An examination of the relationship between working age and organisational change reveals relationships that are different from the usual

The future is built on both the present and the past. It is a question of experience, of tried and tested practices, of knowledge that is the heritage of the organisation and of the society in which it operates. This applies to businesses as well as social systems. A condition that, it must be stressed, must be welcomed with caution: the past and the present should not prevail over the future, i.e. the desire to do new and different things.

These are the concepts on which Giancarlo Lauto and Gouya Harirchi base their argument in “Quando il cambiamento passa dalla vecchia guardia: come guidare le reazioni degli addetti esperti all’introduzione del lean management” (When change comes from the old guard: how to guide expert staff reaction to the introduction of lean management) a paper featured in a recent issue of Prospettive in organizzazione from the Italian Association of Business Organisation.

In particular, the two scholars focus on the relationship between change and the seniority of the people who have to face it. All in all, it is a fascinating subject because it also deals with generational change in companies, the transfer of knowledge and professionalism within organisations.

Contrary to stereotypes, even senior employees can contribute to the effective introduction of lean management. This is Lauto and Harirchi’s thesis, but they explain that it is necessary for the company to implement a coherent set of human resource management practices, in particular training, and to promote behaviours that actively support change. In other words, if the future is to belong to everyone, everyone must be able to contribute to it and benefit from it.

It is worth reading Giancarlo Lauto and Gouya Harirchi’s research, which sheds light on one of the most controversial but important aspects of good corporate culture.

Quando il cambiamento passa dalla vecchia guardia: come guidare le reazioni degli addetti esperti all’introduzione del lean management

Giancarlo Lauto, Gouya Harirchi

In Prospettive in organizzazione, Journal of the Italian Association of Business Organisation, 28/2025

A Collection of Iconographic Testimonies from Our Historical Archive on the Intense Bond between Pirelli and Urban Culture

Pirelli, the City, a Vision. In this third chapter of our story about the intense relationship between Pirelli and the city, we explore the realm of visual communication. Through photography and advertising campaigns, the company shows itself and its products as part of an urban landscape filled with meaning.

In “Pirelli, the City, a Vision”, the first article in this analysis, we saw how the bond between Pirelli and the city of Milan became a defining feature of the company’s identity, with “Milano” becoming part of the name of both the company and its products, “leaving a mark on the creation of its history and imagery”. The next step—which we examine here—is the integration of the image of the city into the company’s visual communication, beginning with depictions of its factories. The Milan plants, in particular, are shown as part of the urban setting, as we see in the poster for the installation of the Museo Storico delle Industrie Pirelli. Created by Domenico Bonamini, it appeared as Lo stabilimento di Milano-città (“The Factory in the City of Milan”) and was made to celebrate Pirelli’s fiftieth anniversary in 1922.

As for the visual communication of products, it was in the 1950s that the city became a co-star in many advertising campaigns. These were times of rapid urban transformation, driven by industrialisation and a surge in urbanisation—a theme we previously explored on our website in “Pirelli and the City of the Future”. Against this backdrop, Pirelli products—especially tyres and clothing—were reimagined as essential items for city life. A notable example is a 1950 photograph taken in the Piazza del Duomo in Milan for an advertisement featuring Pirelli’s raincoat for traffic wardens. In 1952, Franco Grignani’s advertisement for the Pirelli Stelvio tyre paired a picture of a city with the concept of safety: “Stelvio, the tyre that holds the road”. In 1957, Erberto Carboni’s advertising campaign for the Rolle Stelvio Cinturato tyre presented a message that combined the concept of travelling by car with that of city tourism, highlighting the comfort of urban exploration: “Milan is not just business—it has a hidden history”.

The 1960s brought splendid new imagery with the Pirelli Confezioni catalogues. Some of the finest pictures were Ugo Mulas’s iconic photographs for the La Moda e il Grattacielo catalogue of 1959, designed by Bob Noorda, which captured breath-taking views of Milan as the Pirelli Tower and its construction site were reshaping the city’s skyline. The Pirelli Confezioni 1961-62 catalogue flew to Paris, with shots like the one for Women’s waterproof coat, Dora line, which embodies the style, the elegance and the spirit of Paris.

