Managing Strategic Planning and Leading a Unit
Through Transformation
Rick Ginsberg, Ph.D.
University of Kansas

The Hope for Strategic Planning

Goals for this Session
• Explore the Planning Process
• Discuss a Significant Transformation – Implementation of a
Technology/Online strategy
• Consider Issues in your School/College Necessary for Successful
Change

Even the Best Planning Offers No
Guarantees I

Even the Best Planning Offers No
Guarantees II

Even the Best Planning Offers No Guarantees
III

Even the Best Planning Offers No
Guarantees IV

Even the Best Planning Offers No
Guarantees V

Gnawing Issues – The Context
• Accountability/Expectations/Challenges
• Diversity and Projections
• Disruptive innovations
• State Funding
• Cost/Affordability
• Changing Students

Don’t Allow the Process to Overwhelm the
Purpose
• Clarify and Establish the Needs (The WHY)
• Set realistic expectations – Know what is going on that might impact success
• How work will be accomplished (The HOW)
• Garnering involvement
• Establish Reasonable Timelines (The WHEN)
• Identify Outcomes (The What)
• Consider data you will need to collect/anaylze to assess
• Play out scenarios – Protect against “Dumfoundedness”

The Real Challenges - 1
• Can be very high-stakes for you!
• Creating a culture of change
• Getting participants involved so goals are meaningful to them
• Dealing with:
• The pathologically cynical
• Purposeful Ignorance

The Real Challenges – 2
• Consider the Data/Metrics/Analytics you will need, but remember that “weighing the pig doesn’t make it fatter!”
• Data Don’t Lie!! Though they do keep their fingers crossed sometimes

Ingredients for Success
• Know your context
• Full Transparency
• Find your champions
• Communication, Communication, Communication
• Essential: Incentives and support for participants
• Take care of yourself – create a strong social ecology

Case: Implementing an Online Strategy
• The Need
• Changing times, enrollment, competition, creating the future
• Expectations – Involvement
• Context at KU
• Discussion of issues facing SOE’s:
• Joint reading – Kamanetz, “DIY U”
• Creation of “Enterprise Zone”
• Support
• Funding for course development
• Tech Camps
• User Groups
• One dept. created a “Design Lab”

Case - II
• How (Get work done)
• Time
• Partner with Private Vendor
• Created new faculty role
• When (timelines)
• Work with partners
• Consider faculty workloads/schedules
• Do you hire new faculty to help?
• What (Outcomes)
• Establish clear goals – Are they shared?

Case - III
• Assess
• Research University – set up a research/evaluation agenda
• Use data that are meaningful
• Annual report
• Creating a learning environment
• Play Out scenarios (Feedback loops)
• Expect the unanticipated
• Working with a private partner
• Fair Use
• Course evaluations
• Textbook timing
• Government approvals
• Process challenges

Questions/Comments??

How About You???
• Think about a change you initiated or were part of (go to: padlet.com/kthomas23/CADREI)
• What went well?
• What are your regrets?
• What lessons did you learn?
• Discuss and share the top five lessons from your group