Where are we going: Our Outcome
We are moving toward a more open, equitable, and regenerative world. We are unleashing our human ingenuity through collaboration, entrepreneurship, challenge innovation, and ecosystems.
Our work supports a new generation of leaders. Strategic Doing practitioners are committed to the hard, heady work of transforming our world. They guide complex collaborations by mastering our oldest technology: the conversation.
We are explorers on the path to what's next: designing new organizations, policies, and systems. If our work inspires you, discover our many touchpoints, and join us.
How we will get there: our Credo
In 2011, a group of Strategic Doing practitioners from all over the United States gathered at a public park near Purdue University. They composed a credo, a set of beliefs that drive our work.
1. We believe we have a responsibility to build a prosperous, sustainable future for ourselves and future generations.
2. No individual, organization, or place can build that future alone.
3. Open, honest, focused, and caring collaboration among diverse participants is the path to accomplishing clear, valuable, shared outcomes.
4. We believe in doing, not just talking -- and in behavior in alignment with our beliefs.
Numbers don't lie
Strategic Doing teaches people how to form collaborations quickly, move them toward measurable outcomes and make adjustments along the way. In today’s world, collaboration is essential to meet the complex challenges we face.
Strategic Doing enables leaders to design and guide new networks that generate innovative solutions. It is a new strategy discipline that is lean, agile and fast—just what organizations, communities and regions need to survive and thrive.
Ed Morrison began a large scale experiment to transform a regional economy through collaboration and networks. Clay Bennett, a venture capitalist, led Forward Oklahoma City, a privately-led, publicly supported investment strategy. Led by the Chamber of Commerce, Forward Oklahoma City complemented a publicly-led, privately-supported strategy, MAPS (Metropolitan Area Projects), led by the mayor Ron Norrick, a serial entrepreneur.
An outside firm assessed Morrison’s experiment and verifies that it produces dramatically higher productivity levels than traditional economic development strategies. Net present value of a ten year return on a $10 million investment estimated at $1.35 billion.
Strategy in open networks involves forming and guiding complex hidden networks. Understanding these networks involves developing a visual language, much like molecular biology. Morrison worked with Kim Mitchell, and architect and planner, to develop the initial set of drawings that are used to communicate and teach Strategic Doing.
Morrison designed a version of his model for the State of Kentucky, focusing on 22 rural counties. Each county faced devastating impacts from globalization. Independent assessment verified 18 of 22 counties make “measurable progress” using this approach. Through the 1990s, Morrison works with Kim Mitchell to develop a visual language for the model.
Morrison taught his model of network-based development to Ernest Andrade, the founder of the Charleston Digital Corridor. The Corridor went on to become a leading hub for digital technology companies.
The Edward Lowe Foundation, which focuses on entrepreneurship, invited Morrison to experiment with teaching Strategic Doing for the first time.
Morrison brings the Strategic Doing model to Purdue and Purdue agreed to support the continued development of the model. Vice Provost Vic Lechtenberg agreed to “open-source” the intellectual property of Strategic Doing, if the model proved successful. Morrison and Scott Hutcheson, and Peggy Hosea form the initial core team for the development of Strategic Doing. They launched the initial Purdue testbed, a $15 million initiative to transform the regional workforce system. Testbeds continued with Purdue with NASA, Lockheed, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Fraunhofer IAO, and faculty at Purdue.
Purdue’s initial testbed for Strategic Doing was designed by Scott Hutcheson and Ed Morrison. The experiment produced dramatic results. With $15 million — 8% of the money awarded nationally — Purdue produced 40% of the national metrics on improved workforce performance.
Milwaukee civic leaders asked Purdue to help launch a global water hub in Milwaukee. Within the first three years, The Water Council established itself as a global water hub. Another privately-led, publicly supported investment initiative, the Water Council was led by Paul Jones, CEO of A.O. Smith, and Rich Meeusen, CEO of Badger Meter.
The national recognition of Oklahoma City’s economic transformation grew, as a culture of collaboration took hold in Oklahoma City. Data continued to accumulate that Strategic Doing delivered exceptional levels of improved productivity.