Autori: Giulia Peruzzi, Paolo Spagnoletti.
Abstract:
In recent years, Italy’s Ragioneria Generale dello Stato (RGS) – the State General Accounting Department – has faced significant pressure to modernize and standardize its operational processes. As a key institution within the Italian Public Administration (PA), RGS is responsible for overseeing the financial transactions of the government, ensuring fiscal compliance, and providing vital support to both Parliament and government agencies. Given these responsibilities, innovation and digital transformation are no longer optional,
but essential for operational efficiency and sustainability. In response to these challenges, RGS launched the i-lab Program, a groundbreaking initiative designed to foster innovation through experimentation, collaboration, and co-Design. The program was spearheaded by the Ispettorato Generale per l’informatica e l’innovazione tecnologica (IGIT), the General Inspectorate for Information Technology and Technological Innovation within RGS, which aimed to drive digital and organizational transformation across Italy’s public institutions. This teaching case explores how the i-lab Program initiated long-term structural change within RGS, emphasizing the cultural and operational impacts of innovation in Public Administration. Through the dual lens of a public entity and a complex organization, this case study highlights key lessons from the i-lab journey that are relevant to any organization, public or private, seeking to foster innovation.
