Our mission at Green County Development Corporation (GCDC) is to promote economic growth across our community. It is with this mission in mind that we often focus our programs and initiative on one central idea. That idea is incrementalism. The Oxford English Dictionary defines incrementalism as “belief in or advocacy of change by degrees; gradualism.”
Often times, when people hear the word “incremental”, it can have a negative connotation that doesn’t fully encompass what we are saying or the work that we are doing. Many people hear this word and correlate it with things like slow, timid or change averse.
But these critics of incrementalism often misunderstand it. They are comparing the impact of one big project to that of one or a few small projects. The correct comparison is more like one big project versus one thousand small projects. Other people have concerns over incrementalism because of the amount of coordination, time, or resources required to execute numerous smaller projects. Although this is a fair point, at GCDC, we believe that the lack of these resources simply means reframing what our organization’s role is in incremental economic development. When we focus on incrementalism, our job is not just to orchestrate change, but to create the conditions for it to flourish organically. In essence, we want to create opportunity so others have the chance to try numerous small projects that will positively impact our economy. When we get that right, the incremental approach is often the only one that actually is up to the challenge of a rapidly evolving economy.
The defining feature of incrementalism in development is not slowness or timidity, instead, incrementalism entails a bias toward quick action over exhaustive planning: you take the next, easiest action to address the immediate situation you’re facing, and you take it right now.
But the piece that comes along with this is that it means there is a need for constant, repeated small actions. We don’t take just one small step and call it a day. Instead, we are constantly coming up with new programs and ideas that help to create ideal conditions for the economy to grow. Below, I have listed a few examples of programs we have at GCDC that model this way of thinking.
● In childcare, this means focusing on things like providing education and capital improvement stipends to improve the quality of care our childcare professionals give. These programs are also ever changing. We try to get money to these professional through grants rapidly, and with minimum fuss. We also want to do it in lots of places across the County and track the results. We then are able to make another round of improvements and another, each informed by what we have learned.
● In housing, it can look like our Home Construction Cooperative program. This program only allows for one house to be renovated or built per year, but because of this incremental approach, we are able to partner with local high schools to drive costs down and help to supplement our growing workforce needs. This program is also financially self-sustaining and created to be grown across the county.
● In business recruitment, it means taking things like entrepreneurship and small business support more seriously rather than spending years working on one big incentive deal to lure one big company to town. Instead, through the numerous programs we offer, we want to create an environment where the next big company is grown from our existing community of small businesses.
In all of the work we do at GCDC, we recognize that none of our programs will single-handedly solve issues like lack of housing, unaffordable childcare, or the need for new businesses. Instead, we believe that these programs and ideas will help to cultivate an environment where economic growth can naturally thrive. We understand that in the face of quickly changing circumstances, incrementalism is indispensable. It allows us to take constant repeated, small actions to foster the right conditions. By doing this, we empower gradual progress to tackle the challenges our county faces.
For more information on our current initiatives, visit GCDC online at www.greencountydevelopment.com, or contact the GCDC office at (608) 328-9452 or email gcdc@greencountydevelopment.com.
— Olivia Otte is the Executive Director of the Green County Development Corporation (GCDC). She can be reached at Olivia@greencountydevelopment.com, or by calling 608-328-9452.
