• Policy settings that ensure that the benefits of innovation are more widely shared and that local identity is respected and retained , e . g . protection of cultural landmarks and venues and dedicated spaces for local artisans .
• For innovation districts to achieve their potential , they must become sustainable models of both social and economic progress rather than elitist areas benefiting a few at the expense of many ( Sassen , 2001 ).
THE WAY FORWARD : COMMUNITY- LED CHANGE MEETS INNOVATION MANAGEMENT The way forward for innovation districts , precincts and hubs is to connect economic development with community development .
The crossover between lessons on managing business innovation and those on empowering local communities is fertile ground to both broaden and strengthen the capabilities of high-tech innovation districts .
INNOVATION IS MORE THAN TECHNOLOGY Innovation management has been defined as “ the strategies and practices that can be used to improve organisational ( and community ) benefits from innovation ” ( Dodgson et al ., 2013 ).
Innovation management covers a wide research field , drawing from an array of perspectives , including science , economics , engineering and psychology . Similarly , innovation covers a broad sphere from the traditional topics of R & D , intellectual property , technology and creativity to the emerging initiatives in design , social networks , open and social innovation , and innovation in business models . ( Dodgson , 2018 ).
Innovation management studies seek to explain how value from innovation is created , captured and deployed .
The key insight for innovation districts is not to become fixated on powerful new technologies , as they are only one of many ways to innovate . Don ’ t undervalue innovation in how enterprises learn and absorb knowledge , how they manage their people , organise relationships with customers and other key parties , and the business model used for earning money and sustaining the enterprise .
The imperative is not more advanced technologies or discoveries , but to ensure a critical mass of adept , agile enterprises , competing globally and able to solve problems that matter to customers or communities .
INNOVATION FOR ALL Next , avoid the stereotype of innovation being the province only of scientists , technologists and knowledge workers .
Innovation should not be a rarefied concept , either ignored or feared by the public at large , because it is irrelevant or else , brings job losses and service closures . Innovation must be managed to benefit the wider population , including those who are most likely to become the casualties of economic disruptions .
A good starting point is with essential work and workers of the everyday economy , those providing the goods and services that sustain our daily lives . They include nurses , teachers , aged care and child care workers , those in retail , transport and the like .
The everyday economy impacts on innovation because everyone , irrespective of income , is involved and a significant element of the everyday economy is learning , caring and social support work . This work reinforces the social ties and human interactions crucial for social cohesion , resilience and a sense of belonging and community identity .
Strengthening the performance of the everyday economy is an innovation strategy — because it unlocks the untapped potential of communities . This includes those left behind by technological and economic change . It has been referred to as ‘ the economics of belonging ’. ( Sandbu , 2020 ).
Work on the economics of belonging has been taken further in Australia by projects on place-based capital and community wealth building , which aim to foster wealth creation , ownership and investment by local people in local enterprises .
Action on the everyday economy delivers both economic and social outcomes and is a useful crossover strategy for innovation districts .
Case Example : Corangamite Shire Council
A case example is the broad-based wellbeing economy plan in the Corangamite Shire in southwestern Victoria , Grow and Prosper Corangamite .
The distinguishing features of Corangamite Shire Council ’ s approach include comprehensive interrogation of data sources to :
• explore trends and policy approaches ,
• define unique needs ,
• diagnose the Shire ’ s strengths and weaknesses , and
• identify the most effective actions for change .
It made deliberate decisions to span boundaries . For example , melding three previously separate strategy plans , recognising the links between community and economy , and deriving the crossover benefits between economic development and cultural industries .
A further distinctive feature was abandoning standard consultants ’ reports in favour of producing an integrated economic prosperity framework from a close , rigorous and highly interactive and interdependent working relationship with community members . Community members included residents , businesses , artists and creatives , service providers and more .
The method used was based on a human or user-centred design process , where priority is given to the ideas and solutions of those for whom the program is targeted . The motto was “ with you , not for you ”.
Council asked and aimed to understand what their people and communities actually wanted and worked through potent solutions and imaginative actions with them . They shared knowledge and collaborated on knotty problems around a myriad of ‘ kitchen tables ’ to come up with a common approach that incidentally , addressed both economic and social issues , from Agriculture to Art .
COMMUNITY-LED ACTION FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL WELLBEING Finally , social and community wellbeing measures should be included in the design of the priority economic development projects implemented by those responsible for high-tech innovation districts . A vital feature is ensuring community members and residents are co-designers of these projects and measures , not just consulted along the way .
A useful tool is the Cities and Regions Wellbeing Index for 2024 by SGS
VOL 17 NO 2 2024 10 www . edaustralia . com . au