Seven Tools for
Effective Strategies
A Toolkit for Health Library
and Information Professionals
Sheila Corrall and Barbara Sen
Information School, University of Sheffield
MISSION / VISION
defined within the framework
of organization’s philosophy
Gap analysis
Environmental
Scan and
SWOT
Main focus
of the tools
Strategic
Planning
Process Model
STRATEGIC ISSUES
Benchmarking
DELIBERATE / INTENDED
STRATEGIES
Emergent
Strategies
unintended
strategies
due to a learned
pattern of
behavior or
unforeseen
events
ONGOING
STRATEGIC
PROGRAMMING
Strategic Goals
Action Plans
Tactics
STRATEGIC LEARNING
and
STRATEGIC THINKING
(Lerner, 1999)
Strategic Thinking and Management
‘…strategic management is about having a vision, knowing
your resources, understanding the business arena and
asking the right questions.
‘…one way of approaching strategic management is to
pose a series of fundamental questions:
−  Why are we here? What business are we in (Mission)
−  Where are we now? How did we get here (Situation Audit)
−  What factors will impact our future (Environmental Appraisal)
−  What do we want to be? Where do we want to go? (Vision/Goals)
−  How do we get there? What are the implications (Strategic Options)
−  What needs to be done? Who will do it? When? (Action Plans)
−  How will we track progress? (Performance Indicators)
(Corrall, 2000: 18)
© Information School / The University of Sheffield 2010
A Toolkit for Effective Strategies
1.  Information ecology model
2.  Strategic information alignment framework
3.  SEPTEMBER framework for scanning
4.  Issues priorities matrix
5.  SOST-WOWT (enhanced SWOT) analysis
6.  Force field (equilibrium) analysis
7.  STRIDE model for strategy development
© Information School / The University of Sheffield 2010
Information Ecology
6 critical components for information management
Davenport, T.H. (1997) Information Ecology: Mastering the Information
and Knowledge Environment.
Human-Centred Information
Management
Information Ecology
‘how an aggregate of individuals, in a particular
organization, in a particular industry affected by broader
market trends, works with, thinks about, focuses on, and
generally manages information’ (Davenport, 1997: 34)
•  emphasises the whole information environment,
including values and beliefs about information (culture),
how people use information (behaviour and processes),
the systems in place and barriers to sharing (politics)
•  enables managers to gain deeper understanding of the
organisational environment affecting information services
© Information School / The University of Sheffield 2010
Holistic Information Management
A Model for Information Ecology
•  Ecologies generally include multiple environments, which
are different, but overlap and affect one another
•  An information ecology has three environments:
−  the information environment of the organisation or institution
−  the internal corporate organisational environment surrounding it
−  the macro external environment of the marketplace and society
•  Information ecology recognises
−  the significance of diversity and relationships within organisations
−  the importance of continuous adaptation to changes in the
internal and external environment
(Davenport, 1997)
© Information School / The University of Sheffield 2010
An Ecological Model for IM
The External Environment
Business • Information • Technology
The Organizational Environment
Business • Physical • Technology
Staff
Culture/
Behavior
Strategy
The Information Environment
Process
Politics
Architecture
© Information School / The University of Sheffield 2010
(Davenport, 1997: 34)
Information Ecology
6 Critical Components for Assessment
•  Information strategy – high-level ‘information intent’
(a set of basic goals or ‘principles’ for managing information)
•  Information politics – governance responsibilities
•  Information behaviour and culture – toughest to change
•  Information staff – providers/interpreters, not IT people
(content specialists, designers and facilitators, information liaisons)
•  Information processes – identification, acquisition, etc
(includes all those activities performed by information workers)
•  Information architecture – descriptive or prescriptive
(guide to the current/future structure and location of information)
(Davenport, 1997)
© Information School / The University of Sheffield 2010
Strategic Information
Alignment Framework
4 ways to compete strategically with information
Marchand, D.A. (ed.) (2000) Competing with Information: A Manager’s
Guide to Creating Business Value with Information Content.
