Competitiveness is a complex concept, which is influenced by a multiplicity of factors. At macro level (i.e. regions) the determinants are the socio-economic territorial characteristics, while at company level one of the factors is the capability of the firm to sustain and enhance its innovative capacity through which it can stay competitive on the market. The aim of the current study is on the one hand, the analysis of territorial competitiveness and specifically of regional competitiveness in Europe; on the other hand, it goes deeper by considering at European level, the antecedents of firm innovation, in particular human resource management practices, collaborative research and development as well as digital technologies and employee empowerment in the workplace. The European framework is chosen as a common background to address these topics in three different chapters. The first chapter, by using data coming from the EU Regional Competitiveness Index (RCI) 2019, makes a comparative assessment of regional competitiveness at European level through a Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) method, which offers a new perspective on complex concepts such as regional competitiveness, which are difficult to determine and measure. The current analysis on the one hand, integrates and extends the current literature on the methods that are relevant for measuring regional competitiveness; on the other hand, through a comparative approach it offers a fresh perspective on regional competitiveness at European level that could be useful for policy-makers addressing territorial disparities. The second chapter, by using data coming from the European Company Survey (ECS) 2019, analyses though a mediation model, how human resource management practices may enhance collaborative research and development between firms and how this in turs, influences (and enhances) the probability to make innovations by the companies involved in the process. This part offers some interesting implications for managers on how increasing the innovative capacity of companies by investing in those practices that promote collaborative innovations. At the same time, the study tries to provide empirical answer to the relationship between practices and collaborative innovation, a topic which is currently debated but has been mainly addressed by qualitative studies so far. The third chapter, by using the ECS dataset and by using a moderation model, drives the attention on how human resource management practices have different effects on different kinds of radical innovations (i.e. product and process innovation), by also taking into account the level of technological context complexity and employee empowerment in the workplace. This study extends the current literature on the effects of human resource practices on radical innovation, which is currently a gap in the literature. Moreover, it considers a “hot” and debated topic, which is how digital technologies shape and influence the determinants in the workplace toward greater radical innovation, also thanks to the interactive effect of the centralization of the decision-making process.
Il tema della competitività è un concetto complesso, il quale è influenzato da una molteplicità di fattori. A livello macro (i.e regioni) le determinanti risultano essere le caratteristiche socio-economiche territoriali, mentre a livello d’impresa uno dei fattori risulta essere la capacità sostenere ed aumentare la propria capacità innovativa, tramite la quale l’organizzazione riesce a permanere sul mercato. Il presente studio ha come obiettivo da una parte, analizzare la competitività territoriale ed in particolare la competitività regionale in Europa; dall’altra si concentra più nel dettaglio, analizzando sempre a livello Europeo, gli antecedenti dell’innovazione d’impresa, in particolare considerando le pratiche per la gestione delle risorse umane, la ricerca e sviluppo collaborativa e l’utilizzo di tecnologie digitali ed employee empowerment. In quadro Europeo è alla base della presente tesi, la quale mira ad affrontare queste tematiche attraverso in tre capitoli differenti. Il primo capitolo, tramite dati provenienti dall’ EU Regional Competitiveness Index 2019, mira ad offrire un’analisi comparata della competitività regionale a livello Europeo, attraverso l’utilizzo di un metodo decisionale multi-criterio, volta a fornire una prospettiva nuova su concetti complessi e di difficile misurazione come la competitività regionale. L’analisi da una parte integra ed estende la letteratura esistente sulle metodologie di misurazione della competitività territoriale, dall’altra fornisce un quadro efficace della competitività regionale in Europa, tramite un approccio comparato, il quale può essere utile per decisori politici volti ad affrontare disparità regionali nel contesto Europeo. Il secondo capitolo, utilizzando il database dell’European Company Survey (ECS) 2019, analizza tramite un modello di mediazione, come determinate pratiche per la gestione delle risorse umane possano promuovere la ricerca e sviluppo collaborativa tra le imprese e come quest’ultima, a sua volta influenza (ed incrementa) la probabilità di innovazione delle organizzazioni coinvolte in questo processo. Questa parte offre spunti di riflessione su come i managers possano aumentare la capacità di innovazione dell’impresa implementando quelle pratiche che promuovono l’innovazione collaborativa. Allo stesso tempo, cerca di dare risposta a livello empirico, ad una tematica attualmente dibattuta in letteratura, quella tra pratiche e innovazione collaborativa, su cui però sono presenti studi principalmente qualitativi. Il terzo capitolo, sempre utilizzando i dati dell’ECS 2019, sposta l’attenzione, attraverso un modello di moderazione, su come le pratiche della gestione delle risorse umane possano avere un effetto differente rispetto a diverse tipologie di innovazioni radicali (prodotto, processo), anche tenendo in considerazione il livello di tecnologie digitali presenti nel contesto aziendale. Questa parte estende la letteratura esistente nell’analisi della relazione diretta tra pratiche a innovazioni radicali, oggi poco affrontata dagli studiosi. Allo stesso tempo considera un tema ‘caldo’ e molto dibattuto, su come le tecnologie digitali sul posto di lavoro possano influenzare le determinanti lavorative verso una maggiore innovazione radicale, anche grazie alla centralizzazione del potere decisionale.
Competitività regionale, pratiche di gestione delle risorse umane e innovazione d’impresa a livello Europeo
FERRARINI, FILIPPO
2022
Abstract
Competitiveness is a complex concept, which is influenced by a multiplicity of factors. At macro level (i.e. regions) the determinants are the socio-economic territorial characteristics, while at company level one of the factors is the capability of the firm to sustain and enhance its innovative capacity through which it can stay competitive on the market. The aim of the current study is on the one hand, the analysis of territorial competitiveness and specifically of regional competitiveness in Europe; on the other hand, it goes deeper by considering at European level, the antecedents of firm innovation, in particular human resource management practices, collaborative research and development as well as digital technologies and employee empowerment in the workplace. The European framework is chosen as a common background to address these topics in three different chapters. The first chapter, by using data coming from the EU Regional Competitiveness Index (RCI) 2019, makes a comparative assessment of regional competitiveness at European level through a Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) method, which offers a new perspective on complex concepts such as regional competitiveness, which are difficult to determine and measure. The current analysis on the one hand, integrates and extends the current literature on the methods that are relevant for measuring regional competitiveness; on the other hand, through a comparative approach it offers a fresh perspective on regional competitiveness at European level that could be useful for policy-makers addressing territorial disparities. The second chapter, by using data coming from the European Company Survey (ECS) 2019, analyses though a mediation model, how human resource management practices may enhance collaborative research and development between firms and how this in turs, influences (and enhances) the probability to make innovations by the companies involved in the process. This part offers some interesting implications for managers on how increasing the innovative capacity of companies by investing in those practices that promote collaborative innovations. At the same time, the study tries to provide empirical answer to the relationship between practices and collaborative innovation, a topic which is currently debated but has been mainly addressed by qualitative studies so far. The third chapter, by using the ECS dataset and by using a moderation model, drives the attention on how human resource management practices have different effects on different kinds of radical innovations (i.e. product and process innovation), by also taking into account the level of technological context complexity and employee empowerment in the workplace. This study extends the current literature on the effects of human resource practices on radical innovation, which is currently a gap in the literature. Moreover, it considers a “hot” and debated topic, which is how digital technologies shape and influence the determinants in the workplace toward greater radical innovation, also thanks to the interactive effect of the centralization of the decision-making process.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14242/79839
URN:NBN:IT:UNIMORE-79839