Moving on to look at the 1970s and to the audio-visual section of our Historical Archive, we find a series of Carosello television commercials called “La nostra vita sulle strade” (Our Life on the Roads), directed by Roberto Gavioli. These 1-minute-and-50-second commercials generally show paradoxical situations on the roads, or in our case on city streets, with a fair dose of humour. Here, the city emerges in its most chaotic form, with Pirelli tyres solving problems and easing complexities.

The link between Pirelli, its products, and urban life becomes increasingly evident—not only in terms of practicality and safety but also in terms of style, both aesthetic and as a way of life.

By the 1990s, the city had taken on new meaning in Pirelli’s first global campaign, the award-winning “Power is nothing without control” campaign by Young & Rubicam. In the iconic 1995 commercial featuring Carl Lewis, the most recognisable landmarks of New York provide a dramatic backdrop for the action. Later versions introduced other metropolises, such as Rio de Janeiro, with an unforgettable Ronaldo standing atop the Corcovado, taking the place of Christ the Redeemer. We had entered the era of globalisation: cities once again took centre stage, as symbols of interconnectedness, hubs in a vast global network, and settings where relationships were forged, such as those between businesses and creatives in the world of graphics, design and photography.

On 4 March, the Pirelli Foundation devoted a workshop to this relationship, which has been very much alive for over 150 years, under the title: “Design, Visual Communication, and the City: Promoting Company Archives” for high schools, academies and universities, as part of the Milano MuseoCity 2025 initiative. It was an opportunity to examine the rich iconographic and documentary heritage of a company that has transformed communication into a history of art and of the city, exploring urban customs and lifestyles with a vision of modernity that balances functionality and aesthetic research.

The 2025 edition of “Cinema & Storia” has drawn to a close. This free training and refresher course for secondary school teachers, on the theme of Italy by Bicycle: Industrial Modernity, Political and Social Conflicts, and Artistic Visions, welcomed around 200 teachers from across Italy this year. Organised by the Pirelli Foundation and Fondazione ISEC, and now in its thirteenth edition, the course started its new partnership with Cineteca di Bologna, whose selection of films—made available to teachers via streaming—accompanied the six online events and an in-person visit to the Pirelli Foundation.
The history lectures explored the multifaceted role of the bicycle: a product of industrial modernity, a symbol of freedom and an object of desire, as well as a mass-market item that resonates with the most diverse cultures, and a tool for sustainable mobility. This humble mode of transport brings with it an extraordinary history, making it a useful subject for classroom discussions.

Each session opened with “Tales from the Archive,” a brief reflection on the historical treasures preserved by the Pirelli Foundation. Through a selection of documents linked to this year’s theme, the teachers explored artefacts ranging from a commemorative postcard celebrating the first Giro d’Italia in 1909 to snapshots of the Gran Premio Pirelli at the Vigorelli Velodrome. There were vintage advertising campaigns for Pirelli bicycle tyres—created by graphic design legends such as Lora Lamm and Massimo Vignelli—and photos tracing the evolution of cycling culture in Italy.

The course opened with a speech by Raimonda Riccini, a design historian, who explored the symbolic universe of the bicycle, a means of transport that has left a profound mark on art and advertising. The teachers were taken on a journey through the rich iconography that has placed the bicycle firmly in the popular imagination, both aesthetically and culturally.
The animated film The Triplets of Belleville by Sylvain Chomet took participants on a whimsical journey through the stages of the Tour de France, following the misadventures of Madame Souza and her nephew Champion, from Marseille to the fictional megalopolis of Belleville. Bursting with witty references and bright ideas, the film is remarkable for its meticulous animation and memorable characters.

