Achieving Success under Pressure in the Conservation of Intensely Used Coastal Areas

2siUnderstanding how conservation and socioeconomic development can be harmonized in organizational and social- ecological systems is at the core of sustainability science. We present the case of an organization that manage a Mediterranean marine protected area (MPA), the Tavolara-Punta Coda Cavallo MPA, that exhibits high ecological performance under intense pressure from fishing, tourism, and coastal development. This case study illustrates how socioeconomic development and significant conservation benefits can coexist, even in a challenging context. Based on this case study, we present a framework for what elements and interactions have determined the high ecological performance of this MPA, and highlight the key organizational leverages that have enabled ecosystem recovery. In particular, the most critical elements underlying high performance were sufficient leadership and knowledge to identify a conservation vision and to catalyze some key actors in the implementation of this vision. Thus, success was ultimately determined by the ability of the leadership of the MPA to devise and implement an effective strategy, with the support and participation of key actors that were external to the MPA organization. The insights from this case study may be applicable to improving MPA management in other systems with similar characteristics, including high human pressures and the presence of an MPA authority.openMICHELI F.; NICCOLINI F.Micheli, F.; Niccolini, Federic

I parchi come laboratori di sviluppo responsabile: il caso Asinara

L’Asinara rappresenta un “locum unicum” nel Mediterraneo Nord Occidentale. Il carattere di unicità, se valorizzato adeguatamente secondo i parametri nello sviluppo responsabile, può costituire una fonte di vantaggio competitivo, nonché il motore trainante per lo sviluppo dell’Area Vasta che si affaccia sul Golfo dell’Asinara. L’istituzione dell’area protetta, e dell’organizzazione che la gestisce, è uno strumento potenzialmente capace di conservare l’unicità di questo territorio e farne il perno per una strategia di sviluppo turistico responsabile. Dotare l’organizzazione pubblica che gestisce l’area protetta di idonee risorse e competenze potrebbe significare farne un ente propulsore e garante di responsabilità sociale a livello sistemico. L’ente parco potrebbe facilitare l’identificazione e la condivisione a livello locale di una vision sistemica, ovvero aggregare attori che creino un “cultural e visionary network” trainato dall’obiettivo di fare dell'Asinara un laboratorio di sviluppo responsabile per l’area vasta in cui si trova inserita e u riferimento importante per altre località costiere sarde e del Mediterraneo Nord Occidentale più in generale

Social network imprenditoriali e apprendimento olografico

Nelle reti imprenditoriali di tipo sociale il tessuto valoriale sembra facilitare la diffusione della conoscenza e i processi di apprendimento di lungo periodo. Oltre la condivisione dei valori, l’esistenza di una vision condivisa può conferire agli attori del network un’alta proattività, e una spinta verso forme di apprendimento evolute, come quelle olografiche (ovvero la capacità di una rete di espandere le proprie competenze innovative, basata sulla presenza di idee di governo comuni, in particolare core values e vision di rete). Lo studio si fonda sull’ipotesi secondo cui la capacità di una rete di mettere in atto processi di apprendimento evoluti sia connessa alla condivisione dei valori degli attori. L’ipotesi è stata testata in una rete di 25 imprenditori uniti dall’obiettivo di stimolare la diffusione della conoscenza e lo sviluppo economico-culturale di uno specifico territorio (milieu). Dall’analisi empirica è emerso che, data la condivisione di valori tra gli imprenditori, la rete potrebbe sviluppare processi olografici di apprendimento. Tali processi, però, spesso non sono spontanei: occorre gestirli in modo tale da evitare barriere cognitive e creare le condizioni culturali e strutturali che facilitino una continua condivisione di conoscenza

QUALE GOVERNANCE PER LE AREE PROTETTE?

