Discussions at this roundtable got underway with the observation that five years of crisis – triggered by the collapse of the financial sector and constantly compounded by (public and private) financial difficulties – have forced a rethink of the role of industry, which is now called on once again to become an engine of growth. Indeed, the need for a different economic vision, one which combines the kind of tangible and intangible values needed to kick-start new sustainable growth – has seen the production system return to center stage. It was suggested, however, that such a paradigm shift also requires a cultural grounding. In fact, being in business does not just involve the practice of corporate culture, but of culture per se, thus ensuring the continuation of the typically Italian tradition of the “polytechnic culture”, the two core strands of which – the humanistic and scientific –complement rather than conflict with each other.
Moreover, this form of culture is well-rooted in the Italian heritage, embodied in a unique synthesis that runs right through the country’s line of great thinkers (from Leonardo and Galileo, to Cattaneo, Fermi and Natta), its “engineer poets” (such as Leonardo Sinisgalli), and its painters who sought to depict “Scientific Research”(as did Renato Guttuso). It is precisely such a polytechnic education that can produce leaders capable of tackling the ambiguity of real-world problems. This ability to respond to work challenges with creativity and flexibility is often acknowledged at an international level as characteristic of many professionals who have studied at Italian polytechnics, and could serve as one of the foundations of an Italian industrial revival.
The participants stressed that a central consideration in any economic reappraisal is that industrial culture must endeavor to ensure that manufacturing – in which Italy ranks second only to Germany in Europe – is viewed not as a marginal economic sector in a service-oriented society, but rather as a system embodying a set of values: innovation, substance, strength of relationships, the importance of human and social capital, and merit-based selection can all go hand-in-hand with creativity, engagement with new technologies and behaviors, and an amalgam of design and product culture.
Once seen as a bearer of such values, industry becomes central to a new form of balanced growth – one that comes in the wake of years tainted by the fast pace and immediate profits of finance. This kind of development can serve as a pivotal underpinning for the supply and grouping of services (ranging from business finance, logistics, extensive commercial networks, and supply chains teeming with suppliers, products, ideas and activities). Manufacturing firms that carry out investment and generate environmentally-friendly development can restore national pride, faith and industry appeal for younger generations. Moreover, professionals such as research engineers, technicians and hi-tech specialists are well-placed to become central figures in a new chapter in the history of industry and labor.
In concluding, the participants noted that in order to lay the foundations for this form of development, it is crucial to tap the potential that already exists within the country. Quality Italian manufactured products are a marriage at the forefront of technology and art. This ability to adapt standard solutions to the needs of the individual user, perhaps one of the major legacies of the polytechnic culture that permeates the Italian industrial system, can and must become a drawing card for talent from abroad. Only by rediscovering the recipe for success at the heart of the “Made in Italy” industry – namely, the union of humanistic values with technical know-how – can Italy innovate to revive its industrial fortunes.