The I-Open Backstory: A Tale of Industrial Economy Disruption and Spin-Out

Rei_cluster_map
Image: REI Cluster Map by Ed Morrison & Laszlo Kosmon

From the Report: REI. Business Plan V.1.5 at I-Open on Scribd.

The Institute for Open Economic Networks (I-Open) is a 501c(3) not for profit educational economic development organization spun out (2005) of the Center for Regional Economic Issues (REI), a regional economic policy and report center based in Cleveland, Ohio from 1980 to 2005.

The Center was originally funded by the Cleveland US Federal Reserve Bank at the recommendation of a RAND Corporation report to advise the then many Fortune 500 corporate leaders based in the 23 counties of North East Ohio, a regional industrial economic success.

In 2003, Ed Morrison, lawyer, economic development practitioner, and policy strategist was hired as the Executive Director of REI, housed at the Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University. The resident team led by Mr. Morrison, quickly incorporated legacy knowledge assets, updated and developed Center mission, generated a set of operational Principles, and aligned organizational investments with strategic programs in support of tech-based economic development in global networked economies.

(Note: Within 60 days of the time of the announced 2003 REI re-alignment, 60% of the Center's regional foundation funding provided by The Cleveland Foundation and George Gund Foundation was withdrawn; the remaining 30% funding provided by the Ameritech SBC Global corporation was re-dedicated by the corporate program office for the continued support of REI activities. Some 15 months later at the closing of the Center by CWRU in 2005, Ameritech SBC Global funds were confiscated by CWRU's Weatherhead School of Management, REI's host organization, during a time of organization and leadership disruption and financial downturn.)

In support of the REI 2003 mission update, and to catalyze and strengthen regional civic networks integral to tech-based economic transformation, team member Betsey Merkel developed the Civic Forum process, a pragmatic approach to civic engagement to accelerate the generation of transformational initiatives, ultimately engaging during the 17 month period over 3000 people "on a campus with no parking" - and before the advent of social media! (Costs averaged $.60 cents/person compared to a large failed regional engagement program averaging costs of $60.00/person, proving regional transformation for prosperity building does not need to be costly or complex in open economic networks.)

Simultaneously, Ed Morrison designed Strategic Doing, a rapid project development process to support, evaluate, and invest in the resulting Civic Forum entrepreneurial innovations for education, economic, and workforce development.

The Civic Forum process and Strategic Doing develop transformational civic entrepreneurial initiatives in Open Source Economic Development to accelerate prosperity for competitive regional advantage. 

 

Click Through For The Center for Regional Economic Issues (REI) Slide Show at I-Open On Flickr. [16 Slides]

The Center was closed by CWRU in June 2005. Ed Morrison was hired by Purdue University in Indiana USA to assist in the development of the Purdue Center for Regional Development, now a national and global hub for education, economic and workforce development and policy.

Also in June 2005, Ed Morrison, Betsey Merkel and two others co-founded The Institute for Open Economic Networks (I-Open) to continue the education and development of new practices and tools in Open Source Economic Development begun at REI.

(Note: Open Source Economic Development and Strategic Doing developed by REI Exec. Dir. Ed Morrison were later spun out in June 2005 and widely adopted by U.S. Workforce Investment Boards, the U.S. Economic Development Administration at the U.S. Dept of Commerce, and U.S. Dept of Energy to accelerate workforce innovation for regional economic development.

In Northeast Ohio, Betsey Merkel, REI Strategic Networks and Communications, and developer of the Civic Forum Process, continued to lead Civic Forums with I-Open colleagues and community to construct regional civic entrepreneurial networks and support resulting transformational enterprise initiatives.)

Ed retired from I-Open a few years ago to dedicate his work to the advancement of open models in workforce development. Betsey Merkel continues to invent and develop new practices and tools in Open Source Economic Development for the acceleration of transformative enterprise in emerging network economies.

