This document outlines the framework of Strategic Doing, which is an approach to economic development strategy that focuses on accelerating collaboration through action-oriented networks. The key aspects of Strategic Doing are that it enables quick formation of collaborations focused on measurable outcomes, allows for adjustments along the way, leverages the value of networks, and focuses on achieving goals through a progressive series of small wins rather than single large projects. Examples are given of areas where Strategic Doing has been applied and case studies of success in Oklahoma City and Kokomo, Indiana are described.

1. Strategic Doing:
A Framework for Economic Development Strategy
Scott Hutcheson, Ph.D.
ANZRSAI 38th Annual Conference
December 2014 - Christchurch, New Zealand

5. • 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
Hierarchy of Complex Systems
Complexi ty
Boulding, K. (1956). General systems theory—the skeleton of science. Management Science 2(3): 197-208.

6. • 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
Hierarchy of Complex Systems
Complexi ty
Boulding, K. (1956). General systems theory—the skeleton of science. Management Science 2(3): 197-208.

7. • 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
Hierarchy of Complex Systems
Complexi ty
Boulding, K. (1956). General systems theory—the skeleton of science. Management Science 2(3): 197-208.

10. Strategy
10
The employment of battles to win the war.
- General Carl von Clausewitz

11. I will build a motor
car for the great
multitude. It will be
so low in price that
no man will be
unable to own one.
- Henry Ford

12. Source: Bently Historical Library, Josephine Fellows Gomon Papers, Box 10,
draft manuscript, The Poor Mr. Ford.
In 1928 Henry Ford’s River Rouge
Plant in Dearborn, Michigan
became the world's largest
industrial complex, pursuing vertical
integration to such an extent that it
could produce its own steel. In this
year he also established
“Fordlandia” his rubber tree
plantation in the Amazon Rainforest
The Ford Motor Company

13. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
71 cast and crew
members all working
for MGM

14. 14

15. 15

16. What do the military and vertical business
models have in common?
16

17. What do the military and vertical business
models have in common?
17

18. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

19. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

20. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

21. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Cast and crew of
2,000+, hardly any
working for MGM

22. iPhone

23. Strategic
planning often
spoils strategic
thinking.
- Henry Mintzberg

24. 24

26. Strategic Doing enables people to
form action-oriented collaborations
quickly, move them toward
measurable outcomes, and make
adjustments along the way.

27. Thinking, Behaving, & Doing
in New Ways

28. Thinking in New Ways

29. Strategic
Doing
Leverages the
Value of a
Network
10 nodes, 9 connections
10 nodes, 45 connections

30. Grandfather Grandchildren

31. Networks move us to new
opportunities

32. Networks move us to new
opportunities

33. The “most-connected”
metro regions
had more than
double the job
growth of the
“least-connected”
metro areas.
http://www.slideshare.net/linkedin/mandel-linked-in-connections-reportnov-2014

35. Kretzmann, J. & McKnight, J. (1999).
Building Communities from the Inside
Out: A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing
A Community’s Assets.
We Create Networks by Connecting Assets

36. We Create Networks by Connecting Assets

37. We Create Networks by Connecting Assets

38. We Create Networks by Connecting Assets

40. Dr. Lowell Catlett
Economist, Futurist, and Professor
New Mexico State University
Strategic Doing Recognizes That We Can’t
Predict the Future

41. One study looked at 7,000 different economic
predictions and found 47% of them was correct.
Strategic Doing Recognizes That We Can’t
Predict the Future

42. Flip a coin and you beat the economists by 3%.
Strategic Doing Recognizes That We Can’t
Predict the Future

43. Behaving in New Ways

44. Strategic Doing Accelerates Collaboration
Turf
Trust
TIME
Sharing
Resources
Sharing
Information
Mutual
Awareness
Co-Execution
Co-Creation
Acknowledgment Exploration Cooperation Collaboration Innovation
Adapted from Collaboration Continuum from ACT for Youth

45. Building trust takes doing

46. Trust powers innovation

47. Innovating networks produce
increasing returns
Mathematics says the sum value of a
network increases as the square of the
number of members. In other words, as
the number of nodes in a network
increases arithmetically, the value of the
network increases exponentially.* Adding
a few more members can dramatically
increase the value for all members.
- Kelly, K. (1999). New Rules for the New
Economy

48. Prosperity is not “winner take all”
Source: Clipart by C Charley-Franzwa -
http://clipartof.com/50191

49. Doing in New Ways

50. Strategic Doing is a strategy
protocol built for networks
Strategic Planning Strategic Doing

51. Alignments emerge

52. Strategy
answers two
questions.

54. A 30/30 commitment drives
learning

55. Strategic Doing Focuses on Small Wins to
Achieve Big Goals
Doubt and dwindling
motivation comes on
quickly when a big
goal is missed. On
the other hand, small
wins lead to the
progress principle -
more confidence,
high performance,
and motivation to
keep moving
forward.
- Teresa Amabile

57. • Think about strategy development strategy
differently
• Accelerate the collaborations
• Create and guide agile, asset-based
strategic action plans to meet a progressive
series of clearly defined objectives
Addressing
Economic
Development
Strategy

58. Strategic Doing
began in Oklahoma
City in1993

59. Oklahoma City Today
Photo by: Luke Barrett

61. Kokomo, Indiana

62. Kokomo, Indiana

63. Workforce Innovations in
Regional Economic Development
- Designed & guided 60+ collaborations
- Over 100 partner organizations
- Tracked over 200 metrics
- Hired 2.5 people to manage it all
- 80% of initiatives sustained

68. Kokomo, Indiana
2008 = 3rd Fastest Dying US City
2014 = 3rd Fastest Growing US City

69. The key to success was that rather
than focusing on investing in the
right projects, we focused on
investing in the right collaborations
Is it…
scalable,
replicable,
sustainable?

70. Practicing Strategic Doing
70

71. • Local & Regional Economic Development
• Workforce Development
• Community & Neighborhood Development
• Cluster Development
• Local/Regional Food Systems
• Community Health
• Innovation Ecosystem Development
• Strategic Alliances
• Inter-Unit Organizational Collaboration
• National Associations
Practicing
Strategic
Doing

72. The Scholarly Evidence for Strategic Doing
Hutcheson, S. (2014). Effective Strategy in
Local & Regional Development.
Hutcheson, S. (2914). Effective Strategy Making
In Economic & Community Development.
Morrison E, & Hutcheson, S. (2014). Accelerating
Civic Innovation with “Strategic Doing.”

73. Purdue’s partners in Strategic Doing

77. To know what you’re
going to draw, you
have to begin drawing.
- Pablo Picasso

78. To learn more and to connect
Scott Hutcheson, Ph.D.
Find these slides
Purdue University
hutcheson@purdue.edu
www.pcrd.purdue.edu
www.strategicdoing.net
www.facebook.com/stratdoing
www.slideshare.net/jshutch