Strategic Planning with
Appreciative Inquiry
NACAS West, June 4, 2013
by Sunny Gittens
Director for Campus Life Assessment, UNLV
AGENDA
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Why strategic planning
Appreciative inquiry
Iterative assessment model
Defining terms
Strategic plan format
SMART strategies
Closing the loop
Why Strategic Plan?
• Formalized road map indicating the direction
an organization is going over the next year and
how to get there
– Sets direction and priorities
– Points to specific results to be achieved and
establishes a course of action for achieving
– Gets everyone on the same page
Why Assessment?
• How will you know the desired outcomes are
achieved?
• Documents or explains performance
• Identifies areas for improvement
• Allows for evidence based decision making
Continuous Quality Improvement
• To some degree we do it everyday
• Formalizing the process
– Where is your department / organization?
1. Informal strategic planning
2. Have a strategic plan but still in development
3. Have an effective strategic planning process
Formalizing Strategic Planning
• Fiscal year planning
August – strategic and assessment plans due
 June – strategic reports due
 July – planning
 Schedule periodic reviews (check-ins)
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Long term planning (3 to 10 years)
Iterative Assessment Cycle
Adapted from Peggy Maki, Ph.D.
Mission
Goals
Implementation
Strategies
Interpret evidence
Analysis and
Recommendations
Assessment
Gather data
Appreciative Inquiry
• Appreciative Inquiry is the exploration of what
gives life to human systems when they
function best.
From the Power of Appreciative Inquiry
by Diana Whitney and Amanda Trosten-Bloom
Appreciative Inquiry
• Ap-pre’ci-ate, v., 1. valuing; the act of
recognizing the best in people or the world
around us; affirming past and present
strengths, successes, and potentials;
• In-quire’ (kwir), v., 1. the act of exploration
and discovery. 2. To ask questions; to be open
to seeing new potentials and possibilities.
Problem Solving
Appreciative Inquiry
• Identify Problem
• Conduct Root Cause Analysis
• Brainstorm Solutions &
Analyze
• Develop Action Plans
• Appreciate “What is”
(What gives life?)
• Imagine “What Might Be”
• Determine “What Should Be”
• Create “What Will Be”
• Metaphor: Organizations are
problems to be solved.
• Metaphor: Organizations are
a solution/mystery to be
embraced.
Appreciative Inquiry Four D’s
DISCOVERY
“What gives life?”
Storytelling – the
best of what is.
DESTINY
DREAM
“What will we do?”
Delivering
performance.
“What could be?”
Imagining the future.
DESIGN
“What should be?”
Provocative
propositions.
Strategic Plan Definitions
• PROVOCATIVE PROPOSITIONS: are powerful, visionary
statements derived from the Appreciative Inquiry process written in
the present tense describing what things will be like once attained.
• GOALS: broad general statement of the long range aim, related
to the department mission.
• STRATEGIES: plan of action designed to achieve a particular
goal. Should be “SMART”
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Specific
Measureable
Achievable
Relevant
Time Frames
Strategic Plan Definitions
• OUTCOMES: specify the intended end result
– Metrics (Attendance, Use, Contracts, Revenue)
– Satisfaction Outcomes
– Learning Outcomes – what the student will know or
do differently (not what you are going to provide)
Strategic Plan Format
Pillar IV:
Powerful, visionary statements derived from the
Appreciative Inquiry process written in the present tense
describing what things will be like once attained.
Goal IV A:
A broad general statement of the long range aim,
related to the department mission.
Strategy IV A 1: A strategy is a specific plan of action designed to achieve
the goal. SMART
Leadership:
Timeline:
Budget:
Assessment:
Metrics
• Attendance / Use / Revenue
Satisfaction or Learning Outcomes
• List assessment tool and question
Analysis and Recommendations:
SMART Strategies
Multi-year Strategic Plan Format
Provocative Proposition:
Goal:
Strategy:
Steps:
1.
2.
3.
Assigned to Assessment
measures
Timeline / Status
Assessment Tips
• Data management – centralize department
tracking methods
• Survey data – match the questions to your
stated outcomes
– What information will help improve your practice?
• National benchmark data
• Institutional data
• Industry standards
Analysis
• It is easy to collect data . . . it is not always easy
to make meaning of it and articulate how it is
used to shape practice
– Analyze metric data in terms of the 3 year trends –
what does the data tell you? Are there ways to
explain the trends?
– Analyze satisfaction and learning outcome data in
terms of degree met your intended outcome.
Compare to previous years if applicable. What
intentional practice may have impacted the
outcomes?
Analysis
• Resource use (return on investment) – what is
the cost benefit analysis? Did the impact
warrant the staff time and resources?
• What else need to know – are there gaps in
your assessment data that could better inform
your analysis and recommendations?
Recommendations
• Based on the trends, outcomes, and resource
use what is recommended for the next year –
should the strategy be tweaked, revamped,
eliminated? Are there areas to focus on or
new collaborative partnerships to form, etc.
Iterative Assessment Cycle
Adapted from Peggy Maki, Ph.D.
Mission
Goals
Implementation
Strategies
Interpret evidence
Analysis and
Recommendations
Assessment
Gather data
Key Performance Indicators
• Use KPI’s to measure organization success
over time
– What is important?
– What data can be consistently collected?
Key Performance Indicators
PILLAR II – Campus Life effectively and efficiently operates nearly one million square
feet of state-of-the-art multi-use space that is safe, clean, and well-maintained with a
focus on operational quality and service innovation.
2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13
Student Union and Event Services
Student Union Door Counts
2,239,868 2,258,958 2,131,498
Student Union Daily Average Visitors
8,667
9,309
8,900
Game Room visitors
27,647
31,762
31,923
Student Union Student Use*
95%
95%
95%
Student Union Satisfaction Ratings
89%
90%
91%
Student Union Cleanliness Ratings
79%
90%
91%
Bookings w/ Event Coordinators
5,467
4,298
3,956
Individual Stay Nights Booked
2,797
2,771
4,290
Individual Stay Occupancy
66.71%
44.70%
66.71%
Conference Housing Groups
45
39
45
Not available
Conference guest cleanliness ratings
96%
92%
Conference guest maintenance ratings Not available
97%
97%
Not available
Conference guest satisfaction ratings
96%
96%
Discussion
1. Is there a formalized process for Strategic Planning? Does
Strategic Planning occur departmentally or divisionally or
combination? Who is charged with leading the process?
2. How have you encouraged staff buy-in into the strategic
planning process? (Who participates in strategic planning?)
3. How often do you review your plan throughout the year?
4. What systems are in place to ensure assessment measures
are tracked consistently?
5. How do you link budget decisions to strategic planning?
Recommended Reading
 Hinton, K. (2012). A practical guide to strategic planning in higher education.
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Society for College and University Planning.
Maki, P. (2004). Assessing for learning: Building a sustainable commitment across
the institution. American Association for Higher Education.
Palomba, C.A. and Banta, T.W. (1999). Assessment essentials: Planning,
implementing and improving assessment in Higher Education. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass.
Sanaghan, P. (2009). Collaborative strategic planning in higher education.
Washington, D.C.: National Association of College and University Business Officers).
Whitney, D. and Trosten-Bloom, A. (2010). The power of appreciative inquiry: A
practical guide to positive change. San Francisco: Berett-Koehler, Inc.