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Dr. Ernesto Sirolli
Author And Founder Of The Enterprise Facilitation Approach To Economic
Development
Over 20 years and four continents, Ernesto Sirolli
has developed a unique system to allow communities to harness the
creative and economic forces of local entrepreneurship.
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Based on his work with international aid agencies developing nations
in Africa in the 1970s, the Italian born Sirolli grew disenchanted
with existing “top down” economic development solutions
imposed by outside agencies on local communities. He launched a
personal investigation to seek out more viable methods for fostering
economic development and independence at the local, grassroots level
of society.
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A 1976 graduate of Rome University with a Laurea di Dottore in Political
Science, Sirolli’s intellectual search wound through further
post-graduate studies at Stellenbosch University in Cape Town, South
Africa and at Murdoch University in Western Australia. In 1980,
as a case study for his dissertation, he started the Freemantle
Shoemakers Co-op, a job creation program which became the first
workers’ cooperative ever established in Western Australia.
The Australian government awarded the program a Silver Jubilee Award
for Best Job Creation Scheme in Australia in 1983.
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In 1985, Sirolli pioneered the world’s first Enterprise Facilitation
project in Esperance, a remote rural community in Western Australia.
Sirolli’s groundbreaking work in Esperance is credited with
being the driver that turned around the fortunes of this then-economically
depressed community of 10,000 people. His work inspired the Western
Australia government to adopt the program in 36 more communities
between 1985 and 1997.
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It also inspired the adoption of Federal, State and private funding
policies in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA leading to
the creation of approximately 200 other Enterprise Facilitation
projects over a 12 year period. In 1997, Sirolli founded the Sirolli
Institute International for International Enterprise Facilitation,
Inc. as a non profit corporation to establish Enterprise Facilitation
programs in rural and urban communities in the USA and internationally.
The Sirolli Institute of Canada was incorporated in Edmonton, Alberta
in January 1997 to carry out projects specific to that country.
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In 1995, Sirolli authored the first book on Enterprise Facilitation
principles, entitled Ripples in the Zambezi: Passion, Unpredictability
and Economic Development. The book quickly became established as
a classic text for economic development leaders seeking to understand
how to unleash the power of entrepreneurship as a tool of economic
development in their communities. By 1999, with the first edition
of the book sold out, Sirolli authored a revised, fully updated
version with a slightly different title: Ripples from the Zambezi:
Passion, Entrepreneurship and the Rebirth of Local Economies. Published
by New Society Publishers, the book is widely available through
booksellers throughout the U.S., Canada and the world.
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In addition to serving as chairman of the board of the Saint Paul,
Minn. based Sirolli Institute International Enterprise Facilitation
Inc. Sirolli has served as founding director of the Center for Enterprise
Facilitation in Huron, S.D.; as director of the International Rural
Resource Center, Institute of Science and Technology Policy, Murdoch
University in Western Australia; as consultant to the Lieutenant
Governor and Commissioner for Economic Development in Western Australia;
as a visiting fellow at Southwest State University in Marshall,
Minn.; as consultant for the Commissioner for Regional Development
in Western Australia; and as manager of the Multicultural Artists
Agency (MAA) in Sydney, Australia.
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Ernesto Sirolli is also currently an Associate of the Institute
for Science and Technology Policy at Murdoch University in Western
Australia. He frequently lectures and consults in the USA, Canada,
New Zealand and Australia and has been a keynote speaker at numerous
national and International symposia.
An enthusiastic citizen of the world, Sirolli lives with his family
in Saint Paul, Minn.
Bottom-up Economic Development
The Sirolli Institute is convinced that the future of every community
lies in capturing the energy, imagination, intelligence and passion
of its people and that development can only be indigenous and based
on what is already present in the community.
We believe that Economic development should walk on two legs. The
first leg is concerned with the creation of infrastructure for development.
Without roads, communication, transportation, energy, land, etc.
it is very difficult for the community to survive and for local
enterprise to take place. Infrastructure development, however, cannot
replace entrepreneurship and no matter how sophisticated the local
infrastructure may be, without people using them they are useless.
There has to be a second leg to economic and community development
that balances the strategic one. This is the bottom-up responsive
leg that captures the motivation and imaginative intelligence of
local passionate individuals who wish to engage in bona fide community
and economic development projects.
Infrastructure development can only be done strategically by observing
the community trends and projecting its future needs. Enterprise
Facilitation can only be done responsively by becoming available
to self-motivated individuals on an as-needed, just-in-time basis.
The Civic Society
Robert Putnam, Professor of Government at Harvard, has demonstrated
that more than economic and geographic factors, prosperity can be
directly attributed to “civic values” and attitudes and
that a precondition for a good economy is the existence of social
conditions which allow creativity and intelligence to blossom or
to wither and die.
In particular, the environment that is required to capture the
passion, entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity of local people
is an environment that promotes mutuality and reciprocity. Mutuality
and reciprocity suggest that the success, personal and financial,
of every citizen is what ultimately makes the entire community successful.
Other tenants of the Civic Society are volunteering and networking.
Business people know very well that business is about people. Service
clubs, chambers of commerce, main street associations and a myriad
of formal and informal networks make referrals possible and provide
the social glue out of which business prospers.
