7i in Western North Carolina Thursday, March 31, 2005 Western Carolina University is hosting an interesting forum, called i7. The seven "i's": imagination, ideas, insight, ingenuity, innovation, invention and inspiration. Read more. WCU has launched a Millennial Initiative that includes a regional economic development strategy. The forum makes some interesting, and important word choices. Panels will be called "strands". These reflect important conversational threads that will be important to the future of the region. Equally important, the university is crossing old jurisdictional boundaries. Philosophy, arts, health care, and tourism will be part of the event. Why is this important? In the future, economic development will not be so much about "things" (convention centers, industrial parks). Economic development is increasingly a matter of managing complex learning through a civic process of public participation and leadership direction. In a knowledge economy, the communities and regions that can engage in complex learning will thrive. They will learn faster. They will spot opportunities faster. And they will act faster. We need to think and act in new ways, as we move from industrial forms of capitalism (with its emphasis on managerial command and control systems) to economic systems based on networks. WCU's 7i Future Forum embraces this dynamic. 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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