Moving to a Positive View of Regional Economic Life

This is a story about why and how Ohioans and Greater Clevelanders need to change their attitude about economic development. There is a lesson in this story for most states and regions across America that suffer from low self-esteem.

I just got my electronic version of Cool Cleveland in my email box and was dismayed to see the negative thinking reflected in Cool Cleveland's summary of Ohio's economic development climate. For those not familar with the publication, it is a e-newsletter that attempts to speak to what is "cool" in Cleveland.

"Ohio Sucks at Development: The Corporation for Enterprise Development gave Ohio a "D" ranking (down from a "C" last year), based on 68 measures of economic development (opportunities for employment, income growth), and while the areas of earnings and job quality rose to a "B," and competitiveness of existing businesses got an "A," most of the measures reflect a state that overall ranks 36th. While we should hold our state development agency, the Ohio Department of Development accountable for the slip, they blame the federal government for unfunded mandates and uncontrollable factors. Could it be in part because the Ohio Enterprise Zone Program, while designed to spur economic development and job creation in urban areas, has been shown, according to Mark Cassell of KSU, to benefit mostly higher income areas that need it least? See Becky Gaylord's piece in the PD here, and Mark Cassell's op-ed here." Source: Cool Cleveland.

I would be the first to say that Ohio, and Northeast Ohio as well, have considerable work to do in strengthening their economic development efforts. I will also say without hesitation that the job ain't easy folks, especially with the economy we have to work with.

The truth is that the CfED state economic climate index is a simplistic and imperfect tool that tries to assess the incredibly complex state economy and economic development system that exist in Ohio and other states. It is also very much a PR tool, and unfortunately the news media gives too much credence to it. States getting good scores promote their achievements, and states with low scores either ignore the scores or challenge their validity.

If I had to cite one shortcoming that Ohioans and Greater Clevelanders need to work on to advance their economic development in the future, it would be our "negative self-image" and our propensity to criticize ourselves and others. Some people may think it's "cool" to criticize. I don't. "Cool" to me is doing something with what you have in life. Use the talents and resources you have to create something new and better. That's what true artists do.

Maybe we would be less inclined to criticize if we adopted a "living system view" of our economy. Yes, our economic system is very much alive. Our economy is not inert matter. It is a living and breathing system that is built by and for people. This view alone can change how we see "economic life" in Ohio and NE Ohio.

We also need to appreciate what works. A lot is working in Ohio and NE Ohio. I look to David Cooperrider at Case Western Reserve University for some insights about how we can do a better job of appreciating the "art" of economic development. Appreciation is indeed a vital aspect of art and creative life. Right?

Cooperrider, a management professor at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, has an intriguing approach to looking at and promoting change in organizations. He says "focus on what is already working." His new model is called appreciative inquiry, and I think we could use a big dose of it in NEO economic development. In a nutshell, we ARE doing some things right!

According to Cooperrider, appreciative inquiry employs the following 4-D cycle to accelerate change within an organization:

- Discovery: This is the appreciating stage, in which the inquiry focuses on asking: What gives life? and What creates the best of what is within the organization.

- Dream: This stage focuses on envisioning results in the organization and asking, What might be? and What is the world calling for?

- Design: In the co-constructing stage, the inquiry deals with What should be? and What is the ideal for the organization's future.

- Destiny: This is the sustaining stage, during which questions pertain to how should the organization empower, learn, and adjust/improvise?

I think our future visioning and strategic planning for NEO economic development should give voice to these four vital questions. Don't you? It certainly beats taking pot shots at our economy and our economic development leaders.

Go here to learn more about appreciative inquiry.