Innovation and You

Reflexions on the relationship between innovation and change and the urgent need

to tackle the real problems of Italian small and medium enterprises through a new

paradigm that puts collaboration and cooperation at the heart of the process of

innovation.

by

Maureen Kelsey

Contribution of Italian ISTAT data by

Paola De Vecchi Galbiati

We live in accelerated times when innovations like youtube, facebook and twitter in something like the blink of the eyes revolutionized the way we communicate and behave, made an unknown woman an overnight international singing sensation and generated 21,000 RSVPs to a 15th birthday party using facebook invitations.

At the same time we face diminishing resources, overcrowded markets, an economic system in the throes of change, to some as yet undetermined new form, massive job loss, declining standards of living within the traditional industrial powers and increased racial tensions that destabilize society.

Usually, we think about what we want to do and then how can we fund it when really the most important question is:  how do we maximize our efforts and expand our impact to convert good intentions into real positive change for the better?

A powerful example is the American national project “Stand Up to Cancer” (SU2C) that has dramatically changed the scientists from competition to collaboration and has transformed attitudes and behaviors from the labs to the patient within 2 years.

“The manifesto —This is where the end of cancer begins. When together we become a force unmistakable. A movement undeniable. A light that cannot dim. When we take our wild impossible dreams and make them possible. Make them true when together we rise as one when we stand up. When we Stand Up To Cancer.

SU2C engaged and energized the public and key stakeholders using these cancer-related statistics:

Ending cancer would be worth $50 trillion to the US economy.

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One out of two men and one out of three women will be diagnosed with cancer.

1,500 Americans die from cancer every day.

One American dies of cancer every minute.

There are nearly 11 million cancer survivors in America right now.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stand_Up_to_Cancer#The_initiative (link should be underneath “Stand Up to Cancer”)

This is an example of how it is possible to deeply change and in a brief timeframe a large health care system approach to cancer in which operates an infinity of diverse interests. Starting from a strong motivation for change, people coming from various backgrounds took part in this endeavor, and because of their common strong desire for improvement participated in process innovation, redesigning roles and relationships between doctor and patient and between scientific research and application in the field.

The collaboration and cooperation were fundamental pillars on which the innovation and improved health system approach to cancer were based. The individuals of varied backgrounds involved in this project (family, patients, survivors, oncologists, financiers, etc) had and still have a common interest that prevails over personal or a particular special interest.

Therefore, one can see that the collaborative approach, the research and definition of common interests have been given recognition as a priority with a respect to individual interests. This approach could be extended to the observation of other realities and other resolutions of other problems.

Let's look at the macro economic data on small and medium Italian enterprises—the backbone and engine of our economy—to their employees, their customers and suppliers and the social eco-fabric in which they work.

“In Italy there are about 4.5 million of these companies: 95% have fewer than 10 employees  representing 46% of all workers, while only 0.08% have more than 250 employees and absorb another 20% of total employment (2009 data).

The unemployment rate rose 8.5% in the second quarter of 2010, an increase of more than 1% over the same period in 2009, and is the highest unemployment level since 2003. People seeking employment reached 2,136,000 units.

In 2009 families in relative poverty were 2,657,000, accounting for 10.8% of all families; 7,810,000 persons are living in poverty or 13.1% of the population. In 2009 the relative poverty line was at 930 Euros, which is about 17 Euros less than 2008”. (see ISTAT for national statistics www.istat.it ).

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This signifies that our economic model requires rethinking in our PMI operations  and our local practices and then measuring the effects on a global scale.

In our hyper-rational Western world, more than ever we need to engage our hearts and imagination to solve our common challenges. Ask yourself; is there any other country in the world that has so much heart, imagination and creativity? Let’s unbox ourselves and leverage what we have in common with the abundant and right mix of available resources.

The improvement of business performance for Italian SMEs in both the national and global arenas passes through a change of perspective—we use our brain power united with passion and the imagination that has always distinguished us in the world, and to it we add the ingredient of collaboration engaging our best resources focusing ourselves on our national priority.

Let’s use a laser-like, cooperative, collaborative approach and create an initiative, a national task force with the strategic goal of innovating our markets and increasing our international trade unleashing ourselves from the chains of our past with our best-in-world class—fashion, textile, food and beverage, mobile technology, interior design, tourism, artisanship.

To get to the highest levels of quality and performance, one must go through the door of culture. McKinsey Quarterly currently reports the majority of companies are seeking innovation through the organization, which is culture, and remains focused on core business.

https://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Innovation_and_commercialization_2010_McKinsey_Global_Survey_results_2662 (url for words McKinsey Quarterly)

From one side technological innovation has allowed a free flow of information and consequently a broadening of the labor market at a global level, from the other side it brings attention to the scarce capacity of the world economy to guarantee work productivity and talent management .

A lowered birth rate and a workforce that is no longer young in most developed economies makes it difficult for companies to obtain constant growth without their implementing concrete improvements in productivity. The developing economies must become more innovative in finding and keeping talented employees and improving needed skills, the largest skill deficits are in three functions: management, research and development and strategy.

We are hungry for a cultural transformation guided by a holistic vision that operates in the real world which is made up of living organisms; people are not machines. We are

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hungry to change for the better which means cooperation that achieves improved prosperity and quality of life that is all inclusive.

An agile, flexible environment of collaboration and cooperation of stakeholders — SMEs, Confindustria, Government and Academia — is essential to develop a strategic national initiative and deploy our best quantified and qualified professional human resources to carry out the mission using accessible at no cost physical infrastructures.

We have given life to a new initiative: Call to Change, an observatory and a laboratory that brings together Italian and foreigners, ideas and examples that aid in opening the mind and broaden our horizons having as the aim to innovate our markets and developing our international trade.

It is in everyone's interest to find common ground; we turn to the artisans, small and medium size business owners, professionals, university and high education students and their teachers.

This will allow us to address the topic of innovation and change like a product—to analyze, improve and redesign.

Which innovations to implement—strategy planning and execution; which innovations to introduce and incorporate in relationship between the problems and their possible solutions and in the organization of the work; and which innovations to propose to the institutions to redesign together with the value of work and creativity. Call to Change is for everyone who desires to participate in building a society open to change.

Call to Change has a page on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Call-to-Change/159881987362799) that lets you share ideas, discussions, initiatives and concrete examples that help us to explore the theme of innovation and to define how we can (because you should) affect change.

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