8.
Moving Forward:
A Step in the Right Direction
The Plan
The Action Southwest Business Networks Coalition is the mechanism for sustaining the
competitive strategy for the industries of the southwest. Over the next 12 months, the ASBNC
will:
Convene Regional Leadership: The ASBNC initiative brought together over 120 key
industry and economic stakeholders from across the Southwest region, to work together on
building on our region’s capacity to compete in the global market place. And once again, the
ASBNC is committed to working with the regional partners who have supported and participated
in the strategy and acted as a voice for regional collaboration. Thinking regionally and applying
collaborative practices is the key to building regional advantage and achieving a sustainable and
prosperous economy.
Realize Flagships: Perhaps the most crucial role for the ASBNC in helping the region to
grow industry and the overall economy is
to ensure that leadership actively focuses
on helping move each of the flagships
forward – leading where necessary,
supporting where appropriate and helping
to articulate new flagships over time.
“The next step is we have to take action:
We’ve done the networking, and there is
always more networking to be done; we’ve
identified some issues; and we’ve made some
plans. Now its time to put those plans into
action because if we don’t follow through the
whole process will have been wasted and we
don’t want to see that happen. Action
Southwest has been very successful and I think
more wonderful things are yet to come.”
Anne Weisgerber, Mayor of Maple Creek
Chair, ASBNC Lead Steering Committee
Build Cluster Group Networks: The momentum must be sustained. For
this reason the ASBNC will provide
infrastructure for the industry network
teams, assisting them in convening and
expanding their membership and
collaborative initiatives, working with
existing associations and business
development organizations as
appropriate.
Assist Implementation: The industry
network teams and their members will be
responsible for moving their action plans forward. However, experience has shown that providing recognition, technical assistance and where possible financial resources (on a matching
basis) are essential to making collaborative problem solving and innovation a natural part of the
regions economic culture.
Track and Report Progress: Demonstrating the value of collaborative action is the best
way to build support for a regional strategy. For this reason, the ASBNC will monitor and report
progress over time, focusing on regional performance, industry competitiveness and economic
input advantage. Successful regional strategies are about learning how to change again and again – moving forward towards shared goals. Through this initiative, participants have come to learn
that successful regions achieve their goals because the people and their institutions and
organizations are capable of seeing the world around them differently and are willing to change.
These changes are never easy, but each time a change is accomplished, that accomplishment
reinforces the value of undertaking further actions. The ASBNC is a living laboratory for
practicing the agility needed to craft our future.
Characteristics of Success
In terms of moving forward, the Southwest region must take a proactive approach and possess
the following three characteristics to ensure its success:
Collaboration: Working together to solve problems. The extent of collaboration and
leadership is a distinct feature of a region. Whether the region chooses to devolve into partisan
and parochial squabbling or whether the leaders rise to accept responsibility and work with
others to solve challenges will define the type of region the southwest becomes.
Institutional Responsiveness: Institutions are proactive and adaptive. Institutions that are
able to proactively recognize their various roles and responsibilities or change to address new
needs are necessary for successful industries in the region. The ways in which a region’s
institutions are able to be visionary and proactively work to solve regional industry challenges
will determine whether or not the region’s industries move towards prosperity. Institutions can
range from universities, colleges, research centers, business development organizations,
chambers of commerce, to local governments.
Inclusion and Equity: Everyone is at the table. Inclusion and equity are the keys to the
creation of a fair and healthy region. Regions with disenfranchisement will never be able to
move our industries forward together, and will always have the potential to be brought down
with internal strife. Inclusion ensures that a region will hear from the diversity of voices and
benefit from differing perspectives.
The development and implementation of flagship initiatives and the formation of industry
clusters through business networks will involve collaboration, institutional responsiveness and
inclusion in the region. Collaboration is a natural aspect to industry and regional decision
making, institutions are problem solvers and decisions are made in an inclusive way. The ways in which industry and region at large accomplishes the above three items determines the level of
success and capacity of the region to solve its problems and take advantage of opportunities.
The ASBNC will continue to build our region’s capacity by proactively building on these
characteristics. The success of the ASBNC strategy will empower the region’s industries and
communities to recognize their assets and collaboratively create ways to build on and generate
new forms of them. Success will breed success in the Southwest.
