The document discusses innovation and change, focusing on small and medium Italian enterprises. It argues that collaboration and cooperation, rather than competition, should be at the heart of innovation to tackle problems facing these businesses. As an example, it outlines the "Stand Up to Cancer" initiative in the US that transformed cancer research through collaboration. It then provides statistics on unemployment and poverty in Italy to argue the economic model needs rethinking, and that a collaborative national task force could help innovate markets and trade for small and medium enterprises.

1. 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:
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2. Ending cancer would be worth $50 trillion to the US economy.
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
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3. 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 ).
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_McKin
sey_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.
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4. 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
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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