[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][vc_btn title=”Download PDF” style=”flat” shape=”square” color=”juicy-pink” size=”xs” align=”left” i_icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-download” add_icon=”true” link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Fbakerstrategy.temp513.kinsta.cloud%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F07%2FSucceeding-at-Planning.pdf||target:%20_blank|”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”3/4″][vc_column_text][apss_share][/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Society of College and University Planning (www.scup.org) recently partnered with the Baker Strategy Group to conduct a study with 2,285 leaders who plan at colleges and universities. Our aim was to determine the challenges our colleagues face in the planning process. The feedback we received was enlightening.
Several themes emerged with regard to challenges faced by higher education leaders:
- Time Constraints: There is not enough time to plan well.
- Financial Constraints: There is not enough money to execute the plan.
- Complexity of Planning: Orchestrating the planning process is intricate.
- Long-Term Vision/Planning: There is a lack of a clear vision for the future.
- Uncertainty/Change: Plans are easily disrupted when new circumstances arise.
- Action/Implementation: Executing plans is difficult to do well.
- Collaboration/Cooperation: There is a lack of active collaboration in planning.
Our recent study on college and university planning gathered feedback from 2,285 leaders involved in academic and strategic planning as well as leaders active in other areas of planning. Their input provides insights on what is and is not going well in planning across higher education institutions.
College and university leaders view overall planning as fair, at best, with a good deal of room for improvement. Using a 1-10 scale where 1 is “Poor” and 10 is “Excellent,” the average rating for overall planning is 6.1, far from the excellence we might expect from higher education.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_separator color=”custom” border_width=”3″ accent_color=”#c4c0a3″][vc_single_image image=”6761″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”zoom”][vc_separator color=”custom” border_width=”3″ accent_color=”#c4c0a3″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Not all roles at the institution have the same perspective on current planning effectiveness. Leaders engaged in broad campus planning have a higher view of their institution’s planning, while those involved in academics and student services tend to have a lower view of overall planning at the institution.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_separator color=”custom” border_width=”3″ accent_color=”#c4c0a3″][vc_single_image image=”6767″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”zoom”][vc_separator color=”custom” border_width=”3″ accent_color=”#c4c0a3″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]This low assessment of planning is consistent across the four census geographic regions. The West, Midwest, Northeast, and South aggregations of the results show minimal differences in how respondents view overall planning on their campuses.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_separator color=”custom” border_width=”3″ accent_color=”#c4c0a3″][vc_single_image image=”6769″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”zoom”][vc_separator color=”custom” border_width=”3″ accent_color=”#c4c0a3″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]However, we do see that those who spend more time on planning give higher ratings, suggesting that the integration of part-time planners is where the challenge lies.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_separator color=”custom” border_width=”3″ accent_color=”#c4c0a3″][vc_single_image image=”6791″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”zoom”][vc_separator color=”custom” border_width=”3″ accent_color=”#c4c0a3″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]
WHAT IS GOING WELL
While ratings are fairly low across all measures, some measures stand out as relatively high. In some respect, these higher ratings reflect the standard definition of strategic planning: working with a team to listen to stakeholders and drawing up a plan that can be implemented and monitored.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_separator color=”custom” border_width=”3″ accent_color=”#c4c0a3″][vc_single_image image=”6795″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”zoom”][vc_separator color=”custom” border_width=”3″ accent_color=”#c4c0a3″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]
WHAT IS NOT GOING WELL
Areas respondents indicate as least effective relate to developing a culture of integrated planning. These low-scoring practices might seem simple, but they are not necessarily easy to implement in the planning process: a common vocabulary, a transparent process, alternative options, and consistent deliverables.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_separator color=”custom” border_width=”3″ accent_color=”#c4c0a3″][vc_single_image image=”6796″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”zoom”][vc_separator color=”custom” border_width=”3″ accent_color=”#c4c0a3″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]
NEED FOR NETWORKING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Leaders generally devote time to learning, are willing to pay for good educational content, and engage with peers to share knowledge. However, they do not have time to develop their planning skills and do not actively connect with other higher education professionals. The need to strengthen planning skills and learn from other professionals involved in planning is clear.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_separator color=”custom” border_width=”3″ accent_color=”#c4c0a3″][vc_single_image image=”6797″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”zoom”][vc_separator color=”custom” border_width=”3″ accent_color=”#c4c0a3″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Despite the need for better planning skills, respondents say that they do not plan to pursue professional development for effective planning, even though they expect to be involved in the development of a strategic plan.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_separator color=”custom” border_width=”3″ accent_color=”#c4c0a3″][vc_single_image image=”6799″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”zoom”][vc_separator color=”custom” border_width=”3″ accent_color=”#c4c0a3″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Collecting benchmarks on what is and is not going well in planning is helpful as a reference, but it does not provide direction for how to improve planning. To succeed in planning, campus leaders should focus efforts on the areas that, if improved, would have the largest impact on overall planning success.
Our analysis of the survey results revealed Seven Factors that are closely related to overall success in planning.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_separator color=”custom” border_width=”3″ accent_color=”#c4c0a3″][vc_single_image image=”6800″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”zoom”][vc_separator color=”custom” border_width=”3″ accent_color=”#c4c0a3″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Identifying these factors of successful planning is the easy part. The difficult task for college and university leaders is to translate this understanding into specific action that will enable further develop a planning culture at the institution.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][/vc_row]