Wichita begins implementation of new strategy Sunday, October 13, 2002 Business and government leaders in Wichita have formed the Economic Development Strategic Council to implement a cluster-based strategy. Wichita is facing the tough part of cluster-based strategies: implementation. Cluster strategies are inherently collaborative. To work, they require people to think and behave in new ways. One potential weakness: the Council will operate as a volunteer effort. There will be no paid staff. This latest effort at regional cooperation started 18 months ago. In June 2001, the Council on Competitiveness released a report on the Wichita regional economy. To strengthen the region’s innovation infrastructure, the report highlighted the need for increased investment in research and development (R&D), an integrated workforce development strategy, broadening of the aerospace cluster, an aggressive action plan in plastics, improved collaboration between industry academia and government, and investment in other nascent clusters that have been overlooked. In June 2002, Wichita business and government leaders met to form a series of committees to explore implementation issues. The Center for Economic Development and Business Research at Wichita State University managed the process. The Council on Competitiveness has conducted 5 regional cluster studies under the guidance of Michael Porter. He is the Harvard Business professor who actively promotes the use of cluster analysis. You can view the Council's national and regional cluster studies. Go. Learn more about Wichita's implementation plans. Go. posted by Ed Morrison |		This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. links Some Background on EDPro Weblog The purpose of this weblog is to help economic development professionals -- EDPros -- keep up with the changes sweeping our profession. Strap on your goggles. It's a whole new game. There are no experts any more. The only place to learn about economic development is from other EDPros who are doing it. One other point: the prevaling approach (paradigm, if you like) in economic development is shifting from competition to collaboration. There are a lot of reaasons underlying this shift, but here's the important insight: You, your community, and your region will do better by collaborating and sharing information. So, spread the word...Share the knowledge. Tell a friend about EDPro Weblog. If you are using a news reader, here is the link to syndicate this site: Here's the link if you are a bloglines subscriber: Speaking and workshops on Open Source Economic Development As the idea of Open Source Economic Development starts spreading, more people are asking about it. Visit the I-Open web site to learn more. My colleagues and I are happy to explain the basic concepts in a talk or a workshop. E-mail Susan Alshuler if you'd like to learn more about workshops and speaking. Background on Ed Morrison Download some background information on me here.

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