Xavier University
Management Briefing
October 30, 2013
Prepared By:
56 Perimeter Center East, Suite 103
Atlanta, Georgia 30346
770.454.1440
www.leadstrat.com
Practical ● Dynamic ● Interactive
The Strategic Planning Committee of Xavier University held a meeting on October 30,
2013 to discuss plans for an upcoming strategy retreat. Representatives from
Leadership Strategies served as facilitators and documenters for the session.
Session Objectives
The objectives of the session included the following.
1. Identify the critical issues that have to be addressed in the strategic plan.
2. Review the proposed process and make changes to ensure it meets our needs.
3. Identify the key information that should be gathered in advance of the retreat.
4. Define next steps in preparation.
Session Agenda
The following agenda was used for the session.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Welcome, Introductions – Why are we planning?
What are the key issues that the plan must address?
What is the proposed planning process
How should we adjust the planning process to address the key issues?
What information will be needed?
What are our next steps for the plan?
Documentation Contents
This document presents the results of the session as recorded by the facilitator.
Comments appearing in italic represent additions made by the documentor for clarity.
The document includes the following sections:
A. Key Issues to Discuss ................................................................ 3 B. The Drivers Model ...................................................................... 4 C. The Proposed Deliverable .......................................................... 5 D. Matching Key Issues to the Model ............................................. 5 E. Evaluation of the Proposed Approach ........................................ 6 F. Engaging Others in the Process................................................. 8 G. What Information Will We Need? ............................................. 10 H. Steering Committee ................................................................. 13 I. What are our next steps in preparing for the plan? .................. 13 Page 2
A. Key Issues to Discuss
Following the welcome and review of purpose, the participants worked in teams to
identify the critical issues that have to be addressed through the strategic planning
effort. These items were grouped and are listed below.
Area
Finances
Competitiveness
Enrollment
Environment
Outcomes

Issues
Get equilibrium and financial stability

Fiscal issues

HBCU loan modification

Revenue stream; alternative revenue streams; new
revenue streams

XU branding; branding

Competitiveness

Increase enrollment

Recruitment

Retention

Black male enrollment

Client satisfaction

Student engagement

Creative curricula

Graduation rate

Post-graduation student success
Page 3
B. The Drivers Model
To provide a conceptual understanding of the proposed process for the retreat, the
facilitator reviewed the Drivers Model. Leadership Strategies developed the Drivers
Model to provide a robust yet simple method for taking an organization through strategic
planning. The Drivers Model is fully scalable and applies to Fortune 500 companies,
non-profit organizations, higher education institutions government agencies, a field
office, an individual department, a work team, etc. The facilitator used buying a home
as an example.
Vision
• 3.5 Bathrooms
• Private office
• Playroom
$15K Down Payment
High Credit Card Balances
•Savings plan $300/mth
•Work weekends $300/mth
•Cut up credit cards
•View 25/homes month
Barriers
• Monitor!
Current
Where Are
We Today?
CSFs
Find a house
 - Neighbors, attic rented
X - Floors, rain, lack space
The facilitator summarized this discussion with the following five key points when using
the Drivers Model.
1
2
3
4
5
Start with an accurate assessment of where you are today.
Create a shared vision.
Identify your critical success factors and barriers.
Define your drivers.
Monitor your progress to keep on track and stay motivated.
Page 4
C. The Proposed Deliverable
After reviewing the Drivers Model’s conceptual framework, the participants reviewed a
sample of the proposed deliverable.
Strategic Direction Setting
GOALS
VISION
To be the place where
meeting planners meet.
MISSION
To provide a forum for
furthering the growth and
professionalism of the
meetings industry.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
We believe that education is
our fundamental focus.
Therefore we offer programs
that improve the industry
skills of our members.
We believe it is our
responsibility to help
improve our local
community. Therefore we
actively invest time and
resources into the
community.
We believe we must remain
a comfortable forum for
meeting planners. Therefore
we will implement policies to
ensure a suitable membership balance between
planners and suppliers.
Implementation Planning
Meeting Planners Association
CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS
Education
Provide opportunities for
our members to enhance
professionalism and to stay
abreast of industry trends.
• Dynamic presenters with timely,
substantive topics to increase
meeting attendance
Breaking up the Plan
Networking
Provide an atmosphere for
the sharing of ideas with
peers.
Membership
Maximize membership
growth, retention and
involvement.
Organization
Maintain sufficient financial
& organizational resources
to support programs.
• High awareness by meeting
planners of the association and
its benefits to attract members
STRATEGIES
OBJECTIVES (3 Years)
• Utilize assessment survey and
industry referrals to select quality
speakers and topics.
• Increase net membership from
500 to 650.
• Annually retain 75% of
members from prior year.
• Revise new member registration
process to ask desired committee.
• Increase average attendance
from 175 to 250 per meeting.
• Hold quarterly committee fairs after
meetings to increase involvement.
• Achieve 10% committee
involvement.
• Implement PR program to report
activities to the local media.
BARRIERS
• Inadequate process for getting
new members involved results in
burn-out of a few and low
retention
Professionalism
Promote meeting
management as a viable
and worthwhile career with
an emphasis on the
professional certification of
members.
• High membership turnover
hinders consistent growth
Action
Planning
Community Outreach
Provide funds and services
to support the local
community and provide a
vehicle for organization
recognition.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
ACTION PLAN
Assemble new PR committee (Exec, Feb 1)
Develop PR objectives (PR, Mar 1)
Develop promotion (PR, Mar 15)
Present to Board (Chair, Apr 15)
Implement promotion (PR, May 1)
Assess effectiveness (PR, Oct 1)
Present results to Board (Chair, Dec 15)
D. Matching Key Issues to the Model
After the review of the Drivers Model and the proposed deliverable, the participants
went back to the key issues listed earlier and identified where in the Drivers Model each
issue would be addressed. The team made the following notes.
Issue Area
Finances
How Addressed by the Drivers Model
 Goal
Competitiveness

