The pandemic has triggered profound changes in organizations and business strategies, drastically altering the environment in which Italian companies operate. This premise led to the research project “Organizational resilience and digital transformation: lessons from the coronavirus disruptions,” conducted by Luiss Guido Carli and Cisco Italia, which was presented today at an event held in Rome (Villa Blanc, home of the Luiss Business School) and Milan (Villa Necchi).

A journey led by Luiss professors Jannis Kallinikos and Paolo Spagnoletti, exploring the strategies of 11 major Italian companies and organizations across four sectors: banking, utilities, IT, and the armed forces. With over 460,000 employees involved, the study revealed how digital acceleration enabled the companies analyzed to respond quickly to the pandemic crisis. This led to a significant boost in their organizational resilience, which, over time, proved to be a key structural element for their very survival.

The analysis also revealed that the rise in digital capabilities has led to three main effects: a significant increase in remote work, the expansion of online platforms and services, and the virtualization of physical processes. These are the real starting points that will shape future business decisions.

The paper examined the various strategies companies employ when facing unexpected disruptions. It revealed that changes in how work is organized differ based on two key factors: the type of business and the company’s level of digitalization, regardless of the economic sector.

The result revealed two “opposite” and polarizing models: on the one hand, a reduction in operations, even in business models that are not tied to the physical world and have limited digital capabilities; on the other, a further push toward virtualization for business models that are tied to the physical world and have a strong digital focus.

“The complexity of the challenges we face and the uncertainty of future scenarios require a radical rethinking of the business models of public and private organizations. The digital transformation presents a significant opportunity to develop and implement sustainable, innovative solutions across all industrial sectors. However, the Luiss-CISCO research indicates that digitalization is a complex process that must consider the unique characteristics of each organization, avoiding the pitfalls of simplistic, one-size-fits-all solutions,”stated Luiss Rector Andrea Prencipe.

“This research tells us that even in times of uncertainty, not only is it crucial to take action, but it's also possible to create more resilient and sustainable organizations. In this regard, digital transformation, along with the associated skills, plays a crucial enabling role,” said Gianmatteo Manghi, CEO of Cisco Italy.