Dall’inizio degli anni sessanta, a livello planetario le aree protette si sono mediamente estese per oltre mezzo milione di chilometri quadri all’anno, passando dai 2,4 milioni del 1962 agli oltre 32 del 2014. Parallelamente alla crescita del numero delle aree protette, è aumentata anche la loro differenziazione funzionale. Si è inoltre assistito ad una rivoluzione poco visibile, ma profonda, dei modelli di governance e di management delle stesse. I principali modelli di governance sono quello “by government” (1), quello made by “various rights-holders and stakeholders together” (2), quello by “private individuals and organisations” (3) e quello by “indigenous peoples and/or local communities” (4). Alcuni interessanti spunti di riflessione provengono proprio dalle evoluzioni gestionali che ha sperimentato nell’ultimo quarantennio il modello più antico e apparentemente tradizionale di governance, quello “by government”. Dall’analisi di alcuni casi esemplari statunitensi emergono alcune linee di indirizzo, attuabili soprattutto per la governance di grandi aree protette, come quelle marine, dove il governo può esercitare un’autorità piena, non limitata dai diritti di proprietà dei privati. I casi studiati mostrano che l’istituzione di public authority che funzionino non come supervisor, ma secondo logiche bottom-up di catalizzazione e di coinvolgimento di tutte quelle energie attive nella cittadinanza, che portino a processi di envisioning e di progettazione partecipata, potrebbe veramente aiutare a diffondere una governance efficace della conservazione ad ampio raggio anche con un investimento contenuto di risorse pubbliche

Assessing SMEs’ cybersecurity organizational readiness: Findings from an Italian survey

The Small and Medium-sized Enterprises’ (SMEs) level of organizational cybersecurity readiness has been poorly investigated to date. Currently, all SMEs need to maintain an adequate level of cybersecurity to run their businesses, not only those wishing to fully exploit digitalization’s benefits. Unfortunately, due to their lack of resources, skills, and their low level of cyber awareness, SMEs often seem unprepared. It is essential that they address the digital threats that they face by using technology and complementary (and not alternative) factors, such as guidelines, formal policies, and training. All these elements trigger development processes regarding skills, awareness, the organizational cybersecurity culture, and the organizational resilience. This paper describes Italy’s first multidisciplinary attempt to assess its SMEs’ overall cybersecurity readiness level. We used a survey as its initial quantitative assessment approach, although SMEs can also use it as a cyber self-assessment tool, which prepares them better to navigate the digital ecosystem. Thereafter, we held semi-structured interviews to explore the critical points that had emerged from the study’s first phase. The overall results show that SMEs have not yet achieved high levels of organizational readiness. SMEs are currently starting to set the stage for their organizational cyber readiness and will, therefore, have to take many more proactive steps to address their cyber challenges

From barriers to enablers: The role of organizational learning in transitioning SMEs into the Circular economy

To contribute to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) sustainable transition into the circular economy, the study proposes the activation of organizational learning (OL) processes – denoted here as multi-level knowledge creation, transfer, and retention processes – as a key phase in introducing circular business models (CBMs) at SME and supply chain (SC) level. The research employs a mixed-method approach, using the focus group methodology to identify contextual elements impacting on CBM-related OL processes, and a survey-based evaluation to single out the most frequently used OL processes inside Italian construction SMEs. As main result, a CBM-oriented OL multilevel model offers a fine-grained understanding of contextual elements acting mutually as barriers and drivers for OL processes, as possible OL dynamics among them. The multi-level culture construct – composed of external stakeholders’, SC stakeholders’, and organizational culture – identify the key element to activate CBM-oriented OL processes. Main implications are related to the identification of cultural, structural, regulatory, and process contextual elements across the external, SC, and organizational levels, and their interrelation with applicable intraorganizational and interorganizational learning processes. The proposed model would contribute to an improved implementation of transitioning into the circular economy utilizing sustainable business models in the construction SMEs

Organizational cybersecurity readiness in the ICT sector: a quanti-qualitative assessment