Eleonora Belloni, professor of Contemporary History at the University of Siena, analysed over a century of cycling mobility in Italy: a struggle to claim public spaces that accompanied Italy’s long journey towards modernisation, challenging evolving visions of progress and democracy along the way.
Post-war Italy, caught between the scars of conflict and the promise of rebirth, took centre stage in Bicycle Thieves, the neorealist masterpiece by Vittorio De Sica and Cesare Zavattini. This timeless classic won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 1950.

The third session, led by Francesca Tacchi, associate professor of Contemporary History at the University of Florence, examined the complex relationship between women and bicycles: from the late nineteenth century to the crucial role of partisan couriers during the Liberation struggle, through to the rise of women’s cycling in the 1960s and the first Giro Donne in 1988.
Three stories, each representing a stage in a woman’s life in Iran, took centre stage in The Day I Became a Woman by Marzieh Meshkini, a cornerstone of Iranian feminist cinema. In the second episode, in particular, the bicycle—on which the protagonist Ahoo is determined to take part in a cycling race—becomes the symbol of a gruelling struggle against the patriarchy.

The theme of the connection between bicycles and political history was examined in a lecture by Stefano Pivato, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Urbino Carlo Bo. His investigation traced the role of the bicycle as a vehicle of consensus and a tool for shaping national identity, from the late nineteenth century through to the Second World War and into the post-war period, a time marked by the legendary rivalry between Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali.
A selection of films from the Cineteca di Bologna archive offered a unique glimpse into the society, customs, and atmospheres of the various historical periods. These ranged from the dawn of cinema—with the first film by the Lumière brothers—to the Fascist propaganda of the early 1940s, when the bicycle became not just for leisure, but also a sporting icon and a symbol of heroic accomplishments.

The fifth lecture, delivered by the essayist and historian Mimmo Franzinelli, shone a spotlight on Italy’s great cycling races—the Milano-Sanremo, the Giro di Lombardia, and, of course, the Giro d’Italia—underscoring the importance of Milan as an economic and organisational hub, while also tracing a cultural history of the sport, complete with news, iconic champions, passionate fans, and fierce rivalries.
How does one capture the adrenaline-fuelled atmosphere of these competitions on film? Director Jørgen Leth answers this question with A Sunday in Hell, a sports documentary that quickly became a classic in the genre. The film chronicles the 1976 Paris-Roubaix, from the tense moments before the start to the emotional interviews after the finish.

The teachers also had a chance to find out about Pirelli’s longstanding connection to the world of cycling when they visited the Pirelli Foundation. The exhibition The Sports Workshop: Team Work, Research, Technology, Passion and Social Value and the company’s Historical Archive unveiled a wealth of documents, original sketches, photographs, and advertising prints.

The course concluded with Riding the Seventh Art: A Cinematic Journey on Two Wheels, a session held by Simone Fratini of Schermi e Lavagne, the Educational Department of Cineteca di Bologna. This final meeting offered a sweeping overview of the symbolic and narrative role of the bicycle in the iconic films and beloved characters of the cinema. The bicycle has not only shaped cinematic aesthetics and the language of cinema for it has also become a key element in the development of the plot, as well as an emblem of freedom, growth, social struggle and adventure.

15 April is National Made in Italy Day, established by the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy to celebrate Italian creativity and excellence. The day highlights the social role and contribution of the Made in Italy brand to the country’s economic and cultural development, emphasising its rich heritage and inspiring the public to promote and protect the value and distinctive qualities of Italian craftsmanship and products. It also aims to encourage young people to pursue artisanal and creative professions linked to the tradition of Italian manufacturing.

To celebrate this occasion, the Pirelli Foundation and the Pirelli Cycling factory in Bollate are offering university students guided tours of the Pirelli facility in Milano Bollate, where “Made in Italy” bicycle tyres are produced. These top-of-the-range tyres are made on a highly automated production line, using cutting-edge technologies. These systems ensure the highest standards not only of product quality but also of workplace safety and environmental sustainability. The students will have a chance to see up close how tyres are made in all the various stages of production. They will also be able to follow the industrial transformations from the past to the present in an exhibition that tells the story of how the company—which was founded 153 years ago but which has never ceased to look to the future—has made and continues to make the history of the Made in Italy brand across the world.

