human factor”: women, men, young people, elderly people who always succeed, despite all, in having the last word. It should be clarified that this is not about whether technology – or humanity – will triumph at all costs, it is about something different, something more complex and pervasive, and understanding this self-contradictory yet real mix of conditions is key to fully comprehend where an enterprises is headed (and which tools we should use to steer it in our chosen direction). It is around this critical knot of issues that the research by Tatiana Mazali (sociologist specialised in cultural and communication processes), Paolo Neirotti (engineer specialised in strategy and organisation) and Giuseppe Scellato (economist) revolves around, outlined in their collaboratively written book L’impresa competente. Scelte manageriali, lavoro e innovazione digitale (Competent enterprises. Managerial choices, employment and digital innovation).
Their work starts by acknowledging the complexity of the ongoing transformation, termed the Fourth industrial revolution, a little-studied phenomenon as yet, in which, together with current hyper technologies, the human factor continues to play a determining part. The human ability to promote or hinder innovation is the notion underlying Mazali, Neirotti and Scellato’s reasoning, who tackle the topic by combining conclusions from the fields of sociology, organisational studies and the innovation economy.
At its heart, then, we find people who rise up thanks to their skills, experience, attitudes, life stories, future aspirations. The authors address this set of themes by condensing years of analysis and, above all, by looking at the results of field research that investigated the current relationships between technologies and skills.
The book, just over 150 pages, begins by giving a snapshot of the ongoing transformation and is then subdivided into three main sections: corporate digital investments and required skills, how such skills are changing, and an analysis of the relation between innovation, training and organisation, and also comprises various significant accounts from actual companies (of every type and size), which enhance and round off their theory.
Mazali, Neirotti and Scellato’s work (masterfully edited by Annalisa Magone), comprehensively tackles a complex and constantly evolving topic, and does so by including some pointers useful to understand it and, above all, by providing a toolbox that readers will be able to use once they reach the end.
L’impresa competente. Scelte manageriali, lavoro e innovazione digitale (Competent enterprises. Managerial choices, employment and digital innovation)
Tatiana Mazali, Paolo Neirotti, Giuseppe Scellato
Marsilio, 2023
A recently published book analyses the close bonds between human factor and technological innovation
Individuals above all, even in an era that seems to be ruled by the digital transformation of production (and in many cases also of our individual lives) – indeed, at the end of each “corporate story”, we find what is technically termed the “human factor”: women, men, young people, elderly people who always succeed, despite all, in having the last word. It should be clarified that this is not about whether technology – or humanity – will triumph at all costs, it is about something different, something more complex and pervasive, and understanding this self-contradictory yet real mix of conditions is key to fully comprehend where an enterprises is headed (and which tools we should use to steer it in our chosen direction). It is around this critical knot of issues that the research by Tatiana Mazali (sociologist specialised in cultural and communication processes), Paolo Neirotti (engineer specialised in strategy and organisation) and Giuseppe Scellato (economist) revolves around, outlined in their collaboratively written book L’impresa competente. Scelte manageriali, lavoro e innovazione digitale (Competent enterprises. Managerial choices, employment and digital innovation).
Their work starts by acknowledging the complexity of the ongoing transformation, termed the Fourth industrial revolution, a little-studied phenomenon as yet, in which, together with current hyper technologies, the human factor continues to play a determining part. The human ability to promote or hinder innovation is the notion underlying Mazali, Neirotti and Scellato’s reasoning, who tackle the topic by combining conclusions from the fields of sociology, organisational studies and the innovation economy.
At its heart, then, we find people who rise up thanks to their skills, experience, attitudes, life stories, future aspirations. The authors address this set of themes by condensing years of analysis and, above all, by looking at the results of field research that investigated the current relationships between technologies and skills.
The book, just over 150 pages, begins by giving a snapshot of the ongoing transformation and is then subdivided into three main sections: corporate digital investments and required skills, how such skills are changing, and an analysis of the relation between innovation, training and organisation, and also comprises various significant accounts from actual companies (of every type and size), which enhance and round off their theory.
Mazali, Neirotti and Scellato’s work (masterfully edited by Annalisa Magone), comprehensively tackles a complex and constantly evolving topic, and does so by including some pointers useful to understand it and, above all, by providing a toolbox that readers will be able to use once they reach the end.
L’impresa competente. Scelte manageriali, lavoro e innovazione digitale (Competent enterprises. Managerial choices, employment and digital innovation)
Tatiana Mazali, Paolo Neirotti, Giuseppe Scellato
Marsilio, 2023