THE NATURE OF A THINK TANK

THE NAPLES INSTITUTE IS A THINK TANK

What is a think tank?

In our busy lives, it is necessary for most people to think on the run. A think tank separates itself from this daily rush to consider current and future relevant concerns.

Think tanks are not generic but dedicated to specific areas of concern. The Naples Institute is focused on social justice. This means it can find cause with many more specifically directed think tanks, and possibly joint problem solve with them.

A think tank is an idea factory. The Naples Institute sponsors original research on leadership as the key to social justice problem solving.

The Naples Institute is dedicated to original scholarship and empirical studies by working in the field solving problems relating to the poor, indigent, and marginalized.

Why a think tank for ideas?

Ideas generate change. Think tanks are often the catalyst for an idea whose time has come. A think tank is like the advance scout who examines ideas on the horizon to anticipate what is ahead, and how to deal with its challenges. Think tanks are often special branches of universities or industrial complexes where members of such establishments are free to think without restrictions.

How do ideas cause change?

An idea requires an advocate and facilitator to make the nascent idea (1) take hold; (2) be found useful, and then (3) be perpetuated. That takes leadership.

An idea filters from intellectual speculation and germinates into a theoretical concept. Papers are written and presented at conferences profiling the idea. Should the idea survive this rigorous scrutiny, and subsequent controlled trials, it most likely finds purchase with the wider audience, and eventually becomes part of the fabric of society.

Often, a special interest finds the idea to its liking and helps it along. Gradually, or swiftly, as the case may be, the idea is disseminated, implemented, evaluated, and if right for the times, assimilated into the culture.

Changes invariably occur as the idea goes through this process. It takes leadership to maintain the integrity of this process. Stated otherwise, no idea will take hold if the culture to which it is to be introduced is not understood totally, or the special problems that the new idea might spawn in the process of implementation.

How does a think tank function?

A think tank is composed of an eclectic group of scholars, academics, corporate change agents and social thinkers with diverse academic and/or empirical backgrounds.

It functions as a collaborative effort, while preserving individual integrity of its members as they address questions of concern.

Diverse points of view and scholarly interests make for a creative climate in face-to-face exchange. Even in this age of the Internet, there is a substantive advantage to a place dedicated to intense discussion of important questions of the day.

How does a think tank market its ideas, more specifically, THE NAPLES INSTITUTE?

The Internet is an important conduit. The Naples Institute has a website that profiles its members, their credentials, their special interests, along with its current and long term goals, and the status of current projects.

Plans have been created for a bookstore, a publishing company, a speaking bureau, and a traveling seminar to market the Institute’s newest ideas. A newsletter is also planned with executive summaries of what ideas are currently in the mill. Long range, the Institute plans to create a magazine and to broadcast its activities across the globe by satellite radio.

In addition, training films, videos, and DVDs as leadership aids are to be made available with the eventual creation of a School of Social Justice.

The “State of The Naples Institute” will be published in an annual report listing all philanthropic organizations that are assisting the Institute in its work.

The Naples Institute will be constantly canvassing for new scholars, field researchers, and academics to join in its quest for social justice. It is currently looking into the possibility affiliating with several universities.

What is the role of entrepreneurs in THE NAPLES INSTITUTE?

Entrepreneurs who have been involved in philanthropic work have founded The Naples Institute. One founder created Walden University, a fully accredited graduate institution of some 20,000 students; another established a successful restaurant chain across the nation (Chuck e Cheese); another has created a foundation for the poor (The Coine Foundation, Inc.); and a fourth is an international author of several books on leadership.

Is this think tank a business?

Yes, The Naples Institute is a for profit business.

Where is THE NAPLES INSTITUTE located?

Naples, Florida on the West Coast of Florida.

What is the difference between a think tank and an advocacy group?

This is a very good question because a think tank and an advocacy group have different functions, which can be conflicting and pusillanimous. Well intentions notwithstanding, their respective functions may be complementary, but decidedly different. A think tank is an idea factory generating ideas, or a reflective organization. An advocacy group has a specific cause and is action oriented.

The Naples Institute creates ideas that support the Institute’s vision of fighting for social justice. It develops instruments to assist in this fight.

An advocacy group is dedicated to a single issue, and measures its success by the impact it makes into that cause. Advocacy groups could be considered lobbyists for single-track ideas, and because of this, might receive the backing of special interests.

Should a think tank conform to special interests, it would compromise its mission. As sharp a difference as this might be considered, a wider divergence is that think tanks are led by intellectuals, who are comfortable in the abstract world of ideas, whereas advocacy groups are led by pragmatists who prefer the concrete world of the problem solving. Think tanks encourage diverse thinking, while advocacy groups resist prefer consensus building to tangible results.

Consequently, by definition, think tanks have a wide perspective and comprehensive goal, whereas an advocacy group has a narrow perspective and an even narrower goal. This is so because advocacy groups are looking for specific self-interested financial backers. A think tank is often endowed similar to a university to pursue general research with no specific outcomes expected.

What is the role of politics in a think tank?

The role of ideology in a think tank is specific. Every think tank has an ideology. The Naples Group is fighting for social justice. Should it depart from its ideology in favor of a political party, its function could quickly be compromised.

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Prepared by Dr. James R. Fisher, Jr.