The event is free of charge and will take place on 15 April at the Pirelli plant in Via S. Bernardo, 91, Bollate.

The universities will need to arrange transportation to and from the factory.

The visit will last approximately an hour and a half, with two available slots at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

To sign up for the event, please write to the Pirelli Foundation at scuole@fondazonepirelli.org by 21 March 2025.

“North North”, writes Marco Belpoliti in a book just published by Einaudi, to talk about a world that is not just a geographical place (“… it evades our every attempt to reach it… the North that the compass now shows me is relative, it is not absolute”), but above all has a cultural, economic and social dimension. In Italy, it has a specific connotation, both geological, between the Alps and the valleys that descend from them, and naturalistic (certain animals, certain trees, even if the “palm line” identified by Leonardo Sciascia, with botanical and, above all, anthropological criteria, reaches it). And it is located between the industrious Brianza, the open city of Milan, Pavia and Bergamo and the plain crossed by the course of the Po and its tributaries, including “that great piece of Emilia, land of communists, motor cars, music, beautiful games, rich cuisine and classy Italians” so well described by Edmondo Berselli (in a book published by Mondadori in 2004, to be read and reread).

A North that lives on productive economy and culture. And it is still marked by the traces of great intellectuals such as Carlo Emilio Gadda, Alberto Arbasino and Mario Dondero, Ugo Mulas, Enzo Mari, Arnaldo Pomodoro and Gabriele Basilico, the artists of Bar Jamaica who were fascinated by Giancarlo Fusco in the 1960s, and two Sicilian “great Lombards”, Ferdinando Scianna and Vincenzo Consolo, at Vittorini, amidst melancholy, civic lessons and design skills. A North that is both very European and Mediterranean.

Here, devoting time to the delightful pages of Belpoliti (and also to the ironic and far-sighted pages of Berselli, who died too soon and too painfully) also means finding original ways to interpret the tensions, passions and hopes that characterise the most economically dynamic part of Italy and which, despite everything, are the cornerstones of any process of sustainable economic and social development of the entire country system. Because the North is, among other things, ingenuity, industry, work, change, the quest for well-being, the desire for innovation, but also the capacity for social integration, the civic spirit, the positive myth of progress, sophisticated cultural, humanistic and scientific research. A sense of history and an inclination for innovation in the broadest sense of the word. A taste for beauty and a passion for new technology. The North of Leonardo da Vinci, Leon Battista Alberti and Galileo. Of Giulio Natta and the Futurists. Reformist mayors, entrepreneurs and managers (Olivetti, Pirelli, Agnelli, Falck, Mattei, Borghi, Luraghi, etc.), who wrote the finest pages of the “civilisation of machines”, in which our competitiveness and therefore our economic and social development are still rooted today.

Beyond remembrance, in such difficult and controversial times, there is also a sense of unease that needs to be addressed. The unease of the so-called “GDP party”, to which Dario Di Vico has once again drawn attention (Il Foglio, 8 March). We fear the impact of the tariffs threatened by US President Donald Trump and discreetly invite European politicians to do the right maths, from our point of view, not only on the trade balance, but above all on the monetary and financial balance, reminding Washington of the American advantages of having the dollar as the main trading currency, for attracting European capital to Wall Street and for the positive impact of all digital transactions.

There are also complaints here in the north about the ongoing industrial crisis, which is closely linked to the decline of the German economy and the price European countries are paying for geopolitical tensions fuelled by the US, China and Russia. And there is a need for a real forward-looking EU industrial policy, consisting of a single market, investment in innovation, lower energy costs and smart cuts in regulatory and bureaucratic excesses. EU security and defence policy must also be seen in this context: common investments, a common strategy. The outdated and negative policy of forced unanimity and the blackmail of individual countries’ “vetoes” must be overcome quickly and effectively.

