Il network bancario quale risposta alle esigenze delle P.M.I.

.In the last decade, the financial system has undergone important structural changes which have significantly expanded the possible evolutionary course of the organizations operating within it, modifying, at the same time, the relationship between banks and enterprises. This chapter aims to verify if the quantitative dimension of a bank, considered a vital business system, is sufficient to ensure survival in an ongoing changing environment and whether it is able to respond effectively to the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises. In fact, while acknowledging that the physic-quantitative dimension is important for the acquisition of competitive advantages referable to economies of scale and scope, it offers an alternative vision of the dimension concept in the banking business, emphasizing, above all, the qualitative aspects. Indeed, also smaller banks are able to achieve adequate development levels of skills and competencies by adopting organizational solutions attributable to the network. The dimensional growth, therefore, does not always represent the only viable option to achieve competitiveness. The efficiency and flexibility of operational processes, obtainable through the network system, represent a possible solution for the survival of smaller banks.