{"id":7404,"date":"2016-01-02T23:59:59","date_gmt":"2016-01-02T23:59:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sidewaysthoughts.com\/blog\/?p=7404"},"modified":"2021-01-15T09:10:04","modified_gmt":"2021-01-15T09:10:04","slug":"innovation-and-community-development-principles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sidewaysthoughts.com\/blog\/2016\/01\/innovation-and-community-development-principles\/","title":{"rendered":"Innovation through community development"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Innovation needs community<\/h2>\n

Leaders talk about having a \u201cculture of innovation\u201d, but culture can be\u00a0limited to the confines of the organisation. \u00a0A\u00a0community development approach can be better suited to the open nature of the innovation ecosystem<\/a>. Top-down leadership approaches centralised in an individual or organisation are giving way to\u00a0new forms of distributed leadership that share influence\u00a0across\u00a0entrepreneurs, investors, customers, and established commercial and academic institutions. The health of the innovation ecosystem depends\u00a0on the strength of this\u00a0community.<\/p>\n

More than just a group of people who share similarities, community describes the relationships between people. The quality of a community is dependent on the strength of the relationships, based on trust and shared value.<\/p>\n

\u201cCommunity cannot be engineered. It is a natural by-product of healthy, loving relationships which then foster associations of friendship movements.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The above quote is from community leader Dave Andrews<\/a>, in an interview for Jean Caldow\u2019s<\/a> thesis work. Dave has a lifetime of experience in working with and in communities to address complex and pervasive challenges. If anyone is\u00a0able to take a position of authority to “engineer community”, it would be Dave Andrews. And yet he states that the only way to develop community is through \u201cassociations of friendship movements\u201d.<\/p>\n

Dave\u2019s sentiments can seem contrary to traditional\u00a0commercial perspectives, but we need new ways of doing things if we are to avoid innovating our way into the same old\u00a0challenges. Principles of community development may be the new ways we are looking for.<\/p>\n

Researching and reflecting on community development<\/h2>\n

My research\u00a0borrowed\u00a0on\u00a0my\u00a0exposure to community development\u00a0from\u00a0my work in the not for profit and social enterprise sectors and my academic background in social science.\u00a0My intent is not to present a definitive list, but pull together enough examples to test the connection between community development and\u00a0approaches to a community-centered\u00a0approach to\u00a0innovation.<\/p>\n

Examples used<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Community development is a dedicated discipline, with its own standards, professions, and associations.\u00a0I pulled together a few perspectives below (follow the link\u00a0for a larger image).\u00a0It is notable that the different perspectives do not conflict, but rather place different emphasis depending on the community context in which they apply.<\/p>\n

\"Community<\/a><\/p>\n