The “GDP party” and above all Confindustria (Confederation of Italian Industry) chaired by Emanuele Orsini have given a wide berth to Giorgia Meloni’s government. Now, in addition to an EU response on tariffs, they are calling for adequate recovery measures to go beyond declarations of good intentions: a three-year investment plan and tax measures, for example. They are alarmed by what “La Stampa” calls “Failure 5.0” (11 March), namely the difficulty of obtaining incentives for the green and digital transition and the transfer of funds earmarked for other purposes. They are insisting on corporate tax relief for those who invest. And they are pushing for measures to help the sectors most in difficulty, from the car industry (without deluding themselves that they have the answers from the transition to war production) to clothing.

Those who know the industrial areas well and share the mood, projects and concerns of women and men entrepreneurs know that in recent months, alongside the fears of a prolonged crisis, there has been a certain desire for recovery and revival, a strong European pride and therefore a growing demand for public authorities (European, national, but also the most sensitive local authorities, starting with municipalities such as Milan, Bergamo and Brescia and the Lombardy Region) to put industrial issues at the centre of attention. Not to demand protection or corporate and nationalist safeguards. But not to dissipate the legacy of competitiveness and productivity that most northern companies have built up over the years, thanks to investment and attention to innovation, quality and sustainability. Also in the interest of the whole country.

With industry at the centre, we hear from Trento’s industrialists during the celebrations for the eightieth anniversary of Confindustria Trentino. Strengthen industrial supply chains, argues Assolombarda. Giving companies the tools to increase productivity and competitiveness is a priority in Turin, which after the car crisis is looking to strengthen new sectors, starting with aerospace.

In Emilia-Romagna and the north-east, the “Made in Italy” label is once again in the spotlight, with less emphasis on picturesque craftsmanship and “typical” products. As for the most advanced technologies, the focus is on an original mix of industrial production capacity and high-tech services for companies. Mechatronics and mechanics. Robotics. Chemicals, rubber and pharmaceuticals. Space Economy and shipbuilding. With all the connected technologies.

A productive choice. But also a strong idea of Italy’s presence in the world. Knowing full well that those who do not have a competitive industry do not count on the world’s balance sheet. And therefore are not the agents of their own future.

The industrial horizon fits into the context of Europe’s defence. And democracy. Think not just of a square with EU flags, but of a factory, a market, a financial terminal, a university classroom or the ITS research institute. The history of a North where, around the factory, ideas and achievements about citizenship, participation, work and welfare have matured. And where the reforms are mature enough to continue to combine freedom and enterprise, the rights of citizens and the needs of a balanced society. Ideas at the heart of democratic Europe. And that is our civil life. And hopefully our future.

In a network of relationships, in a system of connections. And infrastructure. Mediterranean and European, in fact. Highways, ports, airports, logistics centres, knowledge and training centres. And Leonardo, the great supercomputing centre that, from Bologna, can act as a reference for all the country’s major industrialisation sectors, providing the means to use the data necessary for artificial intelligence.

We might call this North North. Or some other name. But we know that Europe’s strength lies in North-South relations as much as in East-West relations. In new maps of political and trade relations, in which Europe, in dialogue, must be able to assert its primacy. Economic, but also and above all cultural and civil.

The story of Nuovo Pignone told through innovation and people

An industrial adventure with more than 180 years of history that continues to this day. It is the story of Pignone di Firenze, which, under various names, has existed since 1842. Reading about the history of this company is instructive and interesting. And this is possible, at least for the most recent part of its history, with Michele Stangarone’s book “Nuovo Pignone 1954-1999. Un’entusiasmante storia tecnica. Da Firenze all’Italia al mondo” (A fascinating technical history. From Florence to Italy to the world) published a few months ago.

It all began, as has been said, in 1842, when the Pignone foundry began its activity in Florence, on the south bank of the Arno, and in more than a century it became one of the largest Florentine manufacturing companies, integrated into the industrial and working fabric of the city. At the end of the Second World War, however, Pignone faced a serious restructuring crisis and was on the verge of closure. However, a major collective mobilisation and government intervention ended with Eni’s acquisition of Enrico Mattei and the birth of Nuovo Pignone. This is where Stangarone’s book begins.

