Sunday, August 31, 2003
For the past couple of years, the Canadians have been developing national initiatives to accelerate innovation. Last March, they held a workshop on Innovative Communities.
A few days ago, they released a summary of the workshop. I have not had the time to review it all, but there are some interesting points in the summary report.
Among the points: "Community innovation processes and outcomes can be strengthened by including more people. There is a need to move 'beyond the usual suspects' in assembling the community leadership team, and reach out to untapped leadership resources found in the diverse makeup of local populations."
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.
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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.
Best practices for innovative communities: the view from Canada
