Connecting Your Community

A positive culture within an organization starts with a strong connection among its team. The same could be argued about communities. Follow my argument and thoughts about this below.

Recent studies indicate that older people who have a feeling of connectedness with others can stave off signs of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Connecting with others helps the brain work harder and generate and remember short-term activities. It releases positive neurochemicals and helps people maintain a sense of happiness and connection.

Into her eighties, my mother loved going to the local health club to work out. I never saw her work out, nor did I ever see any buildup of muscle or strength. Still, as we age, our sense of balance, flexibility, and muscle strength all atrophy or diminish, so I knew her attendance at a local class was good for her. Most of the time, she participated in the very safe water aerobics classes.

The more critical part of her attendance wasn’t workouts but the socialization that occurred and the friends she made. She would return from class with stories, racy jokes, and new friendships to make. Quite often, the core group at the club (mostly women) would go out for lunch, even drinks for the more daring (which would include Mom).

As she aged, some of her friends that she had made at the club began to die off. Pretty soon, there were only a few of them. Then, the club closed. The group dispersed to other places. My Mom never really found another workout home.

That’s when I noticed a marked change in my Mom’s personality, memory, and cognitive skills. Slowly, at first, but faster than I thought, she repeated the same story whenever she saw me. Then, it was a slow deterioration of her physical health. Even though she reached her early nineties, her cognitive skills and memory were long gone.

Based on that experience, the longer we can have social groups and organizations to which we belong, the better off we will be as we age. I love hearing stories about aging mothers and fathers with solid cognitive skills into their eighties and nineties. They all have one thing in common: They have friends and social connections.

Can we apply this to our communities and cities? Is there a positive culture in a community that can enhance its health? Can the social connections between neighborhoods and the people in them create a collective memory and connectedness?

If we think of a community, region, or even a series of connected neighborhoods as an individual human being or an organism, the theory of connectedness could apply to our communities. Based on the example above, the community moves through time (ages), and socialization and connection can provide lasting benefits.

As I wrote in last week’s post, people in a community must feel connected to have a positive culture in an organization or city. There must be a solid connection to each other for the organization to work effectively and achieve its goals.

The example I gave was of the human body:

“Suppose one part of your body is not working. In that case, whether it’s your leg, an internal organ, or perhaps your ability to see or hear, it affects your entire being. You can’t ignore it. You can’t hope that it doesn’t impact your ability to function as a whole. Ignoring a festering wound on your leg means an infection could spread throughout your entire body. A pancreas that doesn’t produce enough insulin to break down glucose results in diabetes, which impacts the whole body system.

Ignoring one body part and concentrating on another doesn’t make sense. If one considers a community a ‘body,’ we can apply the same rules. Ignoring one part of the community, hoping it will heal itself and won’t impact the rest of the community, won’t work.

I have often argued that a community can’t ignore one part of town for the sake of another part that is ‘nicer.’ Referring to specific neighborhoods as “bad” or the lousy side of town creates a massive disconnection. A city and its residents must understand what has happened in parts of the community that have seen private and public disinvestment. Why has the part disconnected from the whole?

A culture of connectedness can benefit your organization and your community. Cities that continue to work to connect their neighborhoods and the people in them prosper.

I saw this in Indianapolis when I lived there. About the time I moved to Indianapolis, they had just completed a momentous project called the Cultural Trail. At first, it sounded like every other earnest effort to create energy in a community that would peter out in a few years after the ribbon cuttings and the introduction of new parts of the trail.

The Cultural Trail has been a way to connect neighborhoods to other neighborhoods and downtown. You can bicycle or walk on the Cultural Trail from one cool, hip, up-and-coming neighborhood to another. Indianapolis created a connection between people and communities. The trail includes stops along the way with public art and other installations describing the neighborhood or the significance of buildings along the way. Ane all the trails connect to downtown.

The impact of all of this is creating a community that values all of its neighborhoods and doesn’t allow others to falter. Thriving neighborhoods collectively beget thriving communities, attractive for new businesses, talent, startups, and sustainable growth.

To make sure you have a connected community, try these strategies:

• Create Strong Social Networks — Residents of a connected community know and interact with their neighbors regularly. They share common interests, participate in community events, and look out for each other. Develop programs and opportunities for neighborhoods and different parts of the community to come together.
• Create Opportunities for Intergenerational Participation — We often segregate activities by age or family status. Create opportunities for community members to actively share among different age groups. These can be through “Mentern” (mentor-intern) programs, local organizations, clubs, and employer initiatives. Intergenerational dinners are where people of different ages can come together and share their outlooks and lives, which is another way to generate this type of connection.
• Inclusivity and Diversity — A connected community celebrates diversity and inclusivity. People from different backgrounds, cultures, and demographics feel welcome and respected, contributing to a rich tapestry of perspectives and experiences. Diversity, food fairs, and music events are one way to create this energy.
• Economic Vitality — A connected community supports local businesses and entrepreneurs. There’s a thriving local economy with opportunities for employment, entrepreneurship, and economic development. Create programs to enhance opportunities for populations who perhaps have not had as easy access to capital and support.

A community has a collective memory. Unless leaders, elected and appointed (that means you, economic development professionals), step up and create a connected community, a collective malaise will ensue. This does not bode well for efforts to change the culture to growth and sustainability.

Much like older people, who, as they age, require social connectedness, a community needs diverse and integrated socialization based on age, gender, nationality, and race. This is how to make your community attractive and prosperous, regardless of age or location.

To learn more about connected communities and how to create connected cultures, contact me at martin@martinkarlconsulting.com.

I write about these topics in my weekly newsletter, Curated Morning. You can read archived versions and subscribe by clicking here.

I have developed resources related to the business startup culture, climate change, and business mentoring. You can access those downloads here.