In Search of a Shared Dream: Ecosystem Strengthening Workshop

Workshop's Objetive and Dynamic

On August 6-7, 2024, Startup Chihuahua organized a groundbreaking workshop aimed at strengthening the innovation-based entrepreneurship ecosystem in Chihuahua. This two-day event brought together key players from across the region's innovation support network to define and propose a shared purpose for the ecosystem.

The workshop's primary objective was to foster collaboration and synergy among diverse actors in Chihuahua's innovation landscape. Participants were introduced to an innovative methodology developed by researchers from the Global Entrepreneurship Dynamics (GED) Initiative. This framework enables a comprehensive mapping of the ecosystem, facilitating a deeper understanding of its dynamics and interconnections. Armed with these insights, attendees could then craft initiatives tailored to the unique characteristics of Chihuahua's entrepreneurial environment.

The workshop embraced a "learning by doing" approach, encouraging active participation and multilateral exchange of ideas. This interactive style reinforced learning through practical application and diverse viewpoints from individuals and organizations across the ecosystem.

Miguel Rodriguez, one of the workshop facilitators, emphasized the importance of balancing action with learning: "If we act without a solid foundation and strategy, even if it is a constant effort, nothing is going to be achieved. But if you just focus on studying, you are not going to achieve your dreams.

Concepts, Tools, and Findings from the GED Initiative

At Ferter, we recognize the transformative potential of these tools in unifying efforts to benefit entrepreneurs. In the spirit of collaboration that defined this workshop, we are eager to share the lessons learned and tools explored during this enriching experience:

Understanding the Local Innovation Ecosystem: The Hoffecker Model

MIT SSRC researcher Elizabeth Hoffecker's definition of a "Local Innovation Ecosystem" served as a foundation for discussions:

"A community of interconnected, place-based actors who interact in order to create innovation and support innovation processes, along with the infrastructure and enabling environment that allows them to develop and disseminate solutions to local challenges."

Participants explored the Hoffecker model, which illustrates the functioning of a local innovation system. This model emphasizes that there is no hierarchy among actors; instead, all are interconnected and work dynamically around a shared purpose. As highlighted in the workshop, "The objective of a purpose is to guide the strategies and actions of its proponents with a collective orientation that visualizes the future." This approach underscores the critical nature of establishing synergies and sharing resources to achieve common goals.

The TE-SER Model

The TE-SER model (Tedesco-Serrano) was introduced as a framework for understanding economic ecosystems, leaning strongly on Hoffecker’s definition. This model focuses on three key aspects:

1. Actors (typification)
2. Roles (focus)
3. Values (needs of all involved in the ecosystem)

The model identifies six essential groups for a consistent ecosystem:

1. Articulators
2. Enablers
3. Linkers
4. Knowledge Generators
5. Promoters
6. Communities

Workshop attendees were classified into these groups, providing a clearer understanding of their roles within the ecosystem. This classification was crucial in designing the ecosystem sociogram, offering a snapshot of the social dynamics at play. This sociogram will later be analyzed and published along with previous mappings of other LATAM’s ecosystems that have been part of GED’s experiments. 

Tedesco, co-author of the TE-SER model, expresses a crucial reflection of the importance of the ecosystem’s mapping:  "If we are not able to understand our role and the value we can contribute, we will hardly be able to achieve significant changes in our environment."

Insights from MIT's Local Innovation Group

The workshop also shared findings from MIT's local innovation group on various ecosystems worldwide. Key observations included:

1. The necessity of common goods (infrastructure with essential resources) for ecosystem functioning.
2. The importance of continuous influx of new resources to support project growth.
3. The need for favorable policies that promote innovation and entrepreneurship.

These insights highlighted the critical factors that contribute to a thriving innovation ecosystem.

Results of a Thriving Ecosystem

The workshop outlined the potential outcomes of a well-functioning innovation ecosystem:

1. A favorable environment for innovation
2. Attraction of new proposals and initiatives from outside the ecosystem
3. Reduced venture failure rates over time, as increased startup activity leads to more learning opportunities and eventual increases in success stories

Shared Purposes and Visions

During the workshop, participants worked in teams to create purpose statements for Chihuahua's Entrepreneurship Ecosystem based on Innovation. These statements reflect the collective aspirations and goals of the ecosystem's stakeholders:

1. Generate favorable conditions for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Chihuahua, fostering high-impact startups and sustainable growth that transform lives.
2. Promote Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Chihuahua's sustainable development, leveraging its geographic characteristics to improve inhabitants' quality of life.
3. Consolidate the innovation ecosystem by unifying existing institutional programs to generate local entrepreneurship with global impact.
4. Foster a Chihuahua entrepreneurship ecosystem driving co-creation and innovation through effective collaboration between entrepreneurs, institutions, and the community, aiming to strengthen competitiveness and quality of life by offering an attractive, operationally efficient environment with social and ecological responsibility.
5. Cultivate a culture of innovation through synergies that generate impactful, conscious, and scalable solutions to boost competitiveness and improve quality of life and well-being.
6. Empower the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Chihuahua to foster innovation and sustainable economic development, creating an environment where local talent and creativity converge in a culture of cooperation and resilience, promoting innovation and entrepreneurship through education and knowledge to develop new technologies.
7. Evolve into an entrepreneurship ecosystem in innovation that promotes regional industrial and business strengths, with openness to the outside world, from a social and environmental perspective, seeking significant impact on the population's quality of life.

Final Takeaway

The workshop served as a pivotal moment for ecosystem actors to reflect on their roles, interactions, and the work needed to strengthen collaboration and unify purposes and strategies. A key takeaway was the importance of taking action rather than merely discussing ideas.

Participants were cautioned against simply copying strategies from other successful ecosystems, as these are tailored to specific local needs and may not translate effectively to Chihuahua's unique context. Instead, the focus was on finding a shared dream for Chihuahua by identifying available regional resources and strategizing to acquire missing elements needed to achieve that dream.

The workshop emphasized that collaboration is the most valuable tool when resources and infrastructure are limited. While the 10-hour duration was not sufficient to achieve immediate results, participants were encouraged to continue refining the common purpose and working on their proposals beyond the workshop.

At Ferter, we hope to see similar workshops held in many more local ecosystems across Mexico. These events have the potential to increase collaboration, maturity, and development within innovation ecosystems, ultimately driving economic growth and improving quality of life for communities.

Credits

This article references concepts from: Tedesco, M. S. and Serrano, T. (2019). "Roles, Values and Social Dynamics, a new approach to describe and understand economic ecosystems." Cambridge: MIT D-Lab

Images used in the workshop were sourced from https://www.globalecosystemdynamics.org/resources