1. Second International Seville Seminar on Future-Oriented Technology Analysis (FTA): Impacts on policy and decision making 28th- 29th September 2006
Foresight in the Context of industrial cluster: the case of Italian Districts
Claudio Roveda and Riccardo Vecchiato
Politecnico di Milano and Fondazione Rosselli

2. Agenda Paper Structure
Foresight in the context of Industrial Clusters:
the case of Italian Districts
Agenda
Paper Structure
Innovation in industrial clusters
Foresight and Innovation in an industrial cluster
The “Knowledge generation helix” and the “knowledge generation company”
Concluding remarks

3. Innovation in industrial clusters
Foresight in the context of Industrial Clusters:
the case of Italian Districts
Innovation in industrial clusters
Introduction
Many studies have pointed out that in a local industrial system innovation is the output of exchange of more or less formalised knowledge among various actors, which interact and cooperate on the basis of mutual trust and acceptance of shared values.
These interactions involve:
firms;
universities and public and private research centres;
banks;
trade associations;
local governments.

4. Innovation in industrial clusters
Foresight in the context of Industrial Clusters:
the case of Italian Districts
Innovation in industrial clusters
The knowledge creating helix (Nonaka)
The local economic and social systems strongly interact in the creation and dissemination of innovations by means of the production of both explicit (or coded) and tacit (or contextual) knowledge, through the following learning processes:
“socialization” of tacit knowledge;
“articulation” of tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge;
“combination” of explicit knowledge;
“internalization” of explicit knowledge into the operational processes, with the production of new tacit knowledge.

5. Innovation in industrial clusters
Foresight in the context of Industrial Clusters:
the case of Italian Districts
Innovation in industrial clusters
The transfer of knowledge and the generation of
innovations
Translation of knowledge generated outside the district in a “local” language
“Coding” and “decoding” of knowledge by means of an integrative process based on communication
Dissemination of new knowledge and new technology through different steps:
- assessing feasibility of innovation;
- raising awareness;
- investing financial and human resources;
- following the leaders.

6. Foresight in an industrial clusters
Foresight in the context of Industrial Clusters:
the case of Italian Districts
Foresight in an industrial clusters
Research questions
Given the features of the innovation process in an industrial cluster:
How can Foresight foster the process of mutual learning between the main stakeholders of the district?
How can Foresight be used for acquiring new coded knowledge from outside the district?
Outlining our experience with foresight methodologies in the silk district of Como and the metal-mechanic district of Lecco:
Interactive Workshop and Critical technology list
Scenario Building

7. Foresight in an industrial clusters
Foresight in the context of Industrial Clusters:
the case of Italian Districts
Foresight in an industrial clusters
Interactive Workshop and Critical technology list
identifying emerging technologies
setting up cooperation between entrepreneurs and technologists
promoting incremental innovation by means of technologies that are at an intermediate phase of their life cycle

8. Foresight in an industrial clusters
Foresight in the context of Industrial Clusters:
the case of Italian Districts
Foresight in an industrial clusters
Scenarios
fostering radical innovations
exploring the future of the overall socio-economic and industrial system of the district
socialising the tacit knowledge about the future of the district, through the participation of all the main local stakeholders
articulating the tacit knowledge, by building the scenarios

9. Comparing the “knowledge creating company”
Foresight in the context of Industrial Clusters:
the case of Italian Districts
Comparing the “knowledge creating company”
The main strengths of Japanese companies according
to Nonaka
Nonaka (“The knowledge creating company”, 1995) points out three main features of Japanese companies at the basis of their international competitiveness:
the deep sense of membership of the workforce
the “redundancy”
the interactions among senior managers, middle managers and frontline employees

10. Comparing the “knowledge creating company”
Foresight in the context of Industrial Clusters:
the case of Italian Districts
Comparing the “knowledge creating company”
The role of Foresight for the knowledge creating
helix in industrial clusters” (1)
it fosters the commitment of Small and medium entrepreneurs to their district
it creates redundancy for “side” technologies

11. Comparing the “knowledge creating company”
Foresight in the context of Industrial Clusters:
the case of Italian Districts
Comparing the “knowledge creating company”
The role of Foresight for the knowledge creating
helix in industrial clusters” (2)
It drives small entrepreneurs, district stakeholders, medium and large companies to play the critical roles of Nonaka’s “frontline employees”, “senior managers” and “middle managers”: the first ones grasp what the district is; the second ones build the vision of what it ought to be; the third ones serve as a bridge.

12. Concluding remarks Foresight in the context of Industrial Clusters:
the case of Italian Districts
Concluding remarks
Foresight can be an effective tool for promoting innovation in industrial clusters, by:
Simple and flexible methods for incremental innovation
Scenario building for radical innovation

13. Claudio Roveda and Riccardo Vecchiato
Second International Seville Seminar on Future-Oriented Technology Analysis (FTA): Impacts on policy and decision making 28th- 29th September 2006
Foresight in the Context of industrial cluster: the case of Italian Districts
Claudio Roveda and Riccardo Vecchiato