During the Anglo-Saxon Middle Ages, the term “commons” indicated a portion of territory designed to provide resources for collective use. For example, the land used to graze the village’s cattle was a commons, as well as a forest where everyone could go and collect firewood.
The concept of commons can be used today to refer to all those systems that provide (or could provide) resources to a community by making a common benefit possible, but which may suffer from over-exploitation or lack of shared commitment on the part of those who use them..
In this sense, examples of commons are everywhere: Wikipedia, a marine ecosystem, the mobility system of a city, or the system of relations and knowledge of an industrial district can all be considered commons. A society that can count on a robust fabric of commons opens the way to a better quality of life for all. Businesses, institutions, and organizations are also part of a commons system and depend on the resources made available by these systems.
People and organizations can contribute to regenerate and protect the common goods they depend on, but they can also help to destroy them; What is the role of entrepreneurs and managers in this scenario?
It is still widely believed that individuals and organizations have the right to exploit common goods by having as their only limit that which is required by law, and paying taxes where applicable. In reality, today it is becoming increasingly clear that a proactive and shared interest in the common good is an essential key factor in avoiding the vulnerability of the system.. Currently, the (re)generation of commons is no longer an issue that public and private entrepreneurs and managers can delegate to the world of politics or social commitment. In fact,
Today's commons are much more complicated than the commons of the past, such as the common pastures of medieval villages
We live in a globalized world, and many vital commons, such as the planet's climate, have also reached a global scale. In this densely interconnected landscape, every technological innovation generates new dilemmas as well as new solutions. Digitization is extraordinarily accelerating these transformations: new commons are continually becoming evident, and with them and emergence of new types of threats to commons and the ability of these systems to (re)generate resources for the common good.
For these reasons, there is an obvious need to have and widespread capabilities to organize, manage and monitor the development of our commons. New models and new management tools are needed, which leverage the full potential of the digital connection and new technologies, to protect commons from what makes them fragile, namely opportunistic behavior, disengagement, lack of knowledge, and lack of capacity for coordinated action
Traditional business and management methods are unsuitable to address these challenges. Scholars and professionals who are active in the world of entrepreneurship and management are invited to contribute to a shared evolution of commons, technologies, and skills.