Strategic Doing is a new approach to designing and executing strategy in open, loosely connected networks. The process -- which is simple, but takes practice to master -- enables people to form collaborations quickly, move them toward measurable outcomes, and make adjustments along the way. This presentation introduces Strategic Doing and presents some testimonials from professionals that now rely on the discipline.

1. Strategic Doing:
An Introduction
Ed Morrison
Purdue Center for Regional Development
!
January, 2014

2. Foreward
!
Strategic Doing is an agile process designed to build
collaborations quickly, move them toward measurable
outcomes, and make adjustments along the way. It is a
process that creates sustainable, shared value in open,
loosely connected networks.
!
These slides provide you a brief introduction.
!
The Purdue Center for Regional Development has
incubated the process and is now continuing its
development with university partners across the country.
!
To learn more, please contact Peggy Hosea at Purdue:
phosea@purdue.edu

3. THE STARTING POINT
THE CHALLENGES WE FACE
!3

4. COMPLEX MESSES OVERWHELM US
!4

5. LIVING WITH COMPLEXITY: WHAT TO DO?
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6. THE ANSWER: FOLLOW SIMPLE RULES
SIMPLE RULES MANAGE COMPLEXITY
!6

7. IT ALL STARTS HERE
EXPANDING COLLABORATION DEPENDS ON FOCUSED CONVERSATION
!7

8. MEETING THE CHALLENGES
SOME TESTIMONIALS
!8

9. RAGU ATHINARAYANAN
CHAIR, DEPARTMENT OF TECHNOLOGY LEADERSHIP & INNOVATION
PURDUE UNIVERSITY
Challenge:
Merged
Department
“
5
Strategic Doing has brought our faculty together to work
toward a common goal, in a department that recently
underwent a merger.
.
“

10. JANYCE FADDEN
EXECUTIVE IN RESIDENCE, SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH ALABAMA
Challenge:
Strategic
Plan
for
a
College
“
Strategic Doing has proven to be very effective. In a few
hours each of 6 cross functional teams of professors, students
and staff set a plan that all agree will advance the University
of North Alabama's College of Business.
.
7
“

11. SHARON GULICK
DIRECTOR, ECONOMIC AND ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI
Challenge:
Rural
Development
“
8
Working with small, struggling rural communities and regions
.
presents a number of challenges, not the least of which is a
sense of hopelessness and defeat. Using Strategic Doing we
have been very successful in helping them achieve tangible
results that re-ignites their belief in the future and their ability
to impact that future. These communities are now in control
of their future and are seeing significant, positive change.
“

12. CHRISTI BELL
DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA
Challenge:
Economic
Development
“
9
When Strategic Doing is incorporated into the culture of an
organization it is possible to not only drive new innovation
and more rapidly achieve desired objectives, but at the same
time energize a team or teams to achieve more with less
individual effort. Those that approach Strategic Doing as a
practice will learn new strategic approaches and tools to
more effortlessly manage growth or strategic change of an
organization.

13. PAUL COLLITS
PRESIDENT, AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND REGIONAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION
Challenge:
Economic
Development
“
Local economic development is the identification of
local assets for growth and leveraging them through
collaboration. The best methodology I have seen in
twenty years for achieving this is called Strategic
Doing.
“
11

14. BRIAN FARKAS
CHAIR, DEPARTMENT OF FOOD SCIENCE
PURDUE UNIVERSITY
Challenge:
Incoming
Department
Chair
“
10
Strategic Doing has been a new way for us to look at the
planning process. It provides the necessary structure to frame
a plan for the future but allows us the ability to work within
an environment that is fluid.
“

15. BOB BROWN
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF UNIVERSITY-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Challenge:
Rebuilding
Flint
“
11
In neighborhoods besieged by complex, wicked problems,
Strategic Doing creates hope through the power of taking
action with the assets or gifts that we already possess. In that
moment when we combine assets we begin to tell a new
story of opportunity and possibility. Strategic Doing gives us
the power to change our lives, our neighborhoods, and our
communities.

16. STRATEGIC DOING
AN OVERVIEW
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17. WHAT IS DIFFERENT?
Unlike strategic planning, which is linear, slow and costly,
Strategic Doing is fast, iterative and lean…
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18. HOW DOES IT WORK?
Strategic Doing builds trusted networks at scale by moving
multiple ideas into action quickly to find “what works”…
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19. HOW DOES IT WORK?
Strategic Doing answers the two key questions of strategy by
breaking these two questions into four…
11

20. WHY IS IT AGILE?
Strategic Doing is an agile, iterative process that relies on
accumulating learning by doing…
11

21. HOW DO WE MANAGE OUR NETWORKS?
Strategic Doing designs a managed network to keep track
of metrics and make adjustments when the situation
changes…
11

22. CHARTING DOING IS ACHIEVING SCALE
STRATEGICA NEW PATH
PURDUE STRATEGIC DOING WORKSHOPS, 2008-2013
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23. CHARTING DOING NETWORK
STRATEGICA NEW PATH
AN EMERGING UNIVERSITY NETWORK TO SUPPORT THE DISCIPLINE
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24. THANK YOU
Ed Morrison
edmorrison@purdue.edu