Experimenting ICT-enabled change management in education: the case of the Euro-mediterranean incubator

In the current scenario of the knowledge economy, the competitiveness of countries strictly depend upon their capacity to enter in global networks and to adopt effectively the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Of consequences, several Southern Mediterranean Countries have to leapfrog in the knowledge-based economy, by fulfilling their “Knowledge and Digital Divide”. In this view it is necessary to invest in Intellectual Capital framed in terms of Human Capital (capabilities, skills and experiences), Structural Capital (technologies, processes, demonstrators, patents) and Social Capital (the network of relationships). This represents a challenge for Universities and Business Schools that are required to radically innovate their intellectual capital creation processes, as well as to adopt entrepreneurial behaviours. Starting from these premises, some fundamental questions arise: • Which is the strategic role of ICTs for change management in Education? • How can Intellectual Capital be created to bridge the Knowledge and Digital Divide? And how this could be done in practices? To face these challenges, the experiment of the “Euro Mediterranean Incubator of Business Innovation Leadership” (Hereafter Incubator – www.ebms.it) is framed and described. The Incubator is an Advanced Education and Research school focused on ICT-enabled Business Innovation, and launched in 1999 at the Scuola Superiore ISUFI – University of Salento (Italy) with other partners and stakeholders in Morocco, Tunisia and Jordan. The paper presents the conceptual model of the Incubator articulated in vision, mission, strategy and target, basic principles and distinguishing values, core processes and competencies, strategic resources and metrics. Finally, the results obtained in the period 1999-2008 in terms of “Intellectual Capital” will be presented and all contribute to characterize the Incubator as a successful example of ICTs enabled change management process in Education.