Approach

Open Source Economic Development 

Collaborating with our partners, we develop new approaches to regional prosperity focused on innovation, networks and community building. 

I-Open accelerates innovation and economic transformation in local and regional economies. Our approach is founded on open source development, an effective innovation engine developed in the software industry. Open source development is based on voluntary communities of people contributing to common (often complex) projects.

In economic development, Michael Porter of Harvard University has pointed to the importance of "clusters" - open innovation systems - to generate innovation and productive investment. Regions characterized by thick networks of trusted relationships learn faster, spot opportunities faster, and align resources faster. 

Vivek Wadhwa, Tech Entrepreneur, Academic, Researcher, and Writer is a proponent of building "open global pipelines" to support and accelerate entrepreneurship.

I-Open develops and deploys practical approaches to build open innovation networks in neighborhoods, counties, and global regions. Open networks drive innovation in clusters and pipelines. This is what I-Open is focused on: the disciplines, habits and practices that strengthen these networks in our "civic spaces". 

Strengthening Networks in Our Civic Spaces

One of the core disciplines now involves weaving networks in our "civic spaces".  Economic development takes place in the civic space outside the four walls of any one organization.  One of the key insights of the second paragraph, becomes an understanding that we need to organize our civic spaces more effectively.

Many of the challenges and opportunities we face today require us to innovate in new and different ways.  Yet, most communities have no common practice to generate or test new ideas. Even worse,  in some communities the practices of civility have deteriorated dramatically.

We have developed training materials to teach civic leaders the new skills of how to engage and build open networks in communities to strengthen innovation and advance entrepreneurship. You can access materials at I-Open's library on Scribd.

Developing Appreciative Leadership Skills

People move in the direction of their conversations. So, for example,  when people come together to discuss common issues,  it matters how we frame the conversation.  Some years ago, David Cooperrider at Case Western Reserve University, develop the practice of appreciative inquiry to guide large scale change in organizations. 

Civic leaders are emerging who adopt a number of different roles: 

  • Champion: A leader who sees an innovation and commits to realizing its potential.  
  • Coach: A leader who demonstrates how new civic skills -- and the practice of "strategic doing" -- can accelerate collaboration and innovation.  
  • Convener: A leader who is able to engage interested parties in an extended conversation to identify new ideas and convert them into action.  
  • Connector: A leader who consistently sees new connections in the civic space and who takes steps to develop stronger networks by "closing triangles".