Corporate networks – good tools that need good applications
A variable combination of factors determines the impact of corporate relationships
Collaboration as a way to grow together – a notion that, by now, should be pretty much taken for granted, though this is not always the case, due to too many constraints and too many misgivings. Yet, it is the right path to follow. This is the topic examined by Arcangela Ricciardi in her contribution recently published in Quaderni di ricerca sull’artigianato (Research notebooks on craftsmanship).
Entitled “Microimprese e innovazione: il ruolo delle reti d’impresa” (“Microcompanies and innovation: the role of corporate networks”), this research paper is based on an observation: in the past few years, the ability of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in engaging with and managing innovation has been a much-discussed topic of which, however, we still know little about. The question we need to ask is, what are the factors that promote and inhibit innovation in these companies? The aim of Ricciardi’s study is to fill in some of these gaps, starting with the analysis of what happens within corporate networks. In fact, the application of innovation can move through virtuous relationships between production organisations – in other words, those networks could be the most useful strategic tools in igniting the engines of innovation, especially within the specific context of microcompanies.
Ricciardi supported her argument with on-site research, in the form of various semi-structured interviews with microentrepreneurs and managers of Italian networks. The outcome is twofold: on the one hand, we see the potential of networks as drivers of innovation, but, on the other hand, they can also act as barriers to it. This conclusion is only seemingly contradictory, as what makes a difference are the characteristics distinguishing the networks that act on enterprises, which in their turn respond in different ways to their demands. Thus, it is not merely a matter of technology, but also of people, which is tantamount to saying that being part of a network is a good starting point for growth, but it is not the only way to do so.
Microimprese e innovazione: il ruolo delle reti d’impresa (“Microcompanies and innovation: the role of corporate networks”)
Arcangela Ricciardi
Quaderni di ricerca sull’artigianato, Volume 2/2023, May-August
A variable combination of factors determines the impact of corporate relationships
Collaboration as a way to grow together – a notion that, by now, should be pretty much taken for granted, though this is not always the case, due to too many constraints and too many misgivings. Yet, it is the right path to follow. This is the topic examined by Arcangela Ricciardi in her contribution recently published in Quaderni di ricerca sull’artigianato (Research notebooks on craftsmanship).
Entitled “Microimprese e innovazione: il ruolo delle reti d’impresa” (“Microcompanies and innovation: the role of corporate networks”), this research paper is based on an observation: in the past few years, the ability of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in engaging with and managing innovation has been a much-discussed topic of which, however, we still know little about. The question we need to ask is, what are the factors that promote and inhibit innovation in these companies? The aim of Ricciardi’s study is to fill in some of these gaps, starting with the analysis of what happens within corporate networks. In fact, the application of innovation can move through virtuous relationships between production organisations – in other words, those networks could be the most useful strategic tools in igniting the engines of innovation, especially within the specific context of microcompanies.
Ricciardi supported her argument with on-site research, in the form of various semi-structured interviews with microentrepreneurs and managers of Italian networks. The outcome is twofold: on the one hand, we see the potential of networks as drivers of innovation, but, on the other hand, they can also act as barriers to it. This conclusion is only seemingly contradictory, as what makes a difference are the characteristics distinguishing the networks that act on enterprises, which in their turn respond in different ways to their demands. Thus, it is not merely a matter of technology, but also of people, which is tantamount to saying that being part of a network is a good starting point for growth, but it is not the only way to do so.
Microimprese e innovazione: il ruolo delle reti d’impresa (“Microcompanies and innovation: the role of corporate networks”)
Arcangela Ricciardi
Quaderni di ricerca sull’artigianato, Volume 2/2023, May-August