PAradigmi evolutivi nella gestione del personale specialistico

The great evolution in firm organization led to major changes in professional people management so far. This paper analyses the evolution of professional people management in Italian firms, by focusing on two central questions: how the role of “professionals” is changing and which human resource management systems are adopted to motivate them. Three Italian cases have been analysed: GD, Tecnimont and Microsoft Italia. The paper shows that the professional role is effectively changing towards a greater integration of managerial and technical aspects; the more it happens, the more professional people need managerial skills in addition to the economical background. A clear distinction between manager and professional seems also to disappear. In conclusion, a great prominence is given to the professionals as they represent a major source of innovation; however, the human resource management systems adopted by the examined companies vary according to the firm culture.