Giorgio Petroni

Open innovation and new issues in R&D organization and personnel management

The steady growth of R&D costs and the increasingly widespread dissemination of information and communication technology over the past decade have resulted in the affirmation of the paradigm of open innovation, which consists in the continual expansion of access to sources of technological innovation outside the firm itself. Industrial companies are, in fact, turning more frequently to collaboration with university departments and other public and private research centers, and there is a notable increase in agreements regarding technological cooperation and the exchange of know-how between companies. In addition, recourse to highly specialized small research companies is on the rise. This is common, for example in the pharmaceutical sector and, more generally, in the area of biotechnological research. Furthermore, we are witnessing the development of the new role of innovation broker. These factors alter the traditional profile of company R&D structures, within which the role of researchers and technologists often changes. In particular, matrix and network organizational models are on the increase, and the professional figures of ‘integrators of knowledge and expertise’ (T-men) are assuming major importance at the expense of traditional scientists. As a consequence, the model for training and managing scientific personnel tends to change. This model, as it moves away from the prevailing pattern adopted by firms in Anglophone countries, is continually drawing closer, even from a cultural standpoint, to the R&D management approach found in the Japanese and German companies. The aim of this article is to investigate how the adoption of open innovation has changed the organizational structures of R&D and altered the methods used in managing its personnel. The results of the study are based on the analysis of four case studies of Italian multinational firms operating in the pharmaceutical, food, specialty chemical, and aerospace industries.

External technology sourcing: evidence from design‐driven innovation

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to analyse the changing of governance modes for the acquisition of external technology in the context of design driven innovation.Design/methodology/approach – This is an explorative study drawing on cases of new product development (NPD) by six design‐oriented Italian firms. In analyzing the cases a longitudinal approach is taken.Findings – The analysis of the cases shows a similar pattern for technology sourcing during the NPD process, starting with informal networks and ending with hierarchical structures. In the early stages of NPD, when market uncertainty and technological uncertainty are very high, these companies choose an informal network. However, once the product concept is defined and the companies need to become familiar with a technology, they move to strategic alliances with partners. In the final stages of NPD, more hierarchical structures seem to prevail.Research limitations/implications – There are two main limitations of the study. The paper investig...

The development of a technology transfer strategy in the aerospace industry: the case of the Italian Space Agency

Abstract In this paper the conceptual approach to technology transfer adopted by the Italian Space Agency is presented. The approach distinguishes itself from previous frameworks for the attempt to provide a sound answer to some basic features of the space technology transfer processes such as availability of technology, availability of information and availability of contacts between the actors involved. The model is illustrated with reference to the space industrys perspectives for current and future strategies of technology development and transfer. Preliminary evidence indicates that this system of technology transfer is remarkably effective and might have a significant effect on economic growth and standard of living.

Management and organizational models of the European Space Agencies: the results of an empirical study

Abstract The European Space Agencies (ESA) are going through a period of major organizational development and are making significant changes to their management tools. This development is strictly linked to changes due to a reformulation of the strategies of the Agencies in question. The aim of this paper is to show the extent and depth of such changes as concerns: strategy (the new strategies that the Space Agencies are adopting); organization (the new organizational models adopted); and, finally, management. An important area for investigation concerns the development of the model adopted by the individual Agencies within the field of Space activities, which is becoming an ever more important market where one can see exchange relationships operating alongside the traditional cooperation relationships. The results of the study underline well-defined types of change in progress and, therefore, the new managerial patterns that these changes could involve.

The TQM trajectories in research and development: two Italian cases

Total quality management programmes applied to research and development often produce great improvements in productivity because they follow trajectories that are lateral and parallel to the principal thrust which is aimed at client satisfaction. Such improvements are obtained through a better definition of the objectives of research activity, and through organisational overhauls which highlight the contribution to the innovation process made by the marketing, engineering, and production functions, through the adoption of more efficient management systems (programming, control, and management of human resources in particular). These changes are met with strong resistance from researchers and technologists who, during the start‐up phase of such programmes, often refuse to operate in accordance with the internal supplier‐client scheme. Such resistance, which was confirmed by the two Italian case studies presented, can be overcome by the intervention of strong leadership and with the setting up of an intense training programme.

The evolution of industrial research in Italy: characteristics and perspectives

Abstract The main purpose of this study is to investigate and understand the evolutionary characteristics of industrial research in Italy in recent years. There is a vast amount of literature which discusses factors and areas of change in industrial research, based on empirical analysis conducted in the most industrialized countries. Nevertheless, to date, there are no empirical studies to evaluate the recent changes which have occurred in the specific Italian context. Using a sample of 80 Italian companies, this work aims to investigate the elements which have characterized the evolution of RD finally, the main changes in term of programmes, content, organization and management can be derived.