Strategies
Enrollment

Goal
Environment

Goal, guiding principle
Outcomes

Objectives
Page 5
E. Evaluation of the Proposed Approach
The participants were asked to identify what they liked about the proposed approach
and their concerns about the approach being successful for the organization. Their
comments are listed below. A number next to a comment indicates the number of
people making the comment. If a comment does not have a number it means that the
comment was made by one person.
What do you like about the planning process?

5-Full process, complete loop
- Comprehensive
- Completeness

5-Logistical sequence
- Road map
- Easy to follow

2-Vision
- Shared vision

Clarifying the objectives

Targeting

Fits on one page

Monitoring

Bringing people together

Empirically tested methodology

Forces you to identify barriers and success factors
What concerns you about the planning process?
 Have a limited audience; have to have buy-in from the entire community

Challenge in trying to understand all of the different areas
- Have to get outside of your comfort zone to make sure how your role fits
into everyone else’s
- Will we be able to do this

Getting the entire community to buy into the process

Barrier: our culture here is a negative view point about strategic planning

Do we have the organization resources, time to carrying through all the
pieces

Complex to implement

Idea of the shared vision: you would think everyone has the same vision; but
as you get into the process that maybe you don’t
Page 6

How do we bring the Covey matrix to the department level (we have our daily
work)

Planning for the unknown
- Intervening external factors that affect plans
- What if the environment changes in major ways as the plan is being
implemented

We did not include effective marketing of the organizations CSFs as a key
issue

Make sure that the sequencing of the strategies are clear; each element
understands what it is that is expected in the sequence (communication)

Accountability with the monitoring: we all are responsible; where is the
accountability

Communicate all the way down the level of line staff, everyone’s key role in
the success of the plan

What is the weak link in the entire process through implementation? (Could
one area derail the whole plan)

Can we ensure that we engaged everyone we need to get the full scope?
Page 7
F. Engaging Others in the Process
The team discussed how to engage others in the planning process and reached the
following conclusions.
Management
Briefing
Strategic planning committee
Pre-Session #1




Hold a Web briefing open to all stakeholders that is
recorded to permit people to view it at their own leisure.
Provide PowerNoodle or some other tool that allows
people to provide their comments and view the
comments of others.
Encourage faculty to provide extra credit if attended.
Provide vehicle for small groups to view together and
provide input.
Session #1
Direction
Setting
Strategic planning committee
Pre-Session #2

Invite feedback through PowerNoodle or some other
tool that allows people to provide their comments and
view the comments of others.
Session #2
Strategic planning committee plus others based on goal
Implementation
areas
Planning
Pre-Session #3





Session #3
Action
Planning
Hold a Web review of the draft strategy open to all
stakeholders that is recorded to permit people to view it
at their own leisure.
Hold on a different day than the action planning session.
Show issues gathered, discuss priorities, ask if anything
missed.
Invite people to volunteer on action teams (provide
vehicle for volunteering), and explain that final selection
will be made by the strategic planning committee.
Provide PowerNoodle or some other tool that allows
people to provide their comments and view the
comments of others.
Action planning teams plus a defined method for engaging
those volunteering but not selected for the action planning
team
Additional information about the first engagement process is detailed below.
Page 8
Pre-Session #1
1. Purpose and measures of success
 Raise awareness of the planning process (entire community)
- As measured by – 20% (students 3200, faculty, staff; all ~4000)
 Gain buy-in and ownership of the process
- As measured by 60% indicating that the process will lead to a good
plan;
 Provide a forum for input
- As measured by having a forum for input
2. Product
 Educated stakeholders
 List of their ideas, concerns
3. Why do it
 To foster buy-in (improve)
 Move to a shared vision
- Narrow the focus of the vision
 Transparency
 Gain information and to learn what today’s issues are
- Identify new issues
 To engage faculty and students
 To give a multi-opportunities for buy-in
 There are problems with complexity but do a scaled down version
4. How to do it
 Webinars is another option, with opportunity for input through the process
- Interactive webinar
- Optional rather than required (people who are really interested, and
everyone would have the opportunity)
 Small groups
- To identify smaller groups to have a more personal approach
- Level of students, level of faculty, to create the experience we created
today
 Engage the disengaged student
- Class assignment?
- Incentives
- Town hall meeting
- Departmental meeting discussion
Page 9
G. What Information Will We Need?
One of the key points of The Drivers Model is to start with an accurate assessment of
today. While each individual on the planning team is knowledgeable in his/her particular
area, it is typically more helpful when every member of the team starts with a base of
knowledge in all areas to be covered in the retreat. Accordingly, the team will create a
briefing book which summarizes key information for each of the following areas.
1.
Area
Students, Parents,
Alumni Views
Who
Information Source