This text covers some of the milestones in the technical history of the company, real turning points that radically changed its course from 1954 to 1999. In particular, the book covers the entire management of Eni (1954-94) and the beginning of the subsequent management of the American General Electric.

What Michele Stangarone has written is the thrilling story of a gamble, a gamble that, in a few decades, has seen a company rise from almost nothing to a position of excellence, bringing work and prestige to Italy and the world. The book – full of photos – explains everything step by step, innovation by innovation.

Nuovo Pignone 1954-1999. Un’entusiasmante storia tecnica. Da Firenze all’Italia al mondo

Michele Stangarone

Giunti Editore, 2024

Original research from the Bank of Italy explores centuries-old legacies that still matter today

History teaches us, including in management and business culture. And in innovation. These are not dusty relics of the past, but important legacies that still leave their mark, perhaps centuries later. This is the understanding you get when you read the fascinating research piece “Inventrici: l’eredità delle corporazioni medievali” (Inventors: the legacy of medieval corporations) by Sabrina Di Addario, Michela Giorcelli and Agata Maida hosted by the Bank of Italy series Discussion Topics.
The research takes its cue from an observation: the proportion of women inventors is significantly lower than that of men. Starting from this fact, the authors of the study try to verify whether the low propensity of women with patents in Italy is related to the historical conception of the role of women in society, measured by their presence among the founders of companies in the Middle Ages. Using history, therefore, as a tool for understanding the present. Including in innovation.
The analysis then uses data on corporations from the Central State Archives and administrative data on employers and employees as well as data from the European Patent Office.
The results show that the Italian provinces which had a higher proportion of women among the founders of medieval companies are those which today have a higher proportion of female inventors and a more intense female patenting activity. And that’s not all: estimates also show that these same provinces now have a higher percentage of female graduates, especially from STEM schools, and a higher participation of women in the labour market.
The analysis carried out by Sabrina Di Addario, Michela Giorcelli and Agata Maida helps to understand a particular aspect of the life of companies and regions, an important factor today, but one which has its roots in the past.

Inventrici: l’eredità delle corporazioni medievali
Sabrina Di Admario, Michela Giorcelli, Agata Maida
Bank of Italy, Discussion Topics No. 1480, March 2025

We need anniversaries, ceremonies and symbolic gestures. Without International Women’s Day on 8 March, how else could we publish the statistics which show that, despite considerable progress, Italy is still last in Europe in terms of the percentage of women in employment, at 53.5%, just below the EU average of 69.3% (in the south a disgraceful 34%). And what would motivate us to include the word “femicide” among the most heinous crimes in the criminal code. It may be a symbolic gesture, but naming a street after Luana D’Orazio, a worker who was crushed to death by a machine in a textile factory in Montemurlo (Prato) in May 1921, in contravention of safety regulations, “is a symbol of all deaths at work.” Without this anniversary, how would we know that the number of female rectors is increasing (there are 17 in 85 universities), with the leading Italian university city, Milan, boasting some “magnificent” women in its five universities (Statale, Politecnico, Bicocca, Cattolica and Iulm), as well as in the nearby Liuc of Castellanza, Varese and probably Pavia. How would we publish research (Il Sole24Ore, 8 March) documenting “the map of women at the top, from institutions to finance: more than ever before” and stressing that in schools “eight out of ten teachers are women” and therefore perhaps “the culture can change”.

In short, to use Wislawa Szymborska‘s poetic words, it’s a good thing to “carve bold words in stone”. But we should also listen to those who keep warning us: like Francesca Paci in “La Stampa”, “Dear men, more facts, less mimosas”, a reference to the mimosa flower traditionally given to women on 8 March as a symbol of the women’s movement. And we should heed the lesson that “every beginning is only a continuation” (another quote from Szymborska, the Polish Nobel Prize winner), with the understanding that there are battles to be fought, social and civil conquests to be achieved and then defended, values of equality and respect to be shared more and more.

