Update on Workforce Innovations

Just got back from Workforce Innovations, the largest gathering of workforce development professionals in the country. With our partner, Near Time, and the Department of Labor, I participated in the launch of Innovating Networks.

Innovating Networks introduces Web 2.0 technologies to economic and workforce development professionals.

The Web 2.0 changes everything because, for the first time, anyone can leverage the interactive power of the Internet. I've included a number of videos below to give you a sense of the possibilities.

Web 2.0, of course, creates new oppportunities for building innovating networks -- clusters -- within regional economies. (In a separate post, I'll give you a briefing on what I've been doing to launch a water technology cluster in SE Wisconsin.)

The new access to a powerful Internet also challenges us to come up with new appraoches to strategy. Strategic planning was developed by large multi-divisional corporations. It works well in a command and control environment. But the process does not work well in a network. We need new practices. That's what strategic doing is all about.You can download a white paper on strategic doing attached to this post.

You can also go through the slides from my Strategic Doing workshop here.

Here's a video overview on Web 2.0.

Here's an explanation of a blog.

Here's an explanation of the power of networks and social networks. (Innovating Networks has some elements of social networking, because it makes the "people network" of economic and workforce development more visisble.)

Here's an explaination of a wiki. Innovating Networks integrates wikis with blogs in an easy to use platform.

Here's an explanation of an RSS feed, another Web 2.0 technology. RSS feeds  help you filter information quickly. Near Time's platform integrates these technologies so that you can keep up with news more easily.