Competing with Information
Strategic Information Alignment
‘Companies compete with information to the extent that
managers and employees seek, collect, organize, process
and use the relevant information in decision-making and
actions that lead to superior business performance in
markets’ (Marchand, 2000: 4)
The Strategic Information Alignment (SIA) framework is a
diagnostic model that can be used
-  to map IM practices and capabilities in organisations
-  to assess the potential value of information resources
© Information School / The University of Sheffield 2010
Add value
4 Strategies for
Competing with
Information
customers and markets
Strategic
Information
Alignment
Framework
Minimize risks
Reduce costs
market, financial, legal,
operational risks
transactions and
processes
Create new reality
intelligence (social, political, technological, etc)
– new products, new services, new business issues
(Marchand, 2000)
© Information School / The University of Sheffield 2010
Add value
customers and markets
Traditional
practices
Strategic
Information
Alignment
Framework
Minimize risks
Reduce costs
market, financial, legal,
operational risks
transactions
and processes
Emergent
strategies
Create new reality
intelligence (social, political, technological, etc)
– new products, new services, new business issues
(Marchand, 2000)
© Information School / The University of Sheffield 2010
Using the SIA Framework
Add Value
Which information
resources can be
used to enhance
capabilities and
performance?
Minimize Risks
AV
MR
| | | | | | |
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
CNR
–7
–6
–5
–4
–3
–2
–1
–1
–2
–3
–4
–5
–6
–7
…to evaluate
and diagnose
IM practices
and profiles
RC
| | | | | | |
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Reduce Costs
Create New Reality
(Marchand, 2000: 234)
© Information School / The University of Sheffield 2010
Using the SIA Framework
Example of an Information Management Profile
Adding Value
AV
•  Regularly uses customer surveys and
focus groups to inform strategy
Reducing Costs
•  Institution just beginning to move from
function to process orientation
Creating New Reality
MR
| | | | | | |
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
•  External scanning of best practices is a
strategic activity for managers
Minimising Risks
•  Heavy focus on financial performance
and operational risks
© Information School / The University of Sheffield 2010
CNR
–7
–6
–5
–4
–3
–2
–1
–1
–2
–3
–4
–5
–6
–7
RC
| | | | | | |
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
The
SEPTEMBER
Framework
9 areas of concern in our environment
Corrall, S. (2000) Strategic Management of
Information Services: A Planning Handbook.
Information-Based Strategic
Planning
Environmental Scanning
‘the acquisition and use of information about events, trends,
and relationships in an organization’s external environment,
the knowledge of which would assist management in
planning the organization’s future course of action’
(Choo, 2001)
•  Making relevant connections with external and internal
events or concerns is a key feature of successful library,
information and knowledge management strategies
•  Various tools can be used as frameworks for research
and as checklists to trigger thinking, e.g. PEST, STEP,
STEEP, STEEPLE, PESTEL, TEMPLES, SEPTEMBER
© SInformation School / The University of Sheffield 2010
The SEPTEMBER Framework
Socio-demographic issues – population shifts, cultural diversity,
life-style changes, 24-hour society, workforce restructuring
Economic issues – public expenditure, budget cuts, exchange rates
Political/policy issues – government stability, health services policy,
quality assurance, skills agenda, consumer choice, devolution
Technological issues – VLEs, Web 2.0, social media, m-services
Educational issues – literacy levels, plagiarism, research training
Marketing issues – branding, product visibility, service take-up,
customer segmentation, public relations, user satisfaction
Business/sectoral issues – competitive positioning, league tables
Ethical issues – institutional, library and professional values
Regulatory issues – copyright compliance, e-resource licences
© Information School / The University of Sheffield 2010
Issues Priorities
Matrix
Important and critical issues for strategic planning
.
Environmental Appraisal
Identifying Strategic Issues
•  Identify and capture key drivers individually (on post-its)
•  Share, compare and collate drivers as a group
•  Debate, evaluate and agree the top 10 drivers
•  For the 10 most significant drivers/forces
−  What is their likely level of impact on the future of your service?
(High, Medium or Low)
−  How much uncertainty surrounds this? (High, Medium or Low)
•  Draw a 9-box grid on a sheet of paper and place your
drivers in the relevant box on the Issues Priorities Matrix
Issues Priorities Matrix
Degree of Uncertainty
Low
H
Level
M
of
Impact
L
Medium
High
Issues Priorities Matrix
Degree of Uncertainty
Low
Medium
High
H
Critical
planning
issues
Important
scenario
drivers
Critical
scenario
drivers
Level
M
of
Impact
Important
planning
issues
Important
planning
issues
Important
scenario
drivers
Monitor
Monitor:
reassess
impact
L
Monitor
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
T
O
W
S
OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS
The Most Popular Strategy Tool
SWOT or TOWS Analysis
Strengths
Weaknesses
e.g.