The Intrinsic Goodness of Human Nature
The Sirolli Institute believes that human nature is intrinsically
good and that the fulfillment of our talents, through work, leads
to an improvement not only of our individual lives but of the quality
of our communities and society as a whole.
Non Motivation-Non Initiation
We believe that if people do not want to be helped, they should
be left alone. Motivation can create dependence and there is nothing
more pathetic than the sight of a person who has been manipulated
into a career or enterprise that has nothing to do with his/her
inclinations and natural talents. Self motivated, passionate people
will initiate their own ideas when they feel the time is right.
Passion and Skill
We believe that a truly successful individual is one who is doing
beautifully whatever it is that he/she loves doing.
In order to achieve this level of success, the individual will
not only harbor a passion for their chosen endeavor but they will
have developed the needed skills.
The Trinity of Management
We believe that that to be successful in business, no matter how
small, there is a Trinity of Management activities that must be
effectively controlled: Production, Marketing and Finance. Based
on empirical evidence we have found that the personality conducive
to successful marketing is substantially different from the personality
of the successful financial manager. We have found that it is possible
for an entrepreneur to be skilled and passionate in two of the three
areas of activity; i.e., Production and Marketing or Production
and Financial management, but have never found nor heard of an individual
who is equally passionate about Marketing and Financial management.
Therefore, we believe that is impossible for a lone individual to
run a business successfully. This is because it would require that
individual not only to be skilled in the three areas of competence
but also to be equally passionate in all of them.
The Sirolli Institute Vision:
The Sirolli Institute International Enterprise Facilitation TM
Incorporated is a 501c3 Not for Profit Corporation registered in
the U.S.A. Its affiliate Sirolli Institute Canada Ltd. is a NonProfit
Corporation registered in Canada. The Sirolli Institute and its
affiliate were formed to promote and implement the social technologies
developed by Dr. Ernesto Sirolli that spark economic development
at the grass roots level.
The Sirolli Institute vision most simply stated
is "Passion @ Work".
The Sirolli Institute believes that human nature is intrinsically
good and that the fulfillment of our talents, through work, leads
to an improvement not only of our individual lives but of the quality
of our communities and society as a whole. We believe that a truly
successful individual is one who is doing beautifully whatever it
is that they love doing.
Passion is the fire in the belly, the mysterious life force that
comes from within, inspired by God knows what for causes that are
as mysterious as life itself. It makes us sing, dance, build and
sometimes destroy with such resolve that often we sacrifice security,
family, riches and careers with it. The word “sacrifice”
is not out of place when we talk about passion. “Passion”
as a word has somber roots - it comes from the Latin - “passio”
and it means “to suffer”. The passion of romance and roses
pales in comparison to that other passion, the one, for example
of Christ on the cross.
Passion means total commitment: and total commitment whether to
a cause, an idea, or a person makes you suffer. Not only that, it
is also the kind of suffering that is inescapable because it was
chosen by you; it is your choice, your cross in life; the only thing
in life which makes sense, which gets you out of bed in the morning.
Passion cannot be given to you. It is like faith and freedom, it
has to come from within.
Passion, however, is not enough. Without the ability to paint,
to run, to inspire social change or run a successful business, passion
is nothing but wishful thinking and the mother of all frustrations.
Skill is what makes the dream real and transforms passion into good
work.
The vision of the Sirolli Institute is one wherein our society
has aligned its systems and resources to help people identify and
test their passion, develop the necessary skills and transform their
dreams into reality.
The Sirolli Institute Mission
"The Sirolli Institute assists passionate people to transform
their dreams and talents into meaningful and rewarding work."
This mission is carried out through educational, consultative and
training services as well as through our Community Enterprise Facilitation
model that has been adopted by over 200 communities throughout the
U.S.A., Canada and Australia over the past 15 years.
During the earlier part of its history the Sirolli Institute focused
primarily on helping communities to enhance their economic development
efforts by utilizing the passion and skill of their local entrepreneurs.
We help them to accomplish this through the unique social technology
and training programs that we have labeled "Enterprise Facilitation
TM".
More recently we are being called upon by to work in consultation
with national associations as well as governments. Commercial corporations
are also becoming increasingly aware of the advantages they can
enjoy through encouraging and capturing the passion and entrepreneurial
spirit that resides within its workforce. We are being approached
by them to assist help develop internal or external programs that
will help them to achieve this.
We have helped individual entrepreneurs by conducting workshops
that form part of their regional and national conferences and, again
more recently, we have put resources in place to serve those who
approach us on an individual and personal basis..
Last, but by no means least, we increase the awareness of our vision
and philosophies through published material and Keynote Speeches
at a variety of conferences including government sponsored "summit"
events. Our published material includes the captivating book "Ripples
from the Zambezi" authored by our founder Ernesto Sirolli available
through the Institute, the publisher and several major online book
vendors.
All of our products and services are unique in that they complement,
support and enhance traditional programs and resources. They never
seek to replace or supercede them. Our philosophies are founded
upon the establishment of environments that create an appropriate
and effective "bottom-up" response by entrepreneurs and
others to traditional programs.
Ultimately, the benefit of our work is designed to reach passionate
individuals in a manner that will assist them to transform their
dreams and talents into meaningful and rewarding work thereby realizing
our vision.
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