Anniversaries, commemorations, celebrations and symbolic gestures serve precisely to reinforce, with the power of ritual, a longstanding commitment to give substance to the rights of equality and participation, to put into practice, here in Italy, the Constitution‘s dictates on equality and on the opportunity of every person to be a citizen and to assert their dreams and legitimate needs, and to guarantee, with each generational change, to the young people entering civil life, adequate opportunities for a better future.

It is therefore important to recognise that more and more women are breaking through the “glass ceiling” of gender discrimination and reaching the top of institutions, associations, companies, cultural and scientific structures (the Golfo-Mosca law on “pink quotas” has had a positive stimulating effect, gradually giving way to selection based on merit). But now we need to broaden our horizons to achieve ever greater equality. Starting from the world of economics and work, but above all from a political assessment of the need for ever greater and better participation by women in all the processes of life in the community, of active and responsible citizenship.

After the darkness of Fascism and the horrors of the racist laws and the war, women became the cornerstone of the life of the Republic at a time of extraordinary political innovation. They were finally able to stand and vote in the referendum on the choice between the Republic and the Monarchy and in the Constituent Assembly of 1946 (for a better understanding, it is worth reading “C’è ancora domani” (Tomorrow is still there) by Paola Cortellesi and “Le madri della Costituzione” (The mothers of the constitution) by Eliana Di Caro, published by IlSole24Ore). The electorate finally coincided with the entire population of voting age. An incomprehensible and unjust discrimination ended. Women became fully-fledged citizens with rights and duties.

Over time, the implementation of the Constitution has meant, and still means, the full implementation of Article 3, which states that “it is the duty of the Republic to remove the economic and social obstacles which, by limiting the freedom and equality of citizens, impede the full development of the human person and the effective participation of all workers in the political, economic and social organisation of the country”.

Checking the level of implementation of Article 3 could be a good parameter to measure, every 8 March, not only the path of equality, but also the state of health of democratic participation in the life and future of Italy.

A path to be followed, promoted and built upon.

In fact, ISTAT, INPS and CNEL statistics (“More educated, less paid”, La Stampa, 7 March; “Eight million unemployed women, the wealth we are wasting”, la Repubblica, 7 March) document that, beyond the formal equality of salaries and careers, women face an uphill struggle, especially after the birth of their first child. Part-time work, less mobility, less willingness to invest in careers and the obligation to take on more family responsibilities than men create a gap in pay and career opportunities. And this gap is often never closed.

In short, there is still much to be done to reduce and then eliminate gender differences in work, pay, rights and, why not? power. This requires a positive process to create better economic and social balance. As Chiara Saraceno, one of the most authoritative Italian sociologists, confirms: “The growth rate of working women is half that of men; motherhood continues to weigh heavily. And reducing the gender gap is not just a question of equality, but of the economic sustainability of the country” (La Stampa, 6 March).

In an Italy that is experiencing a worrying “demographic winter”, policy and investment choices on issues such as labour force participation, family and childcare services, housing, health, support for training and innovation in the broad sense (economic and social, not just technological) are crucial, both from the point of view of sustainable development and, above all, from the point of view of the defence and growth of democracy. Let’s look again at Article 3 of the Constitution from the integrated perspective of women and men.

The issue is also important from a purely economic point of view. “The best way to have a strong economy is to unlock the full potential of women in our workforce,” writes Sheryl Sandberg, former director of Meta (Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook and Instagram empire), in the Financial Times (reprinted by Il Foglio, 8 March). This is the choice of womenomics as a growth strategy. But it is also an indicator not only of quantity, but above all of quality, and therefore of the equity of development.

Italy itself, with its unique business culture, is the perfect example of this. Our “industrial humanism”, which characterises the most competitive companies in international markets and those most deeply rooted in the country’s “polytechnic culture” of memory and innovation, is based on the synthesis of humanistic and scientific knowledge. And a lack of inclusion is a contradiction in terms. Experience in business management also shows that women are able to express specific qualities that are fundamental in the era of the primacy of the “knowledge economy” and the multidisciplinary approach that is essential for the management of artificial intelligence.