What do you do really well?
What advantages do you have?
What do others value about you?
e.g.
What do you need to improve?
What constraints do you have?
What complaints do you receive?
Opportunities
Threats
e.g.
What are your peers doing?
What technologies could you use?
What are the issues in the sector?
e.g.
What trends worry you?
What might upset your plans?
What problems are on the horizon?
© Information School / The University of Sheffield 2010
Intermediate-Level SWOT
Analysis
WOTS UP?
•  SWOT is often not used efficiently or effectively
•  Practitioners need to express issues precisely
and focus on the most significant factors
•  To move beyond long lists of generalities:
−  review lists to clarify exactly what each point means
and combine related points where appropriate
−  evaluate the significance of the points identified and
assign scores on a 10-point scale (1= least important)
−  progress your analysis to the next professional level…
© Information School / The University of Sheffield 2010
Advanced-Level SWOT
Analysis
SOST-WOWT Analysis
Internal
External
Strengths
Opportunities SO strategies
Threats
Weaknesses
WO strategies
•  How can you use your
strengths to exploit the
opportunities identified?
•  How can you use
your opportunities to
reduce weaknesses?
ST strategies
WT strategies
•  How can you use your
strengths to avoid the
threats identified?
•  How can reduce your
weaknesses and
avoid threats?
© Information School / The University of Sheffield 2010
Force Field Analysis
Factors driving, enabling and resisting a change
Lewin, K. (1951) Field Theory in Social Science.
Understanding the Change Agenda
Force Field Analysis
Another tool used to identify and evaluate the critical
strengths and weaknesses facing an organisation,
especially in relation to planning and managing change
1.  Specify the strategic objective or desired change,
e.g. ‘Advancing information literacy’
2.  List all the forces driving or supporting the change
and the forces restraining or resisting the change
3.  Assign scores on a 10-point scale (10 = very strong)
Forces can be displayed in 2 columns with their scores or
visually represented by arrows of differing lengths
© Information School / The University of Sheffield 2010
Forces FOR Change
High-level plans in place 10
Force Field
Analysis
Quality of IL courses 10
Teaching facilities 8
Impact on student grades 10
8 Declining resources
10 Library over-emphasis on IL
Competence in IL 8
Discipline knowledge 8
Forces AGAINST Change
6 Poor implementation
Advancing
Information
Literacy
Library director enthusiasm 10
10 Informal integration process
5 Uncoordinated IL teaching
6 Differing content priorities
8 Uneven feedback
6 Stale staff
Restructure 6
Sharing of expertise 8
‘Dynamic
equilibrium’
8 Weak web platform
Quality of library services 10
(Lewin, 1951)
8 Low awareness of IL capability
Determining Strategies for Change
Force Field Analysis
•  The theory is that defining and quantifying the forces
driving and restraining change provides a basis for
action plans to achieve the objective (Lewin, 1951)
•  The total scores for each column indicate the balance of
forces for and against the change agenda
•  Strategists can change the ‘dynamic equilibrium’ of a
situation by:
−  strengthening the forces supporting the change
−  weakening the forces resisting the change
•  The technique is also known as Equilibrium Analysis
© Information School / The University of Sheffield 2010
STRIDE Model
Questions for developing strategies into plans
Corrall, S. (2000) Strategic Management of Information Services:
A Planning Handbook.
Developing Strategies and
Action Plans
STRIDE Model
Situation – what is the current situation?
Target – what is the forward target?
Restraints – what are the known/likely restraints?
Insights – what information or ideas are needed?
Delivery – what must be done? (when? by whom?)
Evaluation – how will progress be evaluated?
– how will performance be measured and success judged?
(Corrall, 2000: 136)
© Information School / The University of Sheffield 2010
7 Tools for Strategists
1.  Information ecology (Davenport, 1997)
2.  Strategic information alignment (Marchand, 2000)
3.  SEPTEMBER framework (Corrall, 2000)
4.  Issues priorities matrix [in several textbooks]
5.  SOST-WOWT analysis [in several textbooks]
6.  Force field (equilibrium) analysis (Lewin, 1951)
7.  STRIDE model (Corrall, 2000)
© Information School / The University of Sheffield 2010
Any Questions?
Sheila Corrall
s.m.corrall@shef.ac.uk
Information
School, The University of Sheffield www.shef.ac.uk/is
© Information School / The University of Sheffield 2010