Monday, August 06, 2007
A commentary from northwest Ohio captures some of the important themes that I see across the Great Lakes region.
Many communities are following strategies that seems strangely disconnected. In a word, they are defensive.
There's an alternative. Regions pounded by industrial change can start a new set of conversations based on the assets within their region. As the commentator notes,
Offensive strategies, on the other hand, reflect a perspective that seeks to find opportunities behind the problems, i.e., opportunity-centered strategies. An opportunity-centered strategy asks questions such as, “How can we better leverage our community and regional strengths?” Or, “What is the auto or glass industries going to need in the future that we can supply?” Or, possibly, “How can we better promote the science and technology assets we have in our institutions of higher education to make our community and region more competitive for domestic and foreign investment?”
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.
Defensive and offensive regional strategies
