Getting From Here to There: Effective Strategies for Community Change

Copyright 2014 – Scott HutchesonThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License.

Getting From Here to There:Effective Strategy for Community Change

Scott Hutcheson, Ph.D.

Boone County Nonprofit SummitLebanon, IN – April 30, 2014

What to Expect From this Workshop

• Gain insights from recent research on community change strategies • Develop new or deepen existing inter-organizational collaborations• Practice “swarm” social innovation over the next 90 days by

launching nearly a dozen new collaborative strategies in Boone County

What to Expect From this Workshop

• Gain insights from recent research on community change strategies • Develop new or deepen existing inter-organizational collaborations• Practice “swarm” social innovation over the next 90 days by

launching nearly a dozen new collaborative strategies in Boone County

#BooneNPSummit

Better understand he nature of collaborationIdentify what stage your collaborations are inConsider ways to move a collaborations to the next level

The Great and the Near Great in the White River Country

by Z. M. Horton The Baxter Bulletin

Dec 31, 1915

S. J. Hutcheson, a well known farmer and stockman ofNorfork, roping a calf

White River Ferry at Norfork, Arkansas, circa 1900

Better understand he nature of collaborationIdentify what stage your collaborations are inConsider ways to move a collaborations to the next level

Norfork, Arkansas

(pop. 550)

Boone County

8

•7 incorporated cities & town•15 unincorporated cities & towns•12 townships•74 nonprofits

Hierarchy of Complex Systems

•Social Organizations – economics, education, politics•Individual Human – language capacity, knowledge accumulation, design and use of tools•Animal – mobility, information processing•Plants – viability•Open Systems – matter, energy•Cybernetics – computers•Clockworks – engines•Frameworks – buildings, cells

9

Co

mp

lexi

tyBoulding, K. (1956). General systems theory—the skeleton of science. Management Science 2(3): 197-208.

The Extension Economist Vs. The Rocket Scientist

10

Hierarchy of Complex Systems

•Social Organizations – economics, education, politics• Individual Human – language capacity, knowledge accumulation, design and use of tools•Animal – mobility, information processing•Plants – viability•Open Systems – matter, energy•Cybernetics – computers•Clockworks – engines•Frameworks – buildings, cells

11

Co

mp

lexi

tyBoulding, K. (1956). General systems theory—the skeleton of science. Management Science 2(3): 197-208.

Hierarchy of Complex Systems

•Social Organizations – economics, education, politics• Individual Human – language capacity, knowledge accumulation, design and use of tools•Animal – mobility, information processing•Plants – viability•Open Systems – matter, energy•Cybernetics – computers•Clockworks – engines•Frameworks – buildings, cells

12

Co

mp

lexi

tyBoulding, K. (1956). General systems theory—the skeleton of science. Management Science 2(3): 197-208.

Hierarchy of Complex Systems

•Social Organizations – economics, education, politics• Individual Human – language capacity, knowledge accumulation, design and use of tools•Animal – mobility, information processing•Plants – viability•Open Systems – matter, energy•Cybernetics – computers•Clockworks – engines•Frameworks – buildings, cells

13

Co

mp

lexi

tyBoulding, K. (1956). General systems theory—the skeleton of science. Management Science 2(3): 197-208.

Better understand he nature of collaborationIdentify what stage your collaborations are inConsider ways to move a collaborations to the next level

Complexity =Messes

Public issues are complex

Institutions emerged to

deal with the complexity

There are lots of institutions

No single institution is

“in charge” of most public

issues

Complex environment

Recipe for EFFECTIVE Strategies

• Have a network organizational structure• Frame strategies primarily around

building on existing assets • Have a planning and implementation

processes that is iterative • Include short-term, easy-win goals• Decentralize responsibilities for

implementation among multiple organization • Use metrics to learn what is working

and to make adjustments along the way• Build high levels of trust among

participants• Assure that participants are ready to

change

The Collaboration Continuum

Turf

Trust

TIME

SharingResources

Sharing Information

MutualAwareness

Co-Execution

Co-Creation

Acknowledgment Exploration Cooperation Collaboration Innovation

Adapted from Collaboration Continuum from ACT for Youth

A process that enables civic leaders to form collaborations quickly, guide them toward measurable outcomes, and make adjustments along the way.

What is Strategic Doing?

We will be answering four questions:

1. What could we do together?

2. What should we do together?

3. What will we do together?

4. What’s our 30/30?

What is Strategic Doing?

Boone County

How we can break the cycle of generational poverty and transform Boone County into a vibrant, thriving community where every citizen

is empowered to reach their full potential?

•Arts & Culture•Community Development•Education•Health & Wellness•Human Services•Associations•Youth Development

The Conversation in Midville

“Our “best and brightest” leave town and never come back.”

“Remember the good old days when you could make $30/hour at ABC Manufacturing? Those days are gone forever.”

“We have a skills mismatch. We still have decent-paying manufacturing jobs but nobody with the right skills for those jobs.”

“Can you believe all the empty storefronts downtown?”

“The bridge on Highway 7 is about to fall down. Someone’s going to get killed!”

“Homelessness! I never thought I would see the day when there were homeless people in Midville.”

Exercise One : Reframing the Issue

What could we do

together?

Reframing the Conversation in Midville

Issue: Skills Mismatch

Exercise Two : Identifying AssetsWhat could

we do together?

Identifying Assets in Midville

Exercise Three: Linking & Leveraging Assets

What could we do

together?

Linking & Leveraging Assets in Midville

Exercise Four: Finding the “Big Easy”

What should we do

together?

Finding the “Big Easy” in Midville

Exercise Five: Turning Opportunities into Outcomes

What should we do

together?

Strategic Outcomes for Midville

Exercise Six: Pathfinder Projects & Action Plans

What will we do

together?

Pathfinder Project & Strategic Action Plan for Midville

Following Up & Staying in TouchWhat’s our 30/30?

Following Up & Staying in Touch in Midville

What Does Success Look Like?

What Does Success Look Like?

Scott Hutcheson, Ph.D.765-479-7704

hutcheson@purdue.eduwww.linkedin.com/in/scotthutcheson/

www.twitter.com/jshutch64www.facebook.com/scott.hutcheson

Thank You

Copyright 2014 – Scott HutchesonThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License.