The importance of inclusivity in NEO’s innovation ecosystem

By Dr. Albert Green

Greater Cleveland and Northeast Ohio’s innovation ecosystem is one of the region’s greatest, often underappreciated assets.

I’ve been delighted to participate in recent activities such as the Cleveland Innovation Project (CIP) and the recently awarded Cleveland Innovation District, which have brought attention to the need to supercharge our innovation ecosystem.

Broadly speaking, these initiatives have identified areas where we have unique assets and thought leadership that merit “big bet” investments with potentially transformative economic outcomes.  Of course, nothing is guaranteed and a bet is still a bet — but identifying and then betting on those areas in which  we excel is by far the best strategy.

This is not new and other regions have done this either by design or holistically.  A critical component of these activities has been to weave diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) into the very fiber of the strategy.  There is a clear understanding that these efforts will not achieve long-term success without it.

REACHING BEYOND THE ‘USUAL SUSPECTS’

The business incentive for DE&I is simple: to grow the economic pie, more customers for goods and services are better than less customers; and more contributors with skill sets that can lead and develop the required goods and services are better than less.

For a region that has struggled with a declining population this leads to the obvious conclusion that you had better reach beyond the “usual suspects.” In addition to doing the right thing, looking to elevate the economy by tapping into underutilized individuals and communities that already are here is easier than trying to recruit new ones.

We can’t underestimate the importance of the “ecosystem,” which is the collection of organizations and individuals that work together to seed, grow and sustain the innovations.

We need to focus on DE&I in ALL portions of the ecosystem. I sometimes see an emphasis on recruitment and services for diverse “seeds” (e.g. entrepreneurs) who will be the future leaders and decision makers — which is outstanding — but find little DE&I emphasis in attracting diverse leaders in the more mature ecosystem of development, maintenance and support services.

We should pay the same attention to this important area since it provides role models for today’s “seeds,” is often a more suitable career pathway for rising stars from families and communities with little tolerance for the high-risk, high-stakes entrepreneurial mindset, and is more flexible for multiple career stages.

We must also be willing to reach beyond the usual suspects in the business areas that command attention. Rather than focus all attention on med/fin/info/water-tech, watch out for innovations in logistics, supply chain, sales and marketing and business processes that can also drive new opportunities.

This will be especially true as we look toward the post-pandemic, not so “socially distant” future business landscape.

SOURCE AND INTEGRATE INNOVATIONS REGIONWIDE

A thriving innovation ecosystem requires the seed for tomorrow’s “next best” thing — which is often born out of our institutions of higher ed and our large corporate research centers.

Inclusiveness means that we source and integrate innovations from across the greater region such as Cleveland’s world renowned life sciences and bioengineering; Akron’s long history of polymer science; Kent’s global leadership in liquid crystals and fashion; Youngstown’s additive manufacturing and energy cluster; and Lorain’s microelectronics, smart automation and digital fabrication.

Wrapped around all of this is our unquestioned manufacturing muscle.

The most impactful innovations are generally found at the intersections of established disciplines, regions and individuals.

We can’t be beat if we cast our net broadly and harvest ALL of our regional diversity.

Dr. Albert Green is the Founder and CEO of AMG Consulting Group, which focuses on technology scouting and commercialization, new product ideation, go to market strategies, and executive mentoring. Connect with Dr. Green on LinkedIn.