Strategic Planning in Challenging Times

1
Strategic Planning in Challenging Times

• Riall Nolan, PhD
• JoAnn McCarthy, PhD
• September 2009

2
Institutional Culture and Strategic Planning
Part 1
3
What is Organizational Culture?
. . . the deeply embedded patterns of
organizational behavior and the shared values,
assumptions, beliefs, or ideologies that members
have about their organization or its work.
OR
The way we do things around here.
Success in your job depends on how well you
understand and can work with this culture.
4
The University as a Culture

• They have ambivalent, sometimes conflicting
  goals

• They are very people-oriented

• They have vague standards for performance and
  success

• They are complex (even small places)

• They are increasingly vulnerable

• Theyre not necessarily uniform they have
  subcultures

• And theres sometimes a gap between what they
  say and what they do.

5
Four Typical University Cultures
Collegial Discipline- and faculty-based. Values
scholarly engagement, shared government, and
rationality.
Managerial Emphasizes the goals and purposes of
the institution. Values efficiency, effective
supervision, and fiscal responsibility
Developmental Stresses the personal and
professional growth of all members of the
organization
Negotiating Stresses equity and equality,
usually achieved through confrontation, interest
groups, mediation and power.
Most universities arent pure types they may
embody aspects of several of these cultural
patterns. But in many places, one type will
predominate.
6
Key Aspects of Institutional Culture
How the Culture Influences Individuals
What Creates the Culture
Environment surroundings, history, etc.
Identity who are we?
Mission charter, mandate, etc.
Motivation why are we here?
Socialization selection and training of new
members
Communication how do we talk and interact?
Communication images, messages, modalities
Coordination how do we do our work?
Structures and procedures categories and
processes
Development where are we going?
Leadership and strategy what works, what
doesnt who thrives, who fails
7
Roles SIOs Play

• The Startup Wizard
• The Recovery Specialist
• The Next Guy after a Class Act
• The Lion-Tamer
• The Hatchet Man or Cleanup Artist
• The Master Mechanic
• Superman
• Room Service

8
Implications for Strategic Planning

• Understanding your institutions
  (sub)culture(s) is the essential first step in
  strategic planning.

• Its easier to ride a horse in the direction
  its already going.

• Your institutional culture will determine
• - What you can change and what you cant
• - Who you need to be working with

• Choose collaborators very carefully, in
  terms of the organization and its culture.

• Frame issues, goals and challenges in ways
  which are understood and valued within the
  institution.

9
Seeing Your Culture from the Outside

• Work with a network of institutions Develop a
  good grasp of how other institutions compare to
  yours.
• Use outside consultants Bring fresh minds and
  perspectives to campus whenever you can. Talk to
  them, get their views.
• Present at conferences, exchange information
  with colleagues Develop and improve your
  frameworks through discussion and challenge.
• Expose yourself to professional fresh air
  Get off campus, participate in an exchange with
  another university, review someone elses
  program.

You need to get up on the balcony to see the
dance patterns on the floor below.
10
Core Change Strategies
You have a variety of entry points into your
institutional culture

• Senior administrative support statements,
  resources, or new structures.
• Collaborative leadership and effective
  communication involving people throughout the
  process.
• Supportive structures support personnel,
  centers, policies and procedures.
• Incentives and staff development rewards,
  promotions, etc.
• Robust design (vision) a clear, attractive
  picture of the future that allows for
  flexibility.
• Visible actions advances in the change
  process that are noticeable and exciting.

11
Identifying your stakeholders
Stakeholder Any group or individual with the
power to help, hinder or otherwise influence your
work
Who are the different groups?
What power and influence do they have?
Stakeholder Identification
What do they need or want from us?
What can they contribute to our efforts?
What more do we need to know about them?
12
Working with stakeholders
Stakeholder Any group or individual with the
power to help, hinder or otherwise influence your
work
Degree of Support
High
Low
13
Challenging Contexts for Strategic Planning

• Financial Retrenchment
• Change in Leadership and/or Reorganization
• Lack of Institutional Support

14
Dealing with Financial Retrenchment

• Assess key non-negotiable institutional
  priorities and align with them
• Promote no-cost initiatives
• Accomplish multiple goals with existing funding
• Reallocate existing funding to new priorities
• Identify new sources of funding

15
Increase Income
16
Decrease Expenses
17
Responding to a Change of Leadership or
Reorganization

• Be pro-active do your homework on incoming
  leaders
• Be a visible and active participant in the
  transition
• Educate new leaders about key professional
  expertise in your unit
• Position your program in the emerging Big
  Picture
• Re-frame your strategic directions to align with
  and support the new leaders emerging agenda
• Promote IZN as a signature program that will
  distinguish and enhance the universitys
  reputation for T/R/S
• Create a logic model to explain your complex role
  quickly and clearly to non-experts.

18
Dealing with a Lack of Commitment

• Assess the institutional climate (Is the timing
  right for strategic planning?)
• Engage key stakeholders as allies (both internal
  and external)
• Reference ACE, AAU, APLU, AASCU, AACC, AACU, etc
  (the professional organizations of Presidents and
  Provosts)
• Highlight signature international programs of
  aspirational peer institutions
• Promote areas of particular institutional
  strengths and/or opportunities
• Seek external review of IZN efforts for strong
  third party endorsement.

19
Managing change
20
Your turn.Questions Answers

• Facilitated by AIEA Professional Development
  Chair Bill Davey
• TYPE IN QUESTIONS THAT YOU WISH TO HAVE ANSWERED
• SUBMITTED QUESTIONS WILL BE ANSWERED VERBALLY AS
  TIME ALLOWS

21
Thanks for your participation today!

• Next AIEA Webinar Nov 18
• Join us in Washington DC, Feb 14-17 for the 2010
  AIEA Conference dont miss it!
• www.aieaworld.org