Strategy

The strategy for World Class Greater Philadelphia is built upon two core tenets: 1) that strategic regions—places that plan for the future, and don’t let the future happen to them—are more prosperous than their competitors, and 2) that strategies developed with input from diverse stakeholders via cross-sector collaboration are more likely to be implemented and successful than the status quo. The initiative is made up of five phases:

Defining “World Class” and Determining Where We Stand Today

The research of the first phase of the World Class Greater Philadelphia initiative on what the world views as “world class” today and how Greater Philadelphia is perceived nationally and internationally is published in Insight magazine.

Developing Alternative Futures

In fall 2009, we launched corporate-style scenario planning to understand the global forces and trends that are shaping the region’s future. In partnership with Decision Strategies International, Inc., we will gather insights from a wide range of leaders from business, government and nonprofits. This information will help develop a set of alternative futures for the region.

Understanding Key Issues and How to Talk About Them

Once the alternative futures have been developed, we’ll conduct market and values-based research to inform how we communicate these ideas. At the same time, we’ll be convening the best minds from across the region to help us transform the alternative futures into a short list of priorities that we have to improve or maintain no matter what the future may hold. Through working groups centered on these priorities, we’ll be able to facilitate coordination among partners, deepen understanding of best practices, identify opportunities for greater collaboration, as well as fill gaps.

Creating a “GPS” for a World Class Greater Philadelphia

Based on the alternative futures scenarios, as well as market, values and social scientific research, we’ll create a “Global Positioning Strategy” that describes a set of long-term goals to ensure a world class future for Greater Philadelphia.

Turning the GPS into Reality

Finally, the hard part will begin—using our GPS to get from where we are today to where we want to be in 10, 20, 30 years. Throughout this process, the Economy League will continue to facilitate, coordinate and provide research support to the working groups, and track our region’s progress to our shared goals.