Mario Rosso between Olivetti, Fiat and Telecom
“The cathedrals of industry. An unusual story of management between Olivetti, Fiat and Telecom" by Mario Rosso (Guerini) read by Tullio Fazzolari
Never trust first impressions. The book that may seem like an autobiography like many others is instead the diary of a long journey that lasted more than thirty years through the Italian economy. And in practice it is the recent history of our industry, with its successes and its failures, told by an eyewitness who experienced it as a protagonist, occupying positions of great responsibility. It could be objected that many times managers or entrepreneurs have put their version of facts down on paper, supporting the validity of their choices. “The cathedrals of industry” does not fall into this stereotype at all. An unusual story of management between Olivetti, Fiat and Telecom” by Mario Rosso (Guerini, 242 pages, 21.50 euros). There is no success to claim or defeat to justify. Rosso's book instead describes a personal journey that begins in the early seventies and reaches the new millennium. But the stages of his brilliant career as a manager actually coincide with crucial events and great changes for Italian industry. The other fundamental aspect is that Rosso, having worked in almost all large companies and in practically every sector, has a 360-degree knowledge of the industrial world.
His first job was at Olivetti where he took care of the staff. Which is unusual for a young graduate in theoretical philosophy. Its effort focuses on working conditions in the manufacturing sector. Attempts to improve them are not always understood. Especially older workers prefer so-called alienating work rather than attending refresher courses. But the entire company no longer has the momentum it had under the leadership of Adriano Olivetti. The sale of the electronics division to the Americans of General Electric is the end of a futuristic project that would give Italian industry a world leadership position. Shortly afterwards Mario Rosso goes to work in the Fiat group. And it is a long and varied experience. In Turin we live the nightmare of terrorism. Labor relations are always tense. The model of the large car factories that had marked the years of the economic boom entered an irreversible crisis. But the industry moves forward. The job leads Rosso to an interesting managerial experience in the United States. A further change comes with the transition to large-scale distribution. The long journey continues with telecommunications. Rosso was in Telecom in the crucial years of privatization. And then he works at Tiscali in the internet start-up phase. “The cathedrals of industry” tells what he has done but above all what he has seen in all these years without a shred of emphasis for the profession of manager whose merits he recognizes but does not hide the defects.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/economia/mario-rosso-fra-olivetti-fiat-e-telecom/ on Sat, 18 Nov 2023 07:07:50 +0000.