1. Small businesses participation in community development: Drivers, hindrances and triggers to collective action
Eliseo Vilalta-Perdomo, PhD
Prof. Martin Hingley
Lincoln Business School

2. Content Problem description Problem in a context OR approaches
COR: a collective approach to strive for community improvement

3. Problem description What?
Business may succeed independently but they can strive for something greater when together and they may find comfort when collaborating and coordinating their actions, but how?
Business 1
Business 3
Business 2
Business N
Business 4
Business 1
Business 2
Business 3
Business 4
Business N

4. Problem in context Where?
MICRO-ENTERPRISES
SUSTAINABILITY
LINCOLNSHIRE,
ENGLAND,
UNITED KINGDOM
EUROPE

5. Problem in context Drivers, hindrances and triggers
Several food micro-producers who…
… are driven not only by an economic rationale.
‘lifestyle’, ‘enjoyment’, ‘passion’ for their product, personal satisfaction and peer recognition.
individualistic business logic.
… are focused on individual customers.
No commercial links with big supermarkets.
Farm stores and farmers’ markets.

6. Problem in context Drivers, hindrances and triggers
Several food micro-producers who…
… recognise themselves as local businesses.
More than 40% of sale inside Lincolnshire.
No interest on international activities.
… are part of the same organisation .
Select Lincolnshire.
Aim: To raise the profile of Lincolnshire whether it is promoting and attracting investment into the county, signposting local produce within the County or sending the best of Lincolnshire’s food and drink across the UK.

7. Problem in context Drivers, hindrances and triggers
Research question How to articulate Food Supply Arrangements (FSA) with potential members that do not necessarily recognise practical advantages in working with others?

8. OR approaches Feedback and feed-forward
Option 1
Option 2
To look at other examples
To adjust these experiences
To implement
To evaluate outcomes
To improve based on previous experiences
To increase current capability (variety)
To innovate current practices
To evaluate the innovation process
FEEDBACK
FEED-FORWARD

9. OR approaches Feedback
Org. 1
Org. 2
Org. n …
Model of Org.
Select Lincolnshire
Bus 1
Bus 2
Food supply chain?
Food supply network?
Outcomes
Bus 3
Bus 4
Bus 5
Bus 6
Bus n

10. OR approaches Feedback - Food Supply Chain
The strongest actor (i.e. supermarket) structures coordination protocols between different actors
Customers (may) receive benefits from operational savings
Supply chain characterisation
Arrangement
Challenge
Driver
Organisational principle
Transactional direction
Power structure
Supply chain
Lean/agile
Economic only
Organised by main actor
Towards the customer
Centralised around main actor

11. OR approaches Feedback - Food Supply Network
Several strong actors (i.e. supermarkets, distributors) build redundant chains that provide additional resilience to the supply ‘system’.
Customers (may) receive benefits from operational savings
Supply network characterisation
Arrangement
Challenge
Driver
Organisational principle
Transactional direction
Power structure
Supply network
Resilience
Economic mainly
Externally self- organised
Towards the customer
Centralised around several hubs

12. OR approaches Feedback and community improvement
Do feedback approaches strive for community improvement?
IE criteria for improvement: “Operations research is the securing of improvement in social systems by means of scientific method” (Churchman, 1970).
Sustainability criteria: “sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (Brutland report, 1987)

13. OR approaches Feed-forward
Any ideas?

14. OR approaches Feed-forward
Supply community characterisation
Arrangement
Challenge
Driver
Organisational principle
Transactional direction
Power structure
Supply community
Collaboration
Different drivers
Internally self- organised
Towards the producer
Decentralised
Do feed-forward approaches strive for community improvement?
“[Community] operations research [COR] is the securing of improvement in social systems [collectives to become stronger actors] by means of scientific method” (adapted from Churchman, 1970).

15. COR: a collective approach to strive for community improvement – practice 1
Decision-maker
Beneficiary
OR professional
Decision-maker
Protocol
Beneficiary
Aims from Select Lincolnshire
Optimisation
Selling process
Impose on individual microbusinesses

16. COR: a collective approach to strive for community improvement – practice 2
Decision-maker
Beneficiary (?)
OR professional
Beneficiary
Decision-maker
Protocol
Beneficiary
Different aims
Select Lincolnshire
Individual microbusinesses
Building consensus
Impose on individual microbusinesses

17. COR: a collective approach to strive for community improvement – practice 3
Decision-maker
OR professional
Beneficiary
Decision-maker
Protocol
Beneficiary
Different aims
Select Lincolnshire
Individual microbusinesses
Building collective capacity
Adopted by individual microbusinesses

18. Building collective action
COR: a collective approach to strive for community improvement – practice 4
Decision-maker
Beneficiary
Decision-maker
Decision-maker
Beneficiary
OR professional
Different aims
Individual microbusinesses
Decision-maker
Beneficiary
Decision-maker
Beneficiary
Decision-maker
Beneficiary
Protocol
Beneficiary
Building collective action
Select Lincolnshire as a ‘stronger’ actor

19. COR: a collective approach to strive for community improvement
Set of individuals with no-purposeful aim –e.g. leaving in the same area; going to the same place.
Collective action seen as self-organised.
Individual and collective actions inform each other.
Research provides (descriptive) knowledge to the exterior
Externally-defined boundary.
Class of individuals with purposeful collective aim –e.g. sports club; village community.
Community action seen as self-organising.
Individual and collective actions inform each other.
Research develops (experiential) knowledge from/to the interior.
Internally-defined boundary.
To strive for…

20. COR: a collective approach to strive for community improvement
Final clarification:
OR approach
OR practitioners – i.e. Third Sector
COR researchers
Vehicle?
Feedback
OR practice:
OR as a toolbox
Feed-forward
OR research:
OR as science
To identify potential approaches for development

21. Thanks for your attention Questions and suggestions?