Dennis Coughlin, Co-Founder and Director of I-Open, describes the operational design of I-Open for growth in community and economic development.
Organizing for Growth in Community and Economic Development by Dennis Coughlin, Co-Founder & Director, Institute for Open Economic Networks (I-Open)
Introduction
Hello, I am Dennis Coughlin, I am a Co-Founder and Director of the Institute for Open Economic Networks, otherwise known as I-Open, which is located in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. When I was one of the founders, there were four of us who were the founders, I did the organization of I-Open.
Hello, I am Dennis Coughlin, I am a Co-Founder and Director of the Institute for Open Economic Networks, otherwise known as I-Open, which is located in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. When I was one of the founders, there were four of us who were the founders, I did the organization of I-Open.
Flexibility in Organizations
[00:00:22]
I am a big believer in flexibility in organizations. The way I saw organizations, nonprofits and smaller businesses that have been set up is that everything is set in stone and inflexible. What I tried to do, when I worked with the people I worked with in order to get it started, was flexibility.
[00:00:22]
I am a big believer in flexibility in organizations. The way I saw organizations, nonprofits and smaller businesses that have been set up is that everything is set in stone and inflexible. What I tried to do, when I worked with the people I worked with in order to get it started, was flexibility.
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So, we created an organization that there was no one president, vice president, secretary, treasurer. We basically formed a Board of Directors, the Directors of the organization were all administrative directors. If we needed a treasurer at one time, well, any one of us could be the treasurer, any one of us could be a president, or a secretary. And we were, we moved those jobs around from one place to another.
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I-Open Hub-And-Spoke Operational Design
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Open Sourcing Skills
[00:01:21]
But, we wanted the flexibility. We wanted to be able to say, is, no one person in charge, we’re all among equals here, at the table, our voices and brainpower is all important. And we brought different levels of skills to the table and different characteristics to the table. But they were all important.
As we’ve moved forward, we’ve had people leave and more people come in, and this is continuing, and we still have a core that is responsible for the organization, that are passionate about the organization.
[00:01:21]
But, we wanted the flexibility. We wanted to be able to say, is, no one person in charge, we’re all among equals here, at the table, our voices and brainpower is all important. And we brought different levels of skills to the table and different characteristics to the table. But they were all important.
As we’ve moved forward, we’ve had people leave and more people come in, and this is continuing, and we still have a core that is responsible for the organization, that are passionate about the organization.
Collective Brainpower
[00:02:00]
But we also depend upon on those people who participate with us. They are voices at the table, and their brainpower is also important to everything we do. They continue to do interviews on line, they continue to send us emails, they continue to do writing for us, and share with us. And they share those things that we’re passionate about with their friends and out into the community. And that’s important for all of us to do. To share those things that work well.
Sharing Good Practices
[00:02:31]
It’s not necessarily that those things are the “best” practices, they’re just good practices. And we want to share those with each other. As we share them, we grow our community.
We share in a way that is collaborative and respectful and transparent. And there is a level of accountability that we share also amongst each other.
And that’s how we move forward in community. That’s my passion, is moving our community forward and making a sustainable, growing community.
[00:02:00]
But we also depend upon on those people who participate with us. They are voices at the table, and their brainpower is also important to everything we do. They continue to do interviews on line, they continue to send us emails, they continue to do writing for us, and share with us. And they share those things that we’re passionate about with their friends and out into the community. And that’s important for all of us to do. To share those things that work well.
Sharing Good Practices
[00:02:31]
It’s not necessarily that those things are the “best” practices, they’re just good practices. And we want to share those with each other. As we share them, we grow our community.
We share in a way that is collaborative and respectful and transparent. And there is a level of accountability that we share also amongst each other.
And that’s how we move forward in community. That’s my passion, is moving our community forward and making a sustainable, growing community.
Dennis Coughlin
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Dennis Coughlin, Co-Founder and Executive Director is a non-profit administrator and operations manager organizing nursing services at St. Vincent Charity Hospital, several large churches, and the Institute for Open Economic Networks.
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