Andrea is interested in understanding innovation processes across different contexts, i.e. strategic, organizational, and geographical.  He pursues parallel – but convergent – streams of research.

Division and coordination of knowledge and labor –  focus on the strategic dimension of innovation in multitechnology, multicomponent products.  Andrea's research shows that systems integration capabilities are required to co-ordinate change across different bodies of technological knowledge as well as across organizational boundaries (RP, 1007; ICC, 2001; ASQ, 2001).  These results highlighted the limits to embedded coordination contra extant modularity literature.  Andrea has moved on to study the role of systems integration in the transition phase between architectures to address the question: what makes possible the emergence of new architectures?  Results show that key individuals who have broad and deep expertise about the whole (or most of the) system enable the introduction of new design rules (OS, 2006; EMR, 2008; IJTM, 2008).

Current projects
  • Theoretical foundations of organizational loose coupling. This research is pursued in collaboration with Stefano Brusoni (ETH, Zurich).
  • Shift from production-based to service-based offering and analyze the configuration of firms’ capabilities to master the transition (I&I, 2009). This research is pursued in collaboration with Federica Ceci (University G. d’Annunzio) and Andrea Masini (HEC, Paris).
  • Perceptions of modularity and coordination in globally distributed teams. This research is pursued in collaboration with Fabiola Bertolotti and Elisa Mattrelli (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia)


Learning, memory, and routines in project-based contexts – focus on whether and how project-based organizations are able to develop routines while facing discontinuous tasks.  Andrea's research shows that firms develop a variety of tools to store and diffuse information and knowledge between projects and organization-wide (RP, 2001).  He has moved on to study the role of key individuals – their network relationships and career paths – in providing continuity in project-based contexts.

Current projects
  • Replication of routines in project-based environment . This research stream is currently pursued in collaboration with Euguenia Cacciatori (ETH), Dajana D’Andrea (University G. D’Annunzio, PhD student at SPRU), and Stefano Miraglia (Phd student at Imperial College).

Social capital and innovation – focus on the relationships between regional social capital and firms’ performance.  My research shows that regions characterized by high social capital are more innovative (OS, 2011).  The same holds true for internationalization performance, though the relationships is n-shaped (JIBS, R&R 2011).

Current projects
  • Regional social capital, individual social capital and innovation. This research stream is currently pursued in collaboration with Francesca Masciarelli (University G. D’Annunzio).