Abstract

The case of Bologna highlights how the telephone and the type-writer became indispensable instruments for the reorganization of work by accelerating communication and administrative procedures. This reorganization had been made necessary by the constant growth of all the public services and by the advantages available in terms of productivity. Responsible for the decision-making process were the municipal functionaries, the proponents of a culture favourable to innovation, who overcame the resistance of local politicians. The delay with which the administration introduced innovation was due to its acceptance of the innovative technologies only when their ability to satisfy the needs of office work had been experimentally demonstrated.