GABRIEL RISSOLA

www.smeactor.eu

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1. Where

+ Viladecans city63.000 inhabitants

+ Baix Llobregat and Garraf (Delta zone)

+ the rest of Barcelona’s metropolitan area4,2 millions population

GABRIEL RISSOLA

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2. Which target sector and why

ICT companies specialized in Open Source (FOSS)

• Emerging sector in Catalonia, well positioned as a “tractor of innovation” for the Public Administration (PA) and inside the Spanish FOSS industry

• Populated by hundred of small and microenterprises that don’t manage to acquire big contracts (PA / IT multinationals)

• Interest of local intermediate agents in SMEs networking paths that promote the consolidation of the sector (M&A, joint ventures, fusions, etc)

GABRIEL RISSOLA

www.smeactor.eu

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3. Which target groups

Second tier facilitator: mixed group

- Balanced heterogeneous group of professionals interested in SMEs, co-operation and training

- Involved thanks to a joint networking between the Foundation, Viladecans Council, D-O-T consultancy and the Official College of IT Engineers

GABRIEL RISSOLA

www.smeactor.eu

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3. Which target groups

SMEs: FOSS development houses

- Group of small and micro IT companies specialized in Open Source development that were aware of losing commercial opportunities due to their small size

- Interested in operate together under a common brand or a new joint enterprise, with the final objective to meet formal and productive requirements necessary for the acquisition of bigger contracts with PPAA or IT multinational companies

GABRIEL RISSOLA

www.smeactor.eu

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4. Labs for second tier facilitators

• N. and profile of participants: 121 Regional Business Supporting Agency (CIDEM)1 Regional SME Chamber (PIMEC)2 Local Development Agency (CORESA, CAN CALDERON)1 Business School (EADA)2 Consultancy Firms (local development) (CIREM,

EUROLOCAL)1 Technological Centre (ASCAMM)1 IT Professional College (COEIC)1 IT Enterprise (STP)

• N. of sessions realized: 1 (two full days programme)

• Main learning aims pursued: facilitator‘s role and tools

GABRIEL RISSOLA

www.smeactor.eu

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4. Labs for second tier facilitators

• Main tools used: – Warming-up / Ice-breaking methods (tool 31) – Moderation as a role (message 11)– The five satisfactions (stakeholder analysis) (tool 4)– Customer / Supplier needs analysis and planning (tool 5)– Chairing vs. Moderating (tool 11)– To-do form (Tool 3)– Visualization helps to understand and remember

(Message 12)– SWOT analysis (Tool 12)– Cause effect diagrams (Tool 14)– Force field analysis (Tool 15)– Countdown planning (Tool 6)– 2 additional tools selected to meet participants‘

interests

GABRIEL RISSOLA

www.smeactor.eu

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4. Labs for second tier facilitators

• Overall achievement– Successful evangelization on AL-based

Facilitation of co-operation processes– High degree of satisfaction among participants– Real impact on everyday work in the more

mature participating structures:• COPCA: redefinition of the way in which they manage

and moderate Business Communities• ASCAMM: application of methodologies to project‘s

preparation and management• EADA/CIREM [+ D-O-T]: jointly process to merge AL

with own investigation-action methodology• CAN CALDERON: attempt to apply AL principles to

their entrepreneurial community at Viladecans

GABRIEL RISSOLA

www.smeactor.eu

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5. Labs for SMEs

• N. and profile of participants: 5- Group of small IT companies specialized in Open Source

development- Interested in operate together as "TKS“ which would be a

common brand or a new joint enterprise- In order to meet formal requirements for acquisition of

contracts from Regional Public Administrations and Multinational IT Companies

• N. of sessions realized: 6 (3-4 hours long each)

• Main working aims pursued: – To define a start-up strategy around the question: what goes

first? To acquire one project together or to create a new company?

GABRIEL RISSOLA

www.smeactor.eu

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5. Labs for SMEs

• Main tools used: – The five satisfactions (stakeholder analysis)

(tool 4)– Customer / Supplier needs analysis and

planning (tool 5)– Brainstorming + Mindmapping (still not

documented)– To-do form (Tool 3)– SWOT Analysis (12)– Countdown planning (Tool 6)– Tasks/Skills Matrix (still not documented)– ... and improvisation !!

GABRIEL RISSOLA

www.smeactor.eu

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5. Labs for SMEs

• Overall achievement– Lab‘s kick-off meeting: to generate confidence, credibility and

engagement among participants; to initiate de-construction of pre-concepts; to agree a series of to-does (co-responsibility)

– Sessions 2 to 5: to clarify different aspects related to the projected new company or brand: How an enterprise of medium size is supposed to be?; Which is the ideal profile of key professional figures to hire? (General Manager, Project manager, Channel manager); How a project’s unit should work in order to generate new proposals systematically?; Which business roadmap would be given to an hypothetical General Manager? // Need of an internal leader; SWOT Analysis; Customer Supplier Analysis; Commercial doc

– Session 6: to identify an alternative start-up strategy to the two possible ones pre-defined before initiating the Lab: to complete the partnership with a strategic partner, a medium-size company that needs to reconvert/complement its own services offer with specialized, high-quality open sources developments, solutions or services and that counts with own financial resources to invest

GABRIEL RISSOLA

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6. Overall evaluation and lesson learnt

• On the application of these methodologies you must find your own balance between offering an appropriate framework for learning, well prepared in advance, clearly structured and respected during the activity, and the flexibility needed to attract participants and made them involve and engage.

• This flexibility should not be interpreted as improvisation; all the contrary, you are the one fixing the framework and proposing the rules (the agenda, etc) that you have carefully planned in advance

• The first lesson a facilitator should learn is to be objective enough to be able to mediate between the participants and himself!!

• Thinking on two levels (the evident and the latent) helps you to accept changing details without forgetting your final objective for the experience

GABRIEL RISSOLA

www.smeactor.eu

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7. And after SME ACTor?

We will continue to promote AL and tools/methods developed by SME ACTor by:

1) Offering consultancy services to economic development agents in Baix Llogrebat county

2) Promoting the ad hoc development of a tailored software for Virtual Facilitation

3) Participating in Transfer of Innovation projects in partnership with some SME ACTor partners and local partners