Tullio Pirovano, CEO of Lutech Group, recently wrote an article published in the essay “Ricostruzione” (Recovery) by Prof. Ivan Rizzi for the IASSP series.

When talking about the topic of Recovery, we should note the differences with Italy’s rebuilding after the Second World War. The destruction caused by the war necessitated total reconstruction, starting out from the rubble of a nation pulverized both physically and psychologically. The people of that time, maybe precisely because they had plumbed the depths with the brutality and struggles of the war, worked to rebuild their country with a joy, faith and enthusiasm which I do not recognize today. Moreover, the war had a well-defined beginning and end, meaning that the signing of a treaty and an armistice translated into an immediate change in conditions. 
The current pandemic, on the other hand, does not have a well-defined end; the cyclical nature of the waves of infection and the onset of new variants still make it difficult to see an end to the situation, given that vaccines are an essential weapon, but have not alone proved sufficient to manage such a complex and confused situation. 

The crisis has brought us face to face with our vulnerabilities. The frenetic nature of the modern world, taken for granted as a part of our existence, has been swept away, and with it many of the superfluous elements which prevented us from “growing” in a healthy manner within an extremely stressed economic/social/environmental system.
The pandemic, in a society which has developed more on inequality and egoism than on reciprocity and mutual respect, has shown us how the foundations of society are not individualism, but the link between I and We, not appearance but knowledge. These are key topics in a society where the loss of values relating to merit and competence has blocked the paths of emancipation and the social ladder itself.
Expertise must once again be the pillar on which to base the recovery.

“Entrepreneurs have the responsibility to start out from a perspective of sustainability in the recovery”

It is precisely for this reason that I think it is fundamental to restart with enterprise, whose goals and nature are an evolving horizon. At a time of great insecurity, entrepreneurs have the responsibility to start out from a perspective of sustainability in the recovery.

Companies today are subjected to a multitude of stresses linked to environmental risk, safeguarding of people, increased social inequality, and the growing spread of digital technologies. Enterprise must be able to respond to the changes in progress by adapting its distinctive function to the growing complexities; learning to operate in ever-changing local and global business conditions; becoming a proactive player in a new social, cultural and value context; providing solutions to the problems of our age.

The economic, social and personal uncertainty highlighted by the health crisis requires a new business culture, more directed towards building a new paradigm of social relationships and less as a simple tool for interests based on financial transactions. Economic value must be associated with the creation of meaning through a role which changes from economic to social and generative, putting into action ethical, socially responsible and economically sustainable behaviors. Ethics must be the foundational dimension of companies.

During this period of profound uncertainty, enterprise has represented an important point of reference, becoming a cornerstone of tranquility and security. In a very short space of time, the work, industrial and business fabric switched over to remote working, managing to maintain excellent levels in terms of operations, efficiency and effectiveness. Now we have to make the most of the structural changes necessitated by the pandemic. We have come to understand that a healthy balance between work and private life is possible, realizing the many limits inherent in the previous model.

Today, for example, a profound reconsideration of physical spaces (working, urban, civil) is underway in order to adapt them to the flexibility required of them. Such spaces must mirror the transformation in progress, a way of working together which incorporates the possibility of working from home on the one hand, and office working on the other. Companies are made up of people, interactions and relationships, in which growth and innovation are the result of constant interactions and relationships which also pass through non-verbal communication, made possible by meeting in the work environment.

“Growth and innovation also – and above all – require expertise"

Growth and innovation also – and above all – require expertise. Think about the enormous quantities of data generated by the constant connection made possible by the Internet between the real and virtual worlds. "Big Data”, in other words, whose collection, analysis, management and interpretation are giving rise to a society and an economy based on the value of these digital data: the Data-Driven Society. There is the need to develop the specialist expertise able to best exploit the data assets in order to transform complex processing into information summaries and behavioral trends required to make decisions virtually in real time. This is therefore a very important technological and functional aspect which cannot ignore investments in expertise and the concept of ethics for the interpretations made with these data.

The mismatch between supply and demand remains one of the great unresolved problems of Italy’s labor market, and a brake on the country’s industrial growth, above all in consideration of the youth unemployment rate. There is a lack of STEM graduates, and this has a negative effect on the unemployment rate. Businesses need to take on people who cannot be found in the market, and this leads to fierce competition between companies to attract the best professionals. This war for talent is a clear indicator of the lack of effective direction in the school environment. It is necessary to incorporate information (and training) pathways early in order to better align supply with demand.

Women will increasingly play a key role in this transformational process. The European Institute for Gender Equality reports a lack of female presence – from education to the world of work – in the field of STEM subjects and the ICT sector. Such a gender gap today is incomprehensible; equality of the sexes must be promoted, fighting gender discrimination from school onwards. The model which is transferred right from the very first schooling cycle creates segregation of education, and consequently work, between the sexes.

Given that employment in these sectors (for example the development of artificial intelligence, digital start-ups and high-technology products) will grow at double speed over the next ten years, it is essential to invest now in order to bridge the gender gap (which the pandemic has further amplified).

Tullio Pirovano, CEO, Lutech Group

From Ricostruzione (Recovery) by I. Rizzi, G. Stucchi, Milan, IASSP series, Rubbettino, 2021