Inter-Organizational Learning and Collective Memory in Small Firms Clusters: an Agent-Based Approach

Literature about Industrial Districts has largely emphasized the importance of both economic and social factors in determining the competitiveness of these particular firms\' clusters. For thirty years, the Industrial District productive and organizational model represented an alternative to the integrated model of fordist enterprise. Nowadays, the district model suffers from competitive gaps, largely due to the increase of competitive pressure of globalization. This work aims to analyze, through an agent-based simulation model, the influence of informal socio-cognitive coordination mechanisms on district\'s performances, in relation to different competitive scenarios. The agent-based simulation approach is particularly fit for this purpose as it is able to represent the Industrial District\'s complexity. Furthermore, it permits to develop dynamic analysis of district\'s performances according to different types of environment evolution. The results of this work question the widespread opinion that cooperative districts can answer to environmental changes more effectively that non-cooperative ones. In fact, the results of simulations show that, in the presence of turbulent scenarios, the best performer districts are those in which cooperation and competition, trust and opportunism balance out.Firm Networks, Collective Memory, Agent Based Models, Uncertainty

Modelling Networked Cognition: A Socio-Computational Approach

In this paper an agent-based model is proposed in which effects of collective cognition are represented via the operazionalization of the construct of collective memory. The model is aimed at representing an evolving local networks of suppliers and final firms competing among them, making alliances and selling products on the market in the presence of environmental instability. A set of hypothesis has been tested in order to evaluate the influence on network’s performances of collective memory. Through the proposed model, this article illustrates advantages and limitations of computer based models to investigate collective cognition. The extent to which computational approaches can be used to model collective cognitive constructs such as collective memory and learning and their influence on social action is examined. Finally, implications for research and practice on organizational cognition resulting from a social computation view are outlined

Regional innovation systems as complex adaptive systems: The case of lagging European regions

This article proposes an agent-based model to support the development of self-sustaining regional innovation systems (RIS). The model is the base of a computational laboratory, CARIS (Complex Adaptive Regional Innovation System), which aims at evaluating the self-sustainability of RIS and at investigating what are the resources, competencies and mechanisms able to trigger powerful innovation and economic growth processes. Such a topic is particularly interesting for the so-called lagging regions, which, notwithstanding noticeable policy interventions, have been unable to significantly improve their innovation performances. Results of this study show that the exploration capacity, the propensity to cooperation, and the endowed competencies of actors belonging to a region could be considered as key aspects in affecting the regional innovation performance. This means that policy-makers should (i) incentivize investments in research and development activities both at the public and private levels; (ii) support public-private partnerships; (iii) enhance national and regional university systems; and (iv) increase the number of researchers employed both in the public and private sectors. In the next future, the CARIS laboratory could be adopted as policy support instrument to evaluate how much effective are current innovation policies and what are the most effective ones to reassess the current patterns

A gap analysis of Regional Innovation Systems (RIS) with medium-low innovative capabilities: the case of Campania Region (Italy)

The aim of this paper is to investigate the implementation of a Regional Innovation System (RIS) in the Campania Region, an Italian Region characterized by a medium-low innovation capability. The paper focuses on a comparative analysis using the data of the Regional Innovation Scoreboard 2009 and the data about services provided by the most innovative Italian Regions. The paper states that low performances of Campania Region Innovation System (CRIS) are due to the lack of actors that act as Catalysts between researchers, which play the role of Explorers of knowledge, and entrepreneurs, which play the role of Exploiters. Furthermore, the paper suggests that it is necessary a strong action of the Regional policy maker (the Governor) to build an effective environment where such Catalysts can effectively develop. To this aim the local Regional government should establish an Agency for Innovation, which acts as a Governor to promote the birth and the growth of new actors and of new competencies needed to complete the CRIS

Redesigning Service Delivery for Hypertensive Patients: A Methodological Guideline to Improve the Management of Chronic Diseases

Best care is not necessarily the most expensive, but the most appropriate, and prevention is the most powerful tool to promote health. A novel approach might envision the reduction of hospital admittance (thus meeting a requirement from long term condition patients: they would rather not being hospitalized!) and the enforcement of peripheral (both on the territory and at home) assistance. In this direction, experiences of reshaping new service deliveries towards an integrated disease management, namely clinical pathways, can be observed in Europe and in different parts of the world. Aim of this paper is to provide a methodological guideline to support the management in planning clinical pathways, also outlining the main barriers limiting the process. In particular, we present the results of planning a clinical pathway at the Centre for Hypertension of the Federico II University Hospital (Naples, Italy). The case study showed that the introduction of a similar service impacts on the organisation of the structure. An analysis of organizational processes “as are” and the re-design of processes “to be” are necessary to integrate the clinical pathway into the actual activities

Regional Ecosystems for Small Innovative IT Firms

The question raised in the title of this editorial is relevant for two reasons. First, a small innovative information technology (IT) firm is an incomplete system. Only a part of competencies is internal and under the entrepreneurial control, another part is external and tied to the company by a variety of collaboration forms. It follows that the small IT firm has uncertain boundaries. It is a blurred system deeply ingrained in the surrounding environment. Second, the high rate of innovation in IT sector requires that competencies should be renewed with a very high frequency. This fact implies the need of an environment particularly rich in technical, professional, and managerial skills. The environment becomes particularly important in the medium to long term. A small IT firm usually comes to life around an innovative idea that exploits the potential of an emerging technology. Consider, for example, thousands of small businesses that make apps for mobile phones. The IT firm is genetically innovative. Problems come later. As soon as the initial innovative drive runs out and a small firm must renew its set of competencies. In this case the environment becomes crucial, and the richness of the local context affects the competitiveness of the company, and often its own survival. If above statements are plausible, then there is a problem that has a strong relevance to both the underdeveloped areas of the industrialized countries, and the emerging countries: Which external competency system can support innovative capacity of small IT firms