Strategic Management, Innovation Management and Organization

Research focus

The Peer review has evaluated this group as Excellent

This research topic is concerned with the study of the management and innovation of companies and Public Administrations from a strategic and organizational point of view. A particular emphasis is put on the study of the complex links and reciprocal influences between strategy, management and the use of technology, through the analysis of the business processes both inside and outside the company. All the same, research in this area is strongly oriented at understanding the change management processes needed when introducing strategic, organizational or technological innovation. The final goal of the research is to develop both innovative theoretical models and practical tools and methodologies that could be applied and experimented in real cases. These topics are studied across industries and countries, often trying to compare best practices or emerging models in various countries. Research is based on the integrated use of various methodologies, among which case studies, action research, surveys, simulation and quantitative modelling. Research is developed within networks of academic partners at national and international level. The research in this area is organised in the following streams: - Performance measurement systems. Research issues related to this stream concern the design and implementation of performance measurement systems and in particular their linkages with the strategic behaviour of firms (“internal” perspective) and with the competitive environment (“external” perspective). The increasing role of Corporate Social Responsibility and of sustainability issues, on the one side, and the need for integrating and developing new performance measurement techniques for firms that operate in turbulent an complex networks, on the other side, are also addressed. - Public management and innovation policies. This stream is focused on the development of “new” managerial methods for public administration, combining traditional “private principles” with peculiarities and “business” dynamics of the public sector. Research issues addressed concern, on the one side, the study of the adoption of new public management systems in Europe and in Italy analysing in particular universities, research centres and healthcare organisations, and, on the other side, the impact of egovernment applications in the public administration. In the same stream of research the group faced the study of public innovation policies. In the last decades government institutions have focused their attention on new ways of improving these processes and the relationships between the main actors involved (firms, public research centres and universities, government 60 institutions, etc.). The research group has worked on these subjects analysing both the evolution of the organisations (e.g. impact of knowledge transfer activities in public research organisations ) and the innovation systems (e.g. strategies, governance, policies, etc.). - Strategic management of technology. Research on this stream focus on the strategic role of technology. The issues faced concern the strategic planning of technology-based projects, the organisation of R&D activities, including their progressive internationalisation and externalisation (outsourcing, partnerships, …), the impact of the open innovation paradigm on a company R&D strategy and organisation. Other areas of research concern: the development of evaluation and performance measurement systems for the R&D activity and evaluation techniques for technologybased projects and intangible assets; the analysis of business strategies and competitive dynamics in high-tech industries such as biotech, nanotech, ICT product manufacturers. - Management of products and services innovation. This research stream is aimed at studying the processes, organization and tools for innovation of both product and services. In particular, the research aims at identifying innovative models of innovation management in rapidly moving environments (e.g. high tech industries), with a focus on the front-end of the innovation process, concept generation, product development flexibility, and architectural innovation. Our purpose is to identify new models for creating innovations in environments where market needs and technological features cannot be predicted at the front end of the process, and analyze the impact of new design technologies and organizational arrangements on the capability to react to unforeseen opportunities. - Design management. Design Management has recently gained much attention among scholars of innovation management. However, many studies have focused on the dynamics of user-centered innovation. The research stream design management aims at understanding the dynamics of radical innovations driven by design. In particular, through analyses of cases and extensive data the group aims at identifying models and tools that allow firms to define an innovation strategy where the symbolic and emotional dimension of products play a crucial role, and to deploy a process that allow to develop radical innovation of products meanings. - Knowledge and competencies management. This research stream is aimed at studying how knowledge in both tacit and articulated forms is assimilated, created, shared, stored and retrieved both within and across organizations. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of ICT technologies and their interactions with managerial and organizational solutions. - Strategy and organisational models in ICT management. Several research issues are addressed covering the broad spectrum of managerial implications of the ever-growing role of ICT in business strategy and 61 innovation; from the diffusion – particularly in Italy – of B2c and eCommerce applications to the process reengineering related to the adoption of B2b applications; from the analysis of ICT strategies (including sourcing) and governance systems in large corporations to the analysis of the adoption and strategic assessment of ICT in small and medium businesses, to the business and strategic analysis of most promising technologies and applications (RFId, mobile and wireless solutions, new TVs, …). - Supply chain and purchasing strategy and organization. The research stream focuses on customer-supplier relationships from both an internal perspective, i.e. how firms manage their purchasing & supply processes, and a network perspective, i.e. how supply chains are designed and managed. Within this research stream a number of different issues are covered, among which supply chain strategies, integration tool for customer supplier relationships, purchasing and supply management, demand forecasting and management. - Strategy and organizational innovation in operations. Research in this field aims at analyzing emerging strategies and organizational paradigms in manufacturing companies and networks, comparing different countries and industries around the word. A particular emphasis is put on organizational practices within the context of different manufacturing strategies, and the role of strategic management and organization of manufacturing in contributing to the overall results of the company.

Dipartimento di afferenza

Dipartimento di Ingegneria Gestionale (DIG)

Docenti afferenti

Full Professors
Azzone Giovanni
Bartezzaghi Emilio
Bertelè Umberto
Catalano Giuseppe
Chiesa Vittorio
Masella Cristina
Noci Giuliano
Rangone Andrea
Spina Gianluca
Verganti Roberto
Associate Professors
Arnaboldi Michela
Cagliano Raffaella
Corso Mariano
Maccarrone Paolo
Maggiolini Piercarlo
Ronchi Stefano
Roveda Claudio
Toletti Giovanni
Assistant Professors
Balocco Raffaello
Buganza Tommaso
Caniato Federico
Lettieri Emanuele
Romano Paolo