Joseph, Ron

Execute student survey and parent
survey and select group of alumni
CIRP
2.
Board Views
Dr. Francis, Gene,
Trustee Committee

Board survey
3.
Donors
Kenneth

Ask Donors; interview select group
(25)
4.
Community Views
Nedra

May have information from the
capital campaign
Gather info from 2012-2013 service
projects
Delay until after we have vision,
etc. and get feedback


5.
Faculty Views
Daniel, Ron

Faculty survey required
6.
Staff Views
Ralph, Ron


Staff survey required
Mission review did a brief survey
(organizing focus groups)
7.
Industry Trends
Ron

Ron’s report
8.
Competitor Trends
Ron, Winston


Have a lot of existing information
about competitors
Will assign questions to staff in
Assessment office; and will get info
from College Board

Web
9.
Organization Chart Ron
and Functions
10. Key Financial
Statistics (3-5
years)

Ed
Page 10
11. Key Enrollment
Statistics (3-5
years)
12. Performance of
Past Initiatives
(existing plan)
13. Trends in staffing
Ron

Ron

Ralph, Ron

14. Teaching load,
courses taught
Loren, Ron

During the strategy session, for each section, a member of the team will give a four-toeight minute summary of the key points in that section. Following the summary, the
entire team will identify strategic insights and potential strategies to carry forward
through the session.
The team requested the following information for each area. While all information may
not be available, those items asterisked (*) indicated key needs for that area.
1. Stakeholders
 Why did you choose XU?*
 What could we have done differently?*
 How satisfied are you with the quality of the academic program at XU?*
 How satisfied are you with the quality of life at XU?*
 What are we doing well?
 How satisfied are you with the student life at XU?
 (Alumni) How engaged and contributive are you?
 How do you contribute to XU’s mission?
2. Board
 How well are we fulfilling our mission?*
 How efficient and effective is our organization?*
 Where should we be going?*
 What are your concerns now?
 What is your assessment of management and leadership team?
 Are current board members fulfilling their responsibilities?
 What is our succession plan?
3. Donors and Community
 What makes you want to give?*
 What is your view of XU relationship with the community?*
 What support are you receiving from alumni?*
Page 11




What can we do to retain or increase your support of XU?*
Are we making wise use of the dollars we receive?
What would encourage you to support XU?
What should XU priority be for donations?
4. Staff
 How can XU create an environment to promote collegiality/morale?*
 What are your concerns about job security?* (Consider the more open-ended
question: What concerns you about working at XU?)
 Do you have opportunity to grow and advance (professional development)?*
 What is good about working at XU?
 What do you do as an employee to support the XU mission?
 How do you feel connected to XU’s mission?
 How are you shown your contribution is valued?
 How well are we promoting retention?
5. Faculty
 How can XU create an environment to promote collegiality/morale?*
 What are your concerns about job security?* (Consider the more open-ended
question: What concerns you about working at XU?)
 How well does XU balance the priorities between academic disciplines?
(STEM, Humanities, etc.)*
 How can XU offer right mix of courses and academic programs?*
 How well does XU support professional growth?*
 How well does XU support teaching and research?
 How well does XU support professional development?
 What do you feel is your role in connection to the mission?
 How well does XU support/provide for your academic freedom?
6. Industry (Higher Education)
 What are major changes/trends?*
 How are you preparing to react to major changes/trends?
 Compare XU role as an HBCU to the higher education industry*
 How is it (the industry) stratified?
 How is it (the industry) segmented?
 Where does XU fit in?
 What are the major funding sources (trends)?
 Are HBCUs relevant?
 What are the best practices in the present/future changing environment?
7. Competitors
Page 12








How are we unique/niche?*
What is our competitive advantage and what are we/should we be doing to
maintain our competitive advantage?*
What are competitors doing to take our students?*
How does XU enrollment and recruitment strategies compare to the
competitors?*
What are the competitors doing to provide access (e.g., distant
education/teaching programs)
What are best practices that the competitors are using?
How are we similar?
Who are the competitors?
H. Steering Committee
The team assigned the following steering committee to help make decisions as needed
between times that the full group is together.

Ron, Ralph, Loren, Anil, Kathleen
I. What are our next steps in preparing for the plan?
Action
1. Document the notes from today
2. Detail the engagement plan
3. Execute the assessment plan
4. Assemble and distribute the briefing book
5. Hold the initial engagement session
6. Hold the initial planning session
Page 13
Assigned to
Due Date
LSI
11/4/13