by ROBERT PITTMAN, Executive Director and Founder, Janus Institute
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is a colorful phrase often used to describe spending time and money on matters that don’t really need attention. It might be an effective rallying cry for stakeholders in the public and private sectors opposed to certain initiatives, but it can also discourage strategic thinking and planning. Ask a manager from most any organization with a successful track record if it is good business practice to just continue riding on current successes and not invest in research and development for the future. Products and services have limited life spans in the marketplace, and developing new offerings often takes considerable time and investment. Smart companies try to spot trends and anticipate future consumer needs – they assume that eventually their products and/or services will be “broke.”
I believe communities are like companies in many ways – both sell their products in a competitive and dynamic marketplace. In the case of communities, the consumers are companies and investors making location decisions and the product is the attractiveness of the community as a good location. In addition, both communities and companies should invest in R&D to enhance the competitiveness of current and future products. In some cases, planning for the future and investing in R&D may be hard to justify because current products are doing just fine, thank you. However, no product lasts forever and communities, like companies, must prepare for the day when their current “product” is obsolete (e.g. labor force skills out of date, telecom infrastructure and service inadequate, etc.).
So in my opinion “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” should be changed to “if it ain’t broke now, it will be, so you’d better start figuring out how you’re going to fix it.” This is where the Janus Forum can come in very handy. New trends and issues in the site selection and economic development industry are the focus of the Janus Forum. Economic developers attending learn from each other through in-depth discussions where they identify issues that could have the most impact on the industry. For each Forum, we invite two to three each, site consultants, corporate executives and community leaders for probing “across the fence” discussions dealing with the entire “value chain” of facility investment projects. The information exchange and networking over the course of three days really can help communities, regions and states stay more competitive in attracting jobs and investments. For the upcoming Janus Forum at Amelia Island, Florida February 28-March 4, 2015, noted site consultant Don Schjeldahl will join us. Other consultants and corporate executives will be announced as they commit. The state economic development directors’ forum that will take place in conjunction with the Janus Forum at Amelia Island will add yet another level of learning and networking for attendees. Come join us at Amelia and leave thinking more strategically about the business location and economic development industry. That way, when it breaks, you’re more than ready to fix it.
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