Thinking about the role and responsibility of women therefore means not only having the ability to improve the general social situation by improving the female situation, but above all having an intellectual and cultural universe, a sensitivity and a pragmatic ability to solve problems for that general “paradigm shift” that has been talked about for some time and that affects the productive economy, civil life, the sphere of rights and duties and welfare. In short, the whole of our democracy.

(Photo Getty Images)

A new study has just been published that attempts to bring order to the complex issue of the relationship between people, business organisation and new technologies

Culture and technology, and therefore new technologies and innovation, are also essential within companies. These are roads that need to be explored carefully. Starting from an observation: corporate culture plays a key role in the success of any organisation. This observation may seem almost banal today, but in fact it is by no means a matter of course.

This is the premise of “Corporate Culture as a Formula for Company Success in the Digital Economy”, a study published by Ashot Khachaturyan that attempts to summarise a complex and evolving issue such as the relationship between corporate culture, business results and the perception of the same inside and outside the walls of factories and offices.

In addressing the issue, Khachaturyan stresses that the importance of creating and maintaining a healthy corporate culture cannot be overstated, as it has a direct impact on employee motivation, work productivity and the overall success of the company. And how corporate culture is always a unique priority for each company. The goal of a widespread corporate culture can only be achieved after many years and is now being driven forward by the digitalisation of processes.

According to Khachaturyan, the digital economy is not just a major technological breakthrough, but also the creation of a new culture, values and behavioural norms. In other words, the “digital model” presupposes the existence of cognitive, social and behavioural skills, as well as technological ones, that challenge everything that the corporate organisation has built up to date.

The merit of Ashot Khachaturyan’s research lies in his attempt to bring order to something that is not only complex but also rapidly changing, forcing a constant questioning of principles and patterns of action.

Corporate Culture as a Formula for Company Success in the Digital Economy

Ashot Khachaturyan

Scientific Research Books, 2025

A history book is a good read to help grow a good production culture

Learn about what happened in the past in order to act better in the present while thinking about the future. A wise approach for everyone, including those who run a business. Indeed, it is part of a good corporate culture not to forget the past – one’s own organisation and the context in which it operates – to work better in the present. This is why history books should also be on the reading list of every good entrepreneur and manager. This also applies to “L’Italia repubblicana. Un profilo storico dal 1946 ad oggi” (Republican Italy. A historical profile from 1946 to today), co-authored by Salvatore Mura and Albertina Vittoria, to be published in the next few days.

Mura and Vittoria start with an observation: in the history of republican Italy we find the roots of the weakness of politics and institutions, the causes of the regional differences between the North and the South of the country, the intellectual climate that accompanied the social transformations. The history of the country in the aftermath of the Second World War, conditioned by a series of internal and external constraints, a complex history with many avenues that must be explored simultaneously to get an accurate picture of what happened. To explain all this history, the book adopts a perspective that is not only political, nor only economic, but also focuses on cultural processes, the role of the mass media, the struggles for civil and political rights, immigration, discrimination, the limited presence of women in institutions and at work.

The reading offered by the two authors begins with the post-war period and the reconstruction, but immediately moves on to the beginning of the Cold War, and then on to the years of economic boom, social reforms and economic growth, which then define two Italies and a society in transition. Mura and Vittoria therefore take into account the great economic and social movements of the sixties to arrive at the great problems of the eighties and then at what is defined as “another era”: the end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first. The book ends with an account of more recent events: the pandemic season, its aftermath, the phenomenon of large-scale migration.

The value of Salvatore Mura and Albertina Vittoria’s book is rightly noted in the opening pages: “This book is indeed a portrait of the past, but it also aims to be a tool for understanding the present.” One of the most powerful quotes in the book is from Marc Bloch, one of the fathers of contemporary history: “Misunderstanding of the present is the inevitable consequence of ignorance of the past.”

L’Italia repubblicana. Un profilo storico dal 1946 ad oggi

Salvatore Mura, Albertina Vittoria

Carocci editore, 2025