Building the Cuyahoga River Valley Organizations
MBA 563: Organizational Assessment and Intervention
Case Study #2: Building the
Cuyahoga River Valley Organization
Edie Druktenis
March 28, 2013
This case focuses on the development of the Cuyahoga River Valley Organization (CRVO) which is charged with caring out the Cuyahoga Valley Initiative (CVI). The initiation of this organization began with an article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer in 2000. The article discussed the history, natural beauty, and industry in the Cuyahoga Valley located in northeastern Ohio. The valley is rich in natural resources and allows for access to land and water transportation networks that helped it to be positioned as a center for many of America’s early industries such as Quaker Oats, B.F. Goodrich, and Firestone. Much of this industry that was located in the valley generated toxic waste leaving the Cuyahoga River like a dump. The area is on the mend after the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972 but it struggles economically due to the loss of jobs and the movement of the middle class away from the urban areas of the valley to the suburbs. Because of the value of the natural resources and remaining industry in the Cuyahoga River Valley area, an idea was started by the Cuyahoga Valley County Planning Commission after reading to article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer to create an initiative involving many regional resources to transform and regenerate the valley. This effort is called the Cuyahoga Valley Initiative (CVI). Paul Alsenas, Cuyahoga County Ohio Planning Commission Director, engaged Sally Parker, founder and principle of Currere, a company specializing in organizational strategy and development. Parker’s objective was to engage community leaders, organizations, and industries in discussions to help determine the type of organization needed to take on the CVI. Parker’s first move was to engage members of the community in dialogue to find out the best way to design the
Case Study #2: Building the
Cuyahoga River Valley Organization
Edie Druktenis
March 28, 2013
This case focuses on the development of the Cuyahoga River Valley Organization (CRVO) which is charged with caring out the Cuyahoga Valley Initiative (CVI). The initiation of this organization began with an article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer in 2000. The article discussed the history, natural beauty, and industry in the Cuyahoga Valley located in northeastern Ohio. The valley is rich in natural resources and allows for access to land and water transportation networks that helped it to be positioned as a center for many of America’s early industries such as Quaker Oats, B.F. Goodrich, and Firestone. Much of this industry that was located in the valley generated toxic waste leaving the Cuyahoga River like a dump. The area is on the mend after the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972 but it struggles economically due to the loss of jobs and the movement of the middle class away from the urban areas of the valley to the suburbs. Because of the value of the natural resources and remaining industry in the Cuyahoga River Valley area, an idea was started by the Cuyahoga Valley County Planning Commission after reading to article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer to create an initiative involving many regional resources to transform and regenerate the valley. This effort is called the Cuyahoga Valley Initiative (CVI). Paul Alsenas, Cuyahoga County Ohio Planning Commission Director, engaged Sally Parker, founder and principle of Currere, a company specializing in organizational strategy and development. Parker’s objective was to engage community leaders, organizations, and industries in discussions to help determine the type of organization needed to take on the CVI. Parker’s first move was to engage members of the community in dialogue to find out the best way to design the
Cited: Cummings, T. & Worley, C. (2009). Organization Development and Change. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.