Leading Resilient Communities in the Face of Crisis

There is no doubt the challenges raised in this new crisis and the impending fear of a global downturn’s impact on business and trade have rattled many communities. Monetary policy has been put into motion as much of the world watches (somewhat helplessly) the negative effects associated with market disruptions. Yet in all of this disruption, local civic leaders and economic development professionals are working hard to navigate the challenges that come with crisis and prepare for a return to business as somewhat usual. With this unprecedented change around the world, many communities are reeling and are unsure how to operate in a new rapidly evolving environment. This new environment is changing the ways in which we work, collaborate, connect, and respond to disruptions. 

Given the different degrees of community involvement and readiness, the further potential for disruption, and the opportunities that come out of a crisis, there is tremendous value in shining a light on the ways that economic development organizations and their respective cities can lead during these complex and uncertain times.

In an effort to support our colleagues around the world and based on our extensive work with communities and community-focused companies all over the world, we have outlined 5 formative ideas that will help your community rise to the leadership challenge presented, as well as formative community spotlights. And while many of these community initiatives were spurred by the current global pandemic, the methodology and outcome have broader implications that can be applied to future crises of varying magnitude. 

Discover Needs 

Organizations are creating timely surveys to assess the economic impact and prepare for future company needs. As my friends in the performance institute would say, “Needs are gaps in results, not gaps in the process.” 

Community Spotlight: Using Surveys to Discover Needs in Coastal Virginia

To determine the needs of local businesses, the Hampton Roads Alliance paired with local stakeholders and community organizations to launch a survey initiative. To date, they have launched three different waves of surveys in order to gauge progress over time and continue to evaluate the needs of the business community. Example questions include: 

• “What services or programs do you wish were available for businesses in the Hampton Roads region?”
• “What business-related issue are you most concerned with right now?”
• “How has the COVID-19 crisis impacted your business to date?”

View Hampton Road Alliance's COVID Recovery Website

Frame the Problem that You Will Work to Solve 

Oftentimes we find that little problems drown out the big ones. Outlining the problem will make it easier to create actionable steps towards a solution. 

Community Spotlight: Tackling Childcare in Northern Alabama

One of the major, seemingly insurmountable problems of today's modern workforce is adequate and affordable childcare. Lack of childcare options causes a drain on labor pool availability and often times women's representation in the workforce. This issue has been further exacerbated during the COVID pandemic, as schools are closed and parents are finding that they have to juggle part-time parenting while trying to remain in full-time work. To tackle the larger issues of talent attraction and workforce, the Huntsville-Madison Chamber of Commerce in Alabama set out to solve issues of childcare availability, allowing families in the community to keep working while their children attend virtual schooling. By creating grants and mobilizing local organizations, the Chamber’s task force has been able to place over 100 children in child-care services. This initiative will continue to provide a much needed service for years to come, strengthening the workforce community in Alabama and attracting talent.

“We’re still looking at child care as an overall workforce issue,” said Cape. “It’s important to the retention of employees, for overall productivity, and it’s a really good recruitment tool in this day and age." - Lucia Cape, Senior Vice President of Economic Development, Huntsville-Madison County Chamber of Commerce

Read more about the initiative here

Rethink the Ways and Styles in Which you Share Information

Retool your remote learning environment:

With millions of people across the United States and around the world forced to work from home in the wake of COVID-19, the tools we use to collaborate and navigate business challenges together are more important now than ever. 

Community Spotlight: Working Remotely in Waterloo Canada

Waterloo EDC created 3D interactive videos for individuals to explore popular incubators and accelerators in their community from any location.

Interact with one of the videos

Webinars:

Create webinars for your local partners to share information en mass and effectively communicate broader ideas. To learn more about webinar best practices, register for Conway’s webinar masterclass here.

Community Spotlight: Virtual Roadshows in Estonia

Invest in Estonia hosts virtual roadshows for potential investors that highlight the unique advantages the community brings. They are filmed on a set with high-level production value, creating a great first-impression for new connections.  

Watch an overview video outlining Estonia's virtual offerings

Get a New Marketing Plan Now:

Be the amplifier for crisis communications to the local business community. Here is a checklist if you get stuck.

Community Spotlight: Open Communication in Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Department of Commerce served as the bridge between the state government and the business community during the height of the pandemic. They worked to keep businesses informed of all state-wide and national support services and guidelines through webinars, conference calls, and website updates. In turn, they also communicated the needs of the businesses to the governmental organizations, ensuring that needs were being represented and met. 

“Every Wednesday we have eight different industry sector calls with industries all over the state of Oklahoma. People want to know what’s going on. We have been very transparent and have shared all of the latest information. We have daily COVID-19 briefings and suggestions at the end of every day. We also talk about programs we are launching and anything else we hear about out there.” - Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce Sean Kouplen

Read Site Selection's article about Oklahoma's COVID economic recovery plan

Highlight stories of collaboration:

As the President of IEDC, Jeff Finkle, stated in his recommendations, as communities you can help the media profile these community-minded companies. 

Community Spotlight: Community Building in Columbus

One Columbus, the economic development entity for the Columbus region of Ohio, has a dedicated space on their website highlighting local companies and their roles in response to COVID-19.

View instances of community collaborate in Columbus

Set Plans and Targets for the Short, Medium, and Long Term

Create a readiness plan. Apply strategic foresight and scenarios for future programs, policies, and community needs. Approach solutions with a timeframe that can mitigate immediate problems quickly, while keeping in mind that long term targets require present action. Don’t become so overwhelmed with short term issues that you don’t develop a strategy for long term progress. 

Community Spotlight: Steady Progress in South Korea

South Korea serves as an exemplary model of economic development and progress, having grown from an impoverished agrarian society to one of the most modern, competitive countries in the world in a span of 50 short years. One of the key pillars of this success was an early adoption of technology that has carried over into today. In fact, in 2019 they were ranked 1st for ICT adoption in the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report. Over time, their investment in technology grew from a short-term workforce solution to the backbone of the South Korean economy. This investment has also proven to solve unforeseen disruptions, such as the COVID pandemic. South Korea had one of the world’s best responses to quelling the impact of the virus, with contact tracing and early detection technologies that already had traction due to other Smart City programs.

Discover the advanced tech used to combat COVID in South Korea

Lean on Your Young People

They are the future. Seeking their insights and empowering them to take a larger role in the outcome of their communities will accelerate the vibrancy and resiliency of your community. 

Community Spotlight: Influencing Young Minds in Denmark

Global Shapers is a unifying initiative of young people working together to address local and global challenges. Their network consists of 7,000+ individuals under 30 years old, spanning 369 cities in 171 different countries. These inspiring young people are making a difference in their communities every day. 

• Copenhagen Club: Developed a self-reporting platform to provide more accurate and representative data on the status of COVID-19 in Denmark. 
• Ahmedabad Club: Created a virtual campaign to spread awareness about COVID-19 and cultivate a dialogue between community members and medical experts. 

Learn more about the Global Shapers organization and many of there other initiatives

Whether you are an elected official and economic developer, local business or resident, how you show up during times of change, challenge, or controversy matter. How you respond, communicate, synthesize, and innovate will determine the speed and strength with which your community can respond to such dramatic change. 

As Maya Angelou said, “I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.” To all of the community leaders who need some support during these challenging days, you’ve got this. And though our social distancing may keep us apart, our willingness to endure and evolve will always keep us together.

To learn more tips about how to become a more resilient community and implement some of the practices you see above, please reach out to me directly, or join Conway for our upcoming training series during the month of October: https://conway.com/virtual-fdi-training-series/.