Wired Nation: The Backstory

We know this much: The dramatic shifts underway in the global economy pose new challenges for all of us. These challenges are no one’s fault. They are the challenges posed to us by the world. To respond, we will need to find new ways of working together. That's the impetus behind WIRED (Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development). And WIRED has given birth to Wired Nation. 

 

Before we get into that story, let's step back.  

Regional economies across the U.S. are undergoing fundamental shifts. The integration of global markets, coupled with the explosion of the Internet, has created a "perfect storm" of deep economic change. These changes are profound and irreversible.

 

These changes also mean different things to different people: 

• Students will have to shift from rote learning to acquiring 21st century skills;
• Schools will need to explore new approaches to teaching to engage students; 
• Parents will need to assume new responsibilities to set higher expectations for their children; 
• Businesses will have to learn to how to collaborate in order to compete; 
• Colleges and universities will need to find new ways to connect with the community; 
• Libraries will need to find new ways to serve as "the people's university"; 
• Community foundations will need to find new ways to align and leverage their grants.

In sum, we will all need to rethink what we are doing and find new ways to work together. 

To thrive in this environment, we will need to implement new, more collaborative approaches to education, economic development and workforce development. 

Regions that develop strong habits of collaboration will have a distinct competitive advantage. They will spot opportunities faster,  align their resources faster, and act faster. 

Economic development and workforce development happen in the "civic space" that exists outside the four walls of any one organization. In simpler times, most communities delegated responsibilities for economic development to a single organization: typically, a chamber of commerce or an economic development authority. 

On a separate track, workforce investment boards handled investments in workforce training. And on still other tracks, our primary, secondary and post-secondary schools operated largely within their own systems. 

This isolation no longer works. 

To be competitive globally, Wisconsin must move toward an economy based on new collaborations. Here's the tricky part: Old, "go it alone" behaviors do not work well in this new environment. 

 

The reason is simple: No one can tell anyone else what to do. A mayor cannot command the city council. The chamber of commerce cannot direct the schools. And no one can get much done at all without the support of leading citizens. 

Regions that move ahead in the global game will figure out new ways to collaborate. Regions that remain stuck in old patterns will fall behind. With so much change moving the global economy forward, standing still is not an option.