Purpose – Cyberattacks are becoming increasingly widespread, and cybersecurity is therefore increasingly important. Although the technological aspects of cybersecurity are its best-known characteristics, the cybersecurity phenomenon goes beyond the detection of technological impacts, and encompasses all the dimensions of an organization. This study thus focusses on an additional set of organizational elements. The key elements of cybersecurity organizational readiness depicted here are cybersecurity awareness, cybersecurity culture and cybersecurity organizational resilience (OR). This study aims to qualitatively assess small and medium enterprises’ (SMEs) overall level of organizational cybersecurity readiness. Design/methodology/approach – This study focused on conducting a cybersecurity organizational readiness assessment using a sample of 53 Italian SMEs from the information and communication technology sector. Informed mixed method research, this study was conducted consistent with the principles of the explanatory sequential mixed method design, and adopting a quanti-qualitative methodology. The quantitative data were collected through a questionnaire. Qualitative data were subsequently collected through semi-structured interviews. Findings – Although many elements of the technical aspects of cybersecurity OR have yielded very encouraging results, there are still some areas that require improvement. These include those facets that constitute the foundation of cybersecurity awareness, and, thus, a cybersecurity culture. This result highlights that the areas in need of improvement are exactly those that are most important in fighting against cyber threats via organizational cybersecurity readiness. Originality/value – Although the importance of SMEs is obvious, evidence of such organizations’ attitudes to cybersecurity are still limited. This research is an attempt to depict the organizational issue related to cybersecurity, i.e. overall cybersecurity organizational readiness

From Barriers to Enablers: The Role of Organizational Learning in Transitioning SMEs into the Circular Economy

To contribute to small and medium enterprises’ (SMEs) sustainable transition into the circular economy, the study proposes the activation of organizational learning (OL) processes—denoted here as multi-level knowledge creation, transfer, and retention processes—as a key phase in introducing circular business models (CBMs) at SME and supply chain (SC) level. The research employs a mixed-method approach, using the focus group methodology to identify contextual elements impacting on CBM-related OL processes, and a survey-based evaluation to single out the most frequently used OL processes inside Italian construction SMEs. As a main result, a CBM-oriented OL multi-level model offers a fine-grained understanding of contextual elements acting mutually as barriers and drivers for OL processes, as possible OL dynamics among them. The multilevel culture construct—composed of external stakeholders’, SC stakeholders’, and organizational culture—identify the key element to activate CBM-oriented OL processes. Main implications are related to the identification of cultural, structural, regulatory, and process contextual elements across the external, SC, and organizational levels, and their interrelation with applicable intraorganizational and interorganizational learning processes. The proposed model would contribute to an improved implementation of transitioning into the circular economy utilizing sustainable business models in the construction SMEs

Organizational resilience: state of the art and new future cyber inquiries

Contemporary societies, and the organizational systems on which they rely, are increasingly exposed to unexpected disruptive events, such as the recent health or geo-political crises. Organizations therefore need a certain level of Organizational Resilience (OR). Since OR is a multifaceted concept, a first aim of this article is to find a trait d’union among many studies and conceptualizations of OR, stimulating academic debate, critical thinking, and further research. An additional goal is to propose a specific direction for future research leading to a better understanding of the characteristics that make organizations more resilient to an increasing relevant adverse phenomenon, namely cybersecurity and related cyberattacks. The authors develop a systematic literature review about the concept of OR in the Management and Organization science fields. A second facet is the authors’ proposed three-stage conceptual framework of OR, which is consistent with the relevant ideas emerging from the systematic literature review. A third section focuses on the exploration of relationships between cybersecurity and organizational domains, going beyond a purely technical focus. Results show that there is a need to address many unresolved research gaps, and to systematize the fragmentation of current Organization and Management research. It is clear that many critical areas still lack a solid and more comprehensive operationalization of OR, including cyber OR

Editorial Preface to the OJAKM Special Issue on Knowledge Management: Research, Organization and Applied Innovation

This Special Issue of the Online Journal of Applied Knowledge Management (OJAKM), titled on "Knowledge Management: Research, Organization and Applied Innovation" attempts to give an account of some of the most insightful studies about organizational knowledge and learning, as well as some innovative and useful applications presented at the Knowledge Management (KM) Conference 2018. The KM Conference was held by the International Institute for Applied Knowledge Management (IIAKM) on the campus of the University of Pisa in June 2018, and was conceived as a dialectical context in which scholars from 15 nations and different continents exchanged ideas and perspectives on the more recent theoretical developments along with applications of the articulated, varied, and multifaceted themes of KM