The course takes place in Siena, a city with deep historical roots and, at the same time, characterised by strong innovative features, aimed at maximising the quality of life and people’s well-being. The wealth of historical, artistic and cultural stimuli offered by the city offers the possibility to oraganise and develop a research workshop where participants have the opportunity to reflect upon the urban evolution of Siena. This allows the group to analyse the resources invested and the need of maintaining the harmony of the system as a metaphor for their own role within the organisation.

Through continuous reference to the organisational and professional context, the lecturer creates useful connections to address issues related to corporate governance, such as the importance of having a well-defined Vision and Values. These aspects are conveyed to be the basis for directing leadership, communicating the company’s vision and transmitting its shared values, which gives meaning and amplifies the significance of organisational strategies and actions.

The history of the Venetian Republic, the city’s urban planning and the Guggenheim Collection at Palazzo Venier represent inspiring metaphors for developing a reflection on how to deal with uncertainty and generate innovation.

Following the French Revolution, artists lost the ‘certainty’ of a patronage that guaranteed them the protection they needed to be able to express their art. From then on, they began to express themselves independently and regardless of external demands, thus succeeding in forging a new way of making art. The uncertainty stemming from historical causes therefore led to the production of new and different works of great value, which can be found in the museum. Among the different activities provided, the participants will have the chance to go to the typical venetian neoighbourhoods called “Sestieri” where they will discover how the citizens of Venice live the uncertainty of the city and what they do to transform the different difficulties and uncertainty into opportunities. The city, for instance, constantly needs to deal with the uncertainty of high water, incorporating it into their daily life without being unduly influenced by it.

At the end of the different activities, a thorough debriefing with the trainers is carried out with the aim of systematising the learnings and thoughts gained during the activities.

Our consultants guide the participants attending this outdoor activity through the Anselm Kiefer’s contemporary art installation ‘Seven Heavenly Palaces’ at the Hangar Bicocca exhibition space in Milan.

Participants are invited to reflect upon the issues of change and complexity and on how to manage them effectively both for themselves and for the organisation. This path provides a source of inspiration for the development of individual and group empowerment, allowing differences to be seen as an asset rather than an obstacle.

Afterwards, the group of participants is guided to make use of the Hangar experience to activate collaborative thinking and identify steps to generate and nurture trust within the management team or in relation to their co-workers.