Design for territorial business systems: Role, instruments and operating methods

Abstract

Talking about design for territorial business systems seems almost to be a contradiction in terms inasmuch as design is the tool which contributes to the construction of innovation-related added value, strengthening the competitive advantages of the individual company over the competition. In reality, the design activity aimed not at the individual business but to several manufacturing organisations in a specific territory, what seems to be a coherent response to the particularities of the Italian manufacturing model. The case of Tuscany is rather special, being a region which expresses its analytical and interpretative skills via its capacity to study local manufacturing contexts. This is strengthened by the strategic decisions of the Regional Council which has, for some time now, opted to promote system designs via the activation of intermediate structures – Business Service Centres – which provide mediation services. Within this context we need to understand the specific role that design can perform for territorial business systems, identifying the operating tools and methods. All of this takes place through the presentation of real case stories relating to designs implemented in Tuscany, analysed using factors identified as key to the construction of future actions. This analysis has generated a hypothesis of good practices on the points in question, reproducible in other contexts.

Key words: design, strategies, innovation, territorial business systems.