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Corporate family stories

The latest book by the Cavalieri del Lavoro Federation tells about a production culture that should not be lost

 

Families and enterprises, or, actually, family enterprises. Countless, different, yet all showing the same core features and an entrepreneurial culture that, though in different guises, still perpetuates today. This is the feeling – the message – one gets when reading Famiglia e impresa. Storie di Cavalieri del Lavoro (Family and enterprise. Stories of Cavalieri del Lavoro), which narrates 75 family stories, each one about a ‘Cavaliere del Lavoro’, i.e. a person awarded the Italian Order of Merit for labour. The particular feature of the book is that it collects the stories of entrepreneurial families that were awarded at least two Cavalieri del Lavoro titles. A different yet not restrictive approach, as the 75 stories encompass the whole Italian economic history, from the 19th century to now.

Each one of the 75 family stories included comes with a summary of the entrepreneurial adventure spanning across various generations, from founder to current owner, and this is accompanied by biographical details for all the members of the family who were awarded the merit. Completing the historical picture, and adding a future-oriented perspective, is a contribution by the Cavaliere del Lavoro currently in charge.

Thus, readers can enjoy different stories ranging through virtually all Italian manufacturing sectors. Some are about companies that most people will not be familiar with, while others tell of big businesses and more – naming these brands might create the wrong impression, while reading the introductory essay is a good idea, as it tells how these stories allow us to discover the “true collective identity that has kept together a country that reached unification rather late, torn apart by two world wars and then by terrorism and several economic crises. A country that, without underground resources but only counting on its great enterprising spirit and attitude towards quality work – a real national feature and, certainly not the only one, but one of the longest-lived.” And, further, “Even when all seemed to fall apart, shattered by ruptures and downfalls, its productive heart kept on beating, innovating, transforming, manufacturing. The steel, chemical, food, textile, pharmaceutical, mechanic, banking, shipbuilding, construction, winemaking, liquor industries – the sectors in which these families operate are countless and in constant evolution, adapting to the transforming economy, yet what never changes is their solid and productive nature.”

Thus, these are stories that express Italian corporate culture at its highest level and this is why is worth reading (and even rereading, perhaps) about it, going beyond its merits and rhetoric, reaching the heart of Italian enterprise. The introduction by Maurizio Sella, the current president of the Cavalieri del Lavoro National Federation, includes a beautiful sentiment: “Those who have a story feel a strong duty to ensure it continues.”

Famiglia e impresa. Storie di Cavalieri del Lavoro (Family and business. Stories of Cavalieri del Lavoro)

Various authors.

Marsilio, 2022

The latest book by the Cavalieri del Lavoro Federation tells about a production culture that should not be lost

 

Families and enterprises, or, actually, family enterprises. Countless, different, yet all showing the same core features and an entrepreneurial culture that, though in different guises, still perpetuates today. This is the feeling – the message – one gets when reading Famiglia e impresa. Storie di Cavalieri del Lavoro (Family and enterprise. Stories of Cavalieri del Lavoro), which narrates 75 family stories, each one about a ‘Cavaliere del Lavoro’, i.e. a person awarded the Italian Order of Merit for labour. The particular feature of the book is that it collects the stories of entrepreneurial families that were awarded at least two Cavalieri del Lavoro titles. A different yet not restrictive approach, as the 75 stories encompass the whole Italian economic history, from the 19th century to now.

Each one of the 75 family stories included comes with a summary of the entrepreneurial adventure spanning across various generations, from founder to current owner, and this is accompanied by biographical details for all the members of the family who were awarded the merit. Completing the historical picture, and adding a future-oriented perspective, is a contribution by the Cavaliere del Lavoro currently in charge.

Thus, readers can enjoy different stories ranging through virtually all Italian manufacturing sectors. Some are about companies that most people will not be familiar with, while others tell of big businesses and more – naming these brands might create the wrong impression, while reading the introductory essay is a good idea, as it tells how these stories allow us to discover the “true collective identity that has kept together a country that reached unification rather late, torn apart by two world wars and then by terrorism and several economic crises. A country that, without underground resources but only counting on its great enterprising spirit and attitude towards quality work – a real national feature and, certainly not the only one, but one of the longest-lived.” And, further, “Even when all seemed to fall apart, shattered by ruptures and downfalls, its productive heart kept on beating, innovating, transforming, manufacturing. The steel, chemical, food, textile, pharmaceutical, mechanic, banking, shipbuilding, construction, winemaking, liquor industries – the sectors in which these families operate are countless and in constant evolution, adapting to the transforming economy, yet what never changes is their solid and productive nature.”

Thus, these are stories that express Italian corporate culture at its highest level and this is why is worth reading (and even rereading, perhaps) about it, going beyond its merits and rhetoric, reaching the heart of Italian enterprise. The introduction by Maurizio Sella, the current president of the Cavalieri del Lavoro National Federation, includes a beautiful sentiment: “Those who have a story feel a strong duty to ensure it continues.”

Famiglia e impresa. Storie di Cavalieri del Lavoro (Family and business. Stories of Cavalieri del Lavoro)

Various authors.

Marsilio, 2022