Links of interest:

Building Leadership Capacity in Faith-Based Economic Development

Photo01311327

Shown L to R: Carlos Steward, Asst. Dir., Recreation; Lisa Braun, Executive Director; and Dawn Brown, Asst. Dir., Workforce Development at Ohio City Power with Lee Kay, Grant Coach and Consultant at Neighborhood Connections. Image Credit: Lisa Braun

Ohio City Power is an emerging place-based and virtual network that provides recreation, skills training and employment opportunities for the homeless and jobless at St. Paul's Church and Community Outreach in Ohio City, Ohio.

Ohio City Power programs strengthen community projects, relationships and collaborations for leadership capacity in faith-based economic development. 

2012 programs focus on:
  • The development of Ohio City Power projects to address neighborhood issues;
  • Encouraging new and stronger relationships between Ohio City community residents and local leaders; and, 
  • Supporting emergent opportunities for the development of community leadership, organizational  and community capacity building. 
Ohio City Power itself is comprised of a small core leadership network embedded in other supporting and evolving sponsor, partner and collaborating networks.

Open models such as Ohio City Power connect assets, talent and resources to transformative creative initiatives and business development for regional prosperity.

Ohio City Power 2011-2012 activities are funded by a grant from Neighborhood Connections, an affiliated program of the Cleveland Foundation and member of Grassroots Grantsmakers, an international affinity group for grassroots funders.

On Tuesday February 1, 2012, Ohio City Power leaders (shown above) met with Lee Kay, Grant Coach and Consultant at Neighborhood Connections to talk about how Ohio City Power programs are growing and developing.

Stop by to learn more, and contribute your insights and knowledge to improve this network of practice by visiting  http://www.ohiocitypower.net/ 

I-Open Lexicon

Hot_sauce_variety
Hot Sauce Variety

Image © Alice Merkel on Flickr

The I-Open Lexicon offers a starting point for new conversations in Open Source Economic Development.

Terms articulate concepts, expressions and words commonly used in building networks and collaborative communities. Other terms communicate evolving methodologies.

Add your suggestions and comments to generate version 3.0 below.

I-Open Lexicon

I-Open Process - Programs

Midtown_brews

Midtown Brews 2008

Image: Dennis Coughlin

I-Open programs are foundational components that build networks, collaborative community and transformative initiatives in Open Source Economic Development.

Programs are important gatherings that drive social experiences for knowledge creation.

This civic intelligence informs communications, contextual aspects of community culture.

I-Open process develops systems of locally based entrepreneurs and regional assets for higher levels of global connectivity.

Created by Betsey Merkel, I-Open 2011. Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States - The Institute for Open Economic Networks (I-Open)


The Innovation Framework in Open Source Economic Development

Shaded_grass

Shaded Grass

Image © Alice Merkel on Flickr  

The Innovation Framework is a guide for entrepreneurs, scientists and business leaders to successfully navigate a shift in mindset from scarcity to abundance in Open Source Economic Development.

Collaborative leadership is a discipline driven by the laws of natural systems, and is designed to catalyze individual creativity, communication and collaboration, ultimately leading to flourishing cultures of innovation.

I-Open conversations share insights and innovations in health care, energy, land, food, water, and technology. Leaders in the Civic Space generate a collective intelligence to solve the social, economic and environmental challenges of the world with transformative enterprises.

View or download the full screen view of the Innovation Framework on Flickr.

The Innovation Framework in OSED

I-Open Civic Forums Build Collaborative Communities

Civic_forums_j-map

I-Open Civic Forum Process

Map by Betsey Merkel on Flickr

Civic Forums offer a new model of civic collaboration for a networked approach for economic and community development.

Civic Forums begin by building open economic networks to catalyze innovation and entrepreneurship. The civic forum process encourages new civic collaborations by behaving in ways that build trust, respect and accountability.

I-Open promotes civic behaviors that overcome fragmentation by focusing on shared interests, transformative business enterprise opportunities and pragmatic "next steps".

Civic Forums Accelerate Innovation in Education, Economic and Workforce Development

Dialogue & Inclusion: Midtown Wednesdays Conversation Matrix

Open_ceiling

Open Ceiling

Photo: Alice Merkel

The Midtown Wednesdays Conversation Matrix was built for Midtown Wednesdays, an I-Open Civic Forum convened by Chancellor University (formerly Myers University) in Cleveland, Ohio.

