EMITIM, 10 Years of Future
14 May 2019On 10th May, Bologna Business School celebrated the 10 years of the Executive Master in Technology and Innovation Management (EMTIM), a unique path of its kind, which establishes to bring technological excellence at the centre of the enterprise innovation process. Today, ruling technology innovation means shaping leaders able to master technical subjects as well as handle managerial matters.
The day started with the Welcome Speech by the General Manager Alfredo Montanari, who gave emphasis to the full potential of key resources in a technical staff in order to compete into a global context in which technology innovation is one of the pivotal levers for success.
Rosa Grimaldi, Scientific Director of EMTIM, drew an interesting parallelism between Leonardo Da Vinci, whose five hundredth anniversary of death is celebrated this year, and the profile of the modern manager: spirit of observation, curiosity, an inclination towards experimentation and interpersonal skills are characteristics that the universal talent born in the Renaissance shares with the contemporary scientific innovator. These are innate skills, but it is possible to develop, build and manage them into a context where skills and experimentation go hand in hand with research and networking opportunities, as highlighted by the essay “The DNA of the modern innovator” cited by professor Grimaldi in reference to the distinction between rational thought and creative intelligence.
Andrea Pontremoli, Executive Director of EMITM and Managing Director of Dallara Automobili, has helped to outline the characteristics of today’s leader, starting from the difference between ‘choice’ and ‘decision’. Often used as synonyms, in reality these two words have profoundly different meanings, since the first embraces a limited range of possibilities between alternatives, while the decision implies a deliberate resolution towards an action from the scenario practically unknown. Both seem to define each other, but only those who do not fear the risk and see in the unknown an opportunity know how to direct their moves: unlike the choice, which reflects subjective and individual preferences, the decision is tied to the free will of those who perform a action aimed at achieving its objective. In this sphere the innovation manager moves, who is constantly kept and making decisions in a constantly evolving context, where networking and the social fabric are decisive elements.
The day continued with the Keynote Speech by Alessandro Curioni, IBM Fellow, VP Europe and Director IBM Research Zurich, publisher and entrepreneur specialized in Business Strategy and Innovation Management. He is an internationally recognized leader in the field of information technology and his innovative thinking has brought countless scientific and technological contributions in the healthcare, aerospace, consumer goods and electronics sectors. His career began in IBM Research – Zurich in 1993, before he officially entered the research staff in 1998, where he held various positions in research and manager, including that of founder of the Cognitive Computing and Computational Sciences department. His speech was based on the importance of the contamination of knowledge and the diversification of skills as an added value within the innovation ecosystem: recognized as one of the leading experts in artificial intelligence, Alessandro Curioni experiments with the computer science of the future while carrying out parallel continue its battle on computer security, since – as it claims – every discovery must be accompanied by reliability and transparency. The exponential growth of the information we are experiencing is an element that enriches, but only if shared by many: for this reason, it is necessary to focus not only on the training, but also on the transformation of professionals.
The tenth anniversary of EMITM saw on the stage the Managing Director HPA Cosa Andrea Bozzoli, the President of SCM Group Giovanni Gemmani, the President of Philip Morris Italy Eugenio Sidoli and the Vice President Global R&D of Electrolux Tiziano Toschi in a round table moderated by Lucia Chierchia, Managing Partner of Gellify and alumna EMTIM arrived at BBS during her professional experience at Electrolux.
This was followed by the Call for Project EMTIM session moderated by Laura Toschi, EMTIM Operations Director, who gave the floor to the former alumni of the Master to understand together how the knowledge and skills acquired have enriched their professional career. Infinite ideas related to technology innovation, in an atmosphere of exchange and sharing with the audience, made up of business managers from the BBS Business Network.
Because, as Leonardo said, knowing how to listen means having the brain of others, in addition to one’s own brain: and the Executive Master in Technology and Innovation Management teaches, among other things, not to fear confrontation, indeed to see in it the lifeblood of innovation itself.
