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Ethics, gift and social innovation through CSR and female leadership in business administration in Italy

Ethik, Geschenk und soziale Innovation durch CSR und weibliche Führung in der Betriebswirtschaft in Italien

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Abstract

The aim of the paper is to inquire and discuss the specificities of the women’s approaches in leading organizations towards generating social innovation. What are the traits of women’s leadership and their role in managing and governing organizations? Are they holders of values, which raise their capability “to listen” and “to read” stakeholders expectations and needs in different socio-economic and historical contexts? The work provides a reply to these research questions by analyzing the role of women in two different Italian organizations. The first one is relative to an institution (“S. Giuseppe Institute for Maternal and Infant Help” in Rimini and the “Little Hospital Regina Elena”, currently named S. Giuseppe Onlus) that, from the beginning of the Nineteenth century, played a key role in the local and national context (Italy) in protecting illegitimate motherhood and children, which represented from centuries a social and cultural plague in the Country. The second one is relative to an Italian large-sized multi-utility company (SGR Group) based in Rimini and developed abroad (Bulgaria) which is family owned and whose sustainability-oriented process is driven for years by the vision of a female President. The reflections emerged from the analysis contribute to understand the potential of women in generating social innovation through their management and leadership and the changes “silently” promoted within organizations. Coherently, the work contributes to nurture a field which has still to be improved in order to disclose the frequently “hidden” role of women in promoting CSR and sustainability and developing the socio-economic and territorial context, in Italy and abroad.

Zusammenfassung

Dieser Beitrag zielt darauf ab, die spezifisch bei Frauen feststellbaren Herangehensweisen in der Unternehmensführung im Hinblick auf die sich aus diesen ergebenen sozialen Innovationen darzulegen bzw. zu ergründen. Wodurch ist weibliche Führung bzw. deren Rolle beim Management und bei der Leitung von Organisationen gekennzeichnet? Werden Frauen dabei von Werten bestimmt, welche ihre eigene Fähigkeit steigern, den Erwartungen und Bedürfnissen der Interessevertretungen in den jeweiligen sozio-ökonomischen und historischen Zusammenhängen ‚zuzuhören‘ bzw. sie denen ‚abzulesen‘?

Meine Studie schlägt eine Antwort auf solche Fragen vor, indem sie die Rolle(n) von Frauen bei zwei italienischen Einrichtungen analysiert. Die erste Einrichtung ist das heute als „Stiftung S. Giuseppe Onlus“ bekannte, in Rimini wirkende „Institut S. Giuseppe für Mutter- und Kinderhilfe“ mit dazugehöriger Kinderklinik „Ospedalino Regina Elena“. Diese Einrichtung hatte ab dem Anfang des 19. Jahrhunderts im regionalen und nationalen Kontext eine Schlüsselrolle beim Schutz von als illegitim begriffenen Mutterschaften und Kindern. Dieses Phänomen außerehelicher Mütter und Kinder wurde jahrhundertelang in Italien als soziokulturelle Plage empfunden. Die zweite Einrichtung ist ein ebenfalls in Rimini wirkendes großes, familiengeführtes Multi-Utility Unternehmen (SGR Group), das ins Ausland (Bulgarien) expandiert ist, und dessen vom Nachhaltigkeitsprinzip bestimmter Werdegang seit Jahren vom Weitblick einer weiblichen Präsidentin vorangetrieben wird.

Die Analyse soll das sozial innovative Frauenpotential, insbesondere auf der Ebene von Management und Führung, sowie die durch Frauen bewirkten ‚stillen‘ Erneuerungsprozesse innerhalb von Einrichtungen erläutern. Damit soll auch ein Beitrag geboten werden, um einem Forschungsdesiderat nachzukommen: der ‚stillen‘ Rolle der Frauen beim Aufbau und der Unterstützung von CSR und Nachhaltigkeit, sowie zur damit zusammenhängenden territorialen Entwicklung in Italien und in Europa.

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Notes

  1. Other women’s roles included: the female personnel responsible for various services, women and young mothers belonging to the local community, who freely offered their services (covering a dual role as former users and collaborators), the assisted women and the trained and monitored wet nurses.

  2. The Group includes SGR reti, Utilia, SGR Servizi and CityGas, the Bulgarian company controlled by SGR which was joined by Technoterm in 2010.

  3. To respond to and contemporise the stakeholders’ interests, SGR proceeded with their analysis, followed by the stakeholders’ engagement plan, which includes diverse tools of dialogue, consultation and communication. Mention can be made of Intranet, accessible at all corporate levels; an internal blog; a newsletter; employee satisfaction questionnaires; informative brochures; company notice boards; plenary meetings (once or twice a year) and monthly meetings.

  4. We can cite projects for kindergartens, elementary and middle children which involved more than 5000 students aimed at educating to eco-energy, nutrition, civic sense, the creative and artistic development.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Business Administration, University of Bologna – Rimini Campus and University Institute of Sophia(FL), Via Angherà, 22, 47900, Rimini (RN), Italy

    Maria-Gabriella Baldarelli

  2. Department of Economics, Society and Politics, University of Urbino – Carlo Bo – Italy, Via Saffi, 42, 61029, Urbino (PU), Italy

    Mara Del Baldo

Authors
  1. Maria-Gabriella Baldarelli
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  2. Mara Del Baldo
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Correspondence to Maria-Gabriella Baldarelli or Mara Del Baldo.

Additional information

This paper represents the work of a common research project. However, Baldarelli Maria-Gabriella wrote Sect. 4 and 5 while Del Baldo Mara wrote Sect. 1, 2 and 3.

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Baldarelli, MG., Del Baldo, M. Ethics, gift and social innovation through CSR and female leadership in business administration in Italy. uwf 24, 141–150 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00550-016-0413-8

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