A Report by Mark Sideman and Dr. William "Bud" Wurtz

On March 13th the Washington State Economic Development Commission formally issued the final version of its strategic plan, "Driving Washington's Prosperity". The plan positions the Evergreen State to become a leader nationally in innovation, the key to both job growth and long-term competitive advantage.  “Driving Washington Prosperity” puts “talent development”, and thus the interests of ASTDps and the WLP profession, at the forefront of the strategy to foster innovation statewide.

The event was held in the beautifully ornate Senate Rules Room in the state capitol at Olympia.  The Lieutenant Governor, several State Senators and Representatives, and a number of state agency heads were in attendance, along with envoys from major companies (e.g., Microsoft), business associations, labor unions, education groups … and the ASTDps Innovation Initiative Team, represented by Joel Kanter, Mark Sideman, and Dr. William “Bud” Wurtz.  ASTDps was complimented by several of the Economic Development Commission members during networking breaks for making its presence felt at the meeting and in offering specific potential connections to advance the State’s innovation agenda.

“Driving Washington’s Prosperity” was developed over many months with input from over 650 citizens and experts at fifteen different regional strategy forums across the state. Earlier drafts of Driving Washington’s Prosperity” attracted substantial nationwide attention to the State’s bold plan, including the honor of receiving the prestigious Innovations Award from the Council of State Governments.

The plan is a direct outgrowth of the Economic Development Commission’s mission, as chartered by the State Legislature, to boost economic growth and increase the number of good-paying jobs in Washington State. As noted earlier, “Make talent [and talent development] a top priority” is the first of five “pillars” that make up the foundation of the plan, something of direct interest and benefit to WLP professionals.   

Using our systems thinking skills, WLP professionals can appreciate that a comprehensive innovation strategy requires additional components or "pillars". In the case of Washington State’s plan, these are: Invest in entrepreneurship; Connect through reliable infrastructure; Regulate in the smartest ways; and Expand international business.  Some creative thinking will probably reveal for each of these other pillars important workplace learning and performance issues that need to be called out and addressed.  We encourage you to start by reviewing the complete plan here.