Smart working. What are the effects and what the constraints?
A thesis discussed at the Politecnico di Torino substantiates the usefulness of smart working in small enterprises
A radical change in the way we work, which has recently affected many companies – in Italy, too. A consequence of the COVID-19 effect, of course, yet one that has nonetheless found fertile ground in which to grow and that has led to the discovery of new working modes that had previously been ignored, just like smart working. Now that we are past the initial shock, however, we need to question not only the right ways to deal with this mode, but also its genuine impact on individual enterprises and in general. This is what Claudio Camillo tried to achieve with his thesis entitled Analisi degli effetti dello Smart Working sulla produttività delle PMI Italiane (Analysis of the effects of smart working on the productivity of Italian SMEs), discussed at the Politecnico di Torino, as part of the Master’s degree in Management Engineering.
Camillo immediately states the two-fold aim of his investigation: “To shed light on the phenomenon of smart working and to assess the impact of smart working on the productivity levels of Italian SMEs in 2020.”
He then goes on to describe the phenomenon of smart working, analysing its main peculiarities, its similarities and differences with other modes of flexible work, and its propagation during the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. The analysis then focuses on the related existing literature, paying particular attention to the perspective of companies and employees, and to the psychological factors that may affect the latter. Subsequently, Camillo attempts to pinpoint the positive and negative aspects of smart working in the vast body of writing that has been produced. Finally, the third section of this study centres on practical examples, illustrating the results obtained by a research group comprising students from the Politecnico di Torino and the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of Milan.
The main conclusion arising from this analysis is that smart working has a positive effect on business productivity. Of course, to better understand and, above all, to better compare working practices, one should really “go and check out” each single company. Nonetheless, Camillo’s work shows how a path can be carved – albeit with care – and how it could lead us to a more evolved production culture (where feasible) able to conciliate the needs of businesses with those of their employees.
Analisi degli effetti dello Smart Working sulla produttività delle PMI Italiane (Analysis of the effects of smart working on the productivity of Italian SMEs)
Claudio Camillo
Thesis, Politecnico di Torino, Master’s Degree in Management Engineering, 2021
A thesis discussed at the Politecnico di Torino substantiates the usefulness of smart working in small enterprises
A radical change in the way we work, which has recently affected many companies – in Italy, too. A consequence of the COVID-19 effect, of course, yet one that has nonetheless found fertile ground in which to grow and that has led to the discovery of new working modes that had previously been ignored, just like smart working. Now that we are past the initial shock, however, we need to question not only the right ways to deal with this mode, but also its genuine impact on individual enterprises and in general. This is what Claudio Camillo tried to achieve with his thesis entitled Analisi degli effetti dello Smart Working sulla produttività delle PMI Italiane (Analysis of the effects of smart working on the productivity of Italian SMEs), discussed at the Politecnico di Torino, as part of the Master’s degree in Management Engineering.
Camillo immediately states the two-fold aim of his investigation: “To shed light on the phenomenon of smart working and to assess the impact of smart working on the productivity levels of Italian SMEs in 2020.”
He then goes on to describe the phenomenon of smart working, analysing its main peculiarities, its similarities and differences with other modes of flexible work, and its propagation during the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. The analysis then focuses on the related existing literature, paying particular attention to the perspective of companies and employees, and to the psychological factors that may affect the latter. Subsequently, Camillo attempts to pinpoint the positive and negative aspects of smart working in the vast body of writing that has been produced. Finally, the third section of this study centres on practical examples, illustrating the results obtained by a research group comprising students from the Politecnico di Torino and the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of Milan.
The main conclusion arising from this analysis is that smart working has a positive effect on business productivity. Of course, to better understand and, above all, to better compare working practices, one should really “go and check out” each single company. Nonetheless, Camillo’s work shows how a path can be carved – albeit with care – and how it could lead us to a more evolved production culture (where feasible) able to conciliate the needs of businesses with those of their employees.
Analisi degli effetti dello Smart Working sulla produttività delle PMI Italiane (Analysis of the effects of smart working on the productivity of Italian SMEs)
Claudio Camillo
Thesis, Politecnico di Torino, Master’s Degree in Management Engineering, 2021