White paper on creativity - ebla center

Chapter 9figures concerning small companies’strategic use of ICT reveal aninsufficient degree of computerisationof the productive system. Moreover,we must stress the phenomenon ofgeographical polarisation, reflectingthe well-known divide in the Italianproductive and economic structure.One positive note is the smallcompanies’ capacity to penetrateforeign markets by using the Internet,thus showing its potential as a usefulbase for new growth paths.9.4 ConclusionsThe transition towards the knowledgebasedeconomy began in the UnitedStates in the 1990s and subsequentlyslowly spread to Europe, firstly to theScandinavian countries and the UnitedKingdom, while other continentalcountries, and especially Italy, havelagged behind.This process has been characterised bya gradual de-industrialisation, agrowing specialisation of theproduction system in the servicessector and the mass diffusion ofinformation and communicationstechnology. There has thus been a risein productive systems specialised insupplying services with a high contentof knowledge to the detriment ofmaterial goods production.The production of knowledge isclosely connected to the creativecapacity of the players operating in theeconomic system. In particularepistemic creativity makes it possibleto produce new knowledge, generatinggrowth and well-being. The softwareindustry, a specific content industry, isa paradigmatic case. On one hand,software may be described as a goodincorporating a high content ofknowledge and, on the other, as aparticular requirement of ICT, whichhas contributed most to the success ofthe new model.The great increase in productivity inthe United States in the second half ofthe 1990s was mainly due tocompanies using ICT, rather thanthose which produced it. Adoptingcostly tools, such as applicationsoftware to integrate functions in largecompanies led to considerable benefitsin economies of density, whichtranslated into a reduction of unitcosts and increased productivity.The importance of the question ofcompany size raises serious problemsfor the potential of a transitiontowards the knowledge economy,unless this distinctive feature turns outto be a strength in shaping an originalmodel. Moreover, this would reflectthe excellent capacity which the systemhas already demonstrated in managingthe complex phenomena of creativeadoption.The average size of Italian companiesraises problems because it preventsexploiting economies of density and,therefore, does not allow companies toadopt a software with high costs forengineering, implementation andmanagement.Moreover,fragmentation on the demand side hasthe immediate and inevitableconsequence of fragmentation on thesupply side. The variety andheterogeneity of users requires andWHITE PAPER ON CREATIVITY 227