Florim and Sassuolo Hospital, with the support of Nativa, designed and implemented a system for measuring the social impact generated by its Health&Training Center, with the aim of managing direct and indirect results.
“Companies generally do not take into consideration the social impacts into their decision-making processes because they are more difficult to understand and measure. This is what we tried to do.” This is how Gianandrea Spadoni and Marco Giambone, Nativa’s Evolution Guide, mention about the Florim Health&Training Center’s social impact measurement project, carried out by Nativa together with Florim and Sassuolo Hospital.
The Sassuolo-based company, led by Claudio Lucchese has been producing ceramic surfaces for construction, architecture and interior design for over 60 years. It has long stood out for generating not only on an economic value, but also on an environmental and social value, evidenced by its evolution into a Benefit Corporation (Società Benefit) and obtaining B Corp certification in 2020.
It was precisely the focus on its social impact that prompted Florim to meet with Sassuolo Hospital and forge a close collaboration between the industrial company and the healthcare facility. A relationship that over time has been consolidated until the creation, in 2014, of the Florim Health & Training Center – the first center in Italy certified by the American Heart Association within a private company. Six hundred square meters of corporate space, in the heart of Florim’s headquarters, have been dedicated to the training of medical and paramedical personnel, thanks in part to advanced technology that allows for humanoids that reproduce human functions. The Center’s activities are managed by the Sassuolo (Modena) Hospital, which also organizes meetings on various topics related to prevention and health promotion, open to local citizens. A project within which there is also an important welfare initiative that provides all Florim employees with discounted rates and reduced waiting times for outpatient services under the free professional regime.
But what is the real impact of the initiative? Being able to quantify the value generated is essential to be aware of the total impact of the company and to continue working to improve it. As Nativa, we, together with Florim and Sassuolo Hospital, carried out a pilot project to measure the social impact of the Center, creating an ad hoc framework.
The project was developed by selecting target courses and identifying and engaging key stakeholders: Florim, the community, trainees, instructors and researchers. Together with them, through a co-creation process, a set of about 15 indicators, each associated with a specific topic, was identified to measure direct and indirect impacts. Once the design phase of the tool was finished, the data collection phase began: each indicator was used as the basis for drafting two questionnaires, administered to 128 people to date, which allowed us to infer satisfaction (>95% of participants) and increased knowledge and prevention regarding the topics covered as a result of the trainings (>90%).
Thus, the project allowed for the exploration of the often overlooked topic of social impact measurement. The framework developed, based on the “Theory of Change” methodology and internationally recognized standards such as IRIS+, Benefit Impact Assessment and SDG Action Manager, will enable the Florim Health&Training Center to collect, independently over the years, the information necessary to verify whether and how the Center of Excellence succeeds in responding to the needs and requirements of its beneficiaries, ensuring intentionality and scalability of positive impact. A key starting point, with a view to continuous improvement.