April's Innovation in Changing Times community development conference, sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, featured a great set of tools, an audience hungry for solutions to local challenges and several dynamic personalities to address matters of innovation. Kathie Thomas of Fleishman Hillard provided methods and tools for dynamic brainstorming as well as a system for understanding innovation styles (hint: there are four "styles": modifying, exploring, experimenting and visioning). The Thursday plenary was organized by Julia Young of Facilitate.com, who led the group in a "Question Circle Process" (also called an "Inquiry Circle") that generated the largest set of questions I have ever heard posed to a panel discussion, and yet brought organization and coherence to the resulting reflections.
I was fortunate to lead a large group through an interactive brainstorming process that covered the history of financial innovation (products, services and policy), and its potential future.
Langdon Morris of InnovationLabs provided a half-day seminar on "Creating a Culture of Innovation in Community Development Organizations." We've enjoyed an association with ave Langdon as a consultant to CFED and also as a Strategic Advisor to innovation@cfed. I find that I get something new out of Langdon's work every time I make the mental space to process it. At the very least, it helps make me think through my assumptions and the rigor with which I approach innovation. There's a lot of intellectual capital invested in his materials. Many are available on the InnovationLabs Web site for free, so it's well worth a visit. (Disclaimer: since Langdon is one of innovation@cfed's strategic advisors, we're obviously a bit biased).
Finally, Bill Strickland, president and CEO of Manchester Bidwell Corporation in Pittsburgh, brought the crowd to its feet in a final presentation that stressed the tremendous human potential that can be unlocked with respect, high expectations and high-quality environments and content. In a moving slideshow and speech, he outlined the programs that have flourished at Manchester Bidwell, and brought jobs, dynamic and modern businesses (commercial orchid growing in the inner city anyone?), as well as art, culture and the full promise of human potential. He is a moving speaker, and would be an excellent host; he encouraged all to visit him in Pittsburgh, and you can bet that I'll be looking for a chance to do so.
All in all, a worthwhile couple of days. I encourage others to look for these conferences in the future. If you attended this conference or can share similar experiences from other innovation meetings, please share your thoughts in the comments section!
Michael Torrens
CFED's Director, Development Finance and member of the innovation@cfed Team
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