The matrix (screenshot below) is a tool to loosely organize conversations at a shared level of inquiry from several perspectives. 

Midtown Wednesday forums sought to examine three questions:

1.   What is our innovation opportunity? 

2.   What is our creative industry opportunity? and,  

3.   What is our global opportunity?  

Further framing of conversations via the categories of the Innovation Framework - a heuristic model for innovation investment in Open Source Economic Development - helps coordinators, communicators, and conveners guide community learning.

Matrices provide an under gird for conversations in their generation of social networks, collaborative economic development projects, and new business development.

You can learn more about Midtown Wednesdays, a public-private partnership to strengthen economic development in Cleveland, hosted by Chancellor University, the City of Cleveland's Department of Economic Development, National City Bank, and I-Open in 2006 at I-Open's Civic Projects.

Midtown Wednesdays Conversation Matrix

Copyright 2010 Betsey Merkel and I-Open. Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works. Institute for Open Economic Networks (I-Open) 4415 Euclid Ave 3rd Fl Cleveland, Ohio 44103 USA.

 

 

 

Brainpower: Spheres of Opportunity

Street_light

Street Light

Photo: Alice Merkel

Today, we are at the intersection of three maturing realms: human sociality, economic infrastructure, and deteriorating environmental systems.

These three intersections offer us great opportunity to explore and invent transformative enterprise solutions.

With the aid of technology, we are able to replicate, scale and leverage extensible solutions across diverse sectors.

Enterprise Intersections in Open Source Economic Development

The New "Cluster Moment": How Regional Innovation Clusters Can Foster the Next Economy

From the report:

What explains clusters’ renewed popularity?  To be sure, some of the concept’s new and bipartisan relevance owes to its sound non-partisan concern with the mechanics of value-creation in local economies, whether metropolitan or rural, high-tech or manufacturing.  And it’s true that as a matter of policy action clusters—ranging from the famous Silicon Valley technology cluster to the Vermont cheesemaking cluster—are all about synergies and efficiencies, and don’t tend to cost too much.
 
But what is most timely beyond all that may be the possibility that the new prominence of regional innovation clusters reflects something deeper: a positive interest in locating a more grounded, realistic way to think about the economy and development efforts so as to put both on a more productive footing.  
 
In this setting, the new cluster discussions redirect attention, analysis, and policymaking to the more grounded, day-to-day interactions by which real companies in real places complete transactions, share technologies, develop innovations, start new businesses—and yes, create jobs and locate workers. To that extent, clusters—whether of airplane manufacturing in Wichita or cleantech in Colorado or biomedical innovation in Cleveland—represent an antidote to the nation’s recent economic history of bubbles and consumption and also a framework for recognizing and bolstering the real-world variety and dynamism of regional economies.  Hot spots of productivity and collaboration as well as competition, clusters are the locations most likely to deliver a new economy that is export-oriented, lower carbon, innovation-driven and so opportunity and prosperity rich...

In sum, cluster thinking and cluster strategies have the potential to accelerate regional economic growth and assist with the nation’s needed economic restructuring, but they are more a paradigm than a single program. In that sense, the opportunities that a cluster policy framework provides for delivering impact, clarifying economic priorities, and coordinating disparate programmatic efforts will only grow more important in the coming era of intensified competitive pressures and tightened resources.

I-Open Civic Forums generate the open economic networks necessary to strengthen early cluster development in Open Source Economic Development.

Learn more at I-Open on Scribd, "I-Open Civic Forums Strengthen Entrepreneurship and Business Development in Network Economies".


How to Share Your I-Open Interview Information

I-Open interviews gather information through the lens of the Innovation Framework, a heuristic map for thinking and doing in Open Source Economic Development.

This document offers starting points to share your interview information with your networks.

You can learn more about industry innovation by listening to I-Open interviews and conversations and reading transcriptions on Scribd.