[ Back Home ] The Picton Gazette (p. 13) A View From the Heights Saturday July 26, 1997 - by Professor Knud Jensen Where do we want to go from here? A framework for developing a game plan for Prince Edward as it makes the municipal transition. "Cheshire Puss," she (Alice) began..."would you please tell me which way I ought to go from here?" "That depends on where you want to get to." said the cat - Lewis Carrol Although Lewis Carroll did not see himself as a business writer, Alice's journey is an apt metaphor for many organizations and areas, including Prince Edward County. The turbulence of change has come to the County in the form of economic body blows and structural change. An ancient Chinese proverb probably describes the situation best, "Unless we change our direction, we are likely to end up where we are headed." What I wish to suggest is a framework for development in the County. In order for a process to have some chance of success, many of the current attitudes will have to be suspended. For example, the negative attitude towards retirees is self-defeating, since there are many economic benefits to the County from this group. When McDonalds came to Picton, because of the negative attitude towards fast food retailers from reading the local newspaper, this event could easily have been mistaken as the first step to moral ruin and decadence. The desire for large manufacturing or "smoke stack" industries is unrealistic, as is the perception that training on the net will somehow result in jobs or industry. There are many entrenched attitudes that will have to face up to a changing environment where the emphasis is on flexibility and adaptability. There are few corners of Ontario that can remain unaffected by the winds of change. A future for the County will undoubtedly be a trade off between what the County wants, what it can offer, what is available, and what companies want. A good start would be to develop a vision or a scenario of what the County could be like in five years' time. In other words, describe a preferred future. This could be done at a town hall meeting, by an interest group or by several groups. The process could be managed by a quasi-interest group such as the Chamber of Commerce. The visioning is a difficult process to manage, but it is important to have some level of consensus on the future. Each different group will have a different agenda, but eventually some loose idea of a future will emerge. Some concrete objectives can be built on a loose vision in order to solidify the process. The next step is to collect some facts. These facts should be shared and will form the cornerstone for direction and action. Facts are superior to perceptions and biases. There are two types of facts, those that are external to the County and those that are internal to the County. External facts include economic data, corporate data and local needs, sector analysis to spot segments of growth, data and what other counties (the competition) are doing. Internal data includes an economic profile of the county, infrastructure analysis, competitive advantage, core benefits, case studies of new entries and exits, and lost companies, an assessment of what the County can offer and what it cannot, and a cost assessment of services and taxes compared to other jurisdictions. A summary of the facts is usually presented in a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) format. A rough cut for the County may look as follows: Strengths a nice place to live low cost residential tourism Weaknesses poor transportation / high cost small pool of human resources infrastructure Opportunities - retirement community - cottage industries Threats - water problems - few educated young people return / few jobs available - Trenton base closure - action of provincial / federal government These are top of mind inputs and would obviously be a lot more relevant after some facts and analysis. At this point in the process, support data is available to help develop a future direction for the County, along with an action plan. The key to this process is that it is a rational way of looking at future community development. A good strategy does not guarantee prosperity, but it provides a road map for the traveler. Without a road map and a well though out course to follow, no unified action is possible and the intended results will not materialize. The County needs a coherent game plan for the future. There is always uncertainty about the future and you cannot plan in advance for every contingency. But you need an intended direction in order to have an as-needed reaction to unforeseen conditions. A core game plan in many cases can overcome unforeseeable events and internal problems. [ Back Home ]