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Case Study

San Patrignano Community (A)

By Piero Morosini, Ulrich Steger and Karin Isberg

22 pages

December 2000

Reference: IMD-3-0918

This case series describes one of the world’s most remarkable communities, which for the past twenty years has continuously achieved extraordinary results working with marginalized individuals. Case A describes the development of the San Patrignano Community since the idea was first conceived in the mid-1970s until the death of its founder, Vincenzo Muccioli, in 1995. The Community, in the central Italian Emilia Romagna region, is run and managed by 2,000 rehabilitating heroin addicts. The case tells a compelling tale of Vincenzo’s courageous and entrepreneurial leadership. It also follows the spontaneous, gradual and organic growth of the Community’s social fabric, therapeutic approach and strong sense of shared purpose and family values. The development of the Community’s “productive” activities (which are, in fact, San Patrignano’s business ventures) is also described.

Keywords

Social Responsibility, Organizational Purpose, Change Management, Non-profit Organization

Settings

Italy
1995-2000

Type

Field Research

Available Languages

English

Related material

Teaching note, Video

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