Computer Services as a Catalyst of Innovation in Local Manufacturing Areas

A well-developed computer services sector is generally considered an important source of eco-nomic growth, since it can play a role of catalyst for the innovation processes of a particular region. Since the improvements carried by ICTs is not only a technical matter, but also in-volves managerial and strategic issues, the task of computer services well extends beyond the sale of equipment or software. Actually, the implementation of any innovation call for the transformation of established routines, procedures, and “ways of doing things”, which requires the acquisition of fresh knowledge and its elaboration for specific business goals. In order to achieve a better understanding of the computer services as a catalyst of innovation for local economies, some issues have to be addressed, as follows: a) the links between the processes of innovation, and the cognitive exchanges underpinning such processes; b) the peculiar opera-tional methods and activities performed by computer services; and c) the constraints and prob-lems that can hinder the use of such services in a specific local context. The paper assumes a perspective that considers the spread of an innovation as a process of knowledge transfer and dissemination, and applies it to a case-study investigation about the role of innovation agents played by some computer services companies in the North-east of Italy