The Value of Client Perceptions in University Strategic Planning: An Empirical Research Study

2009 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 423-436
Author(s):  
Salvador del Barrio-García ◽  
Teodoro Luque-Martínez
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Strategic Planning ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Client Perceptions ◽  
Strategic Planning Process ◽  
University Planning ◽  
Technological Developments ◽  
Oriented Approach

Given the normative changes in higher education at European, national and regional levels, together with social, economic, demographic and technological developments, universities need to adopt a client-oriented approach and to make this client orientation an integral component of their strategic planning process. The university's ‘clients’ should thus be involved in its strategic planning. This paper demonstrates how an importance–performance analysis applied to the perceptions of different groups of clients and stakeholders about the institution can be an effective tool in this regard. The proposed methodology will assist managers, and those responsible for university planning, to diagnose the internal situation of the institution by building matrices of points of excellence and deficiencies. In illustrating the effectiveness of this methodology, the authors stress the need for higher education institutions to move from a product orientation, based on the notion that the institution is best able to decide what its clients need, to a client orientation, based on knowledge of who its clients are and on a detailed investigation of their needs and interests.

Strategic planning in higher education: a simplified B-VAR model

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Densil A. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Strategic Planning ◽  
Strategic Management ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Strategic Plan ◽  
Simplified Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Strategic Planning Process ◽  
Planning Models

PurposeExecutives who are engaged in strategic planning for higher education generally complain about the process and the lack of clear outcomes from the strategic plan. They generally argue that the process is complex and sometimes confusing and the end result does not justify the time spent in preparing the plan. The extant literature on strategic planning in higher educational institutions (HEIs) is replete with these types of complaints. The work undertaken in this paper provides a solution to this problem. This paper proposes a simplified and efficient strategic planning model which executives can use to facilitate strategic planning in HEIs. This model takes into consideration, all the elements of previous models and synthesize them into a manageable, simplified framework that can be adapted to meet the planning needs of senior executives in any HEI.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses the action research framework to ground the solution to the problem identified. The action research framework is a sound research method that assists in resolving some of the practical problems executives in HEIs encounter as they move towards strategic planning. The researcher and a client in the higher educational sector, the UWI, engaged in collaborative problem-solving to develop a strategic plan for the client. To derive the solution, the researcher drew on the experience of the strategic planning process at the University of the West Indies (UWI) and also a number of selected universities in North American, Europe, Asia and Africa. The researcher then synthesized the outcomes from the deliberations and consultations with the client, the UWI and drew on theoretical knowledge in strategic management to derive the simplified model for strategic planning in higher education.FindingsThe research presented in this paper found that the existing strategic planning models used in higher education are generally complex, mostly designed specifically for an individual institution and lacks clarity regarding the implementation process. To overcome these problems for strategic planners in higher education, this paper proposes a simplified model that can be adapted by any HEI to assist with their strategic planning process. The Brainstoming- Visioning Action Results (B-VAR), the solution to the problem, presents the various elements of the strategic planning process that will need to be in place in order to develop a workable strategic plan and one that is implementable and will deliver tangible results for the HEI.Originality/valueBesides adding to our knowledge in strategic management and specifically, strategic management in higher education, the greatest value from this paper is the solution it presents to solve the long-standing problem of having complex and ineffective planning models to lead strategic plan development in HEIs. The added value is that the model is integrative as it draws on elements of previous planning models but simplified them for their adaptation to any HEI.

Entrepreneurial Ideas for Kinesiology Departments: A Process-Based Approach

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 229-234
Author(s):  
David Bellar ◽  
Todd A. Gilson ◽  
James C. Hannon
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Strategic Planning ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
The State ◽  
Public Institutions ◽  
State Appropriations ◽  
State Support ◽  
Strategic Planning Process ◽  
The Past ◽  
K 12

Higher education is in a period of flux. For many public institutions, state support has decreased over the past decade, resulting in the notion of doing more with less. Using an inverted triangle approach, this article examines how both institutions and departments are coping with their present reality using innovative and entrepreneurial ideas. First, the story of how public institutions in the state of Illinois are responding to decreased state appropriations and declining K–12 enrollments is discussed. Second, a rich example of how one institution completed the strategic planning process—from conceptualization to implementation—is shared. Finally, one department’s multifaceted plan to handle declining state support is shared.

scholarly journals Serious Gaming for the Strategic Planning Process

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adina Aldea ◽  
Maria-Eugenia Iacob ◽  
Jos van Hillegersberg ◽  
Dick Quartel ◽  
Henry Franken
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Planning ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Serious Gaming ◽  
Strategic Planning Process

scholarly journals University Community Engagement and the Strategic Planning Process

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Newton Miller
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Planning ◽  
Qualitative Methods ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Strategic Plan ◽  
User Experience Design ◽  
Strategic Planning Process ◽  
Research Libraries ◽  
The University ◽  
University Community

Objectives- To understand how university libraries are engaging with the university community (students, faculty, campus partners, administration) when working through the strategic planning process. Methods- Literature review and exploratory open-ended survey to members of CAUL (Council of Australian University Librarians), CARL (Canadian Association of Research Libraries), CONZUL (Council of New Zealand University Librarians), and RLUK (Research Libraries UK) who are most directly involved in the strategic planning process at their library. Results- Out of a potential 113 participants from 4 countries, 31 people replied to the survey in total (27%). Libraries most often mentioned the use of regularly-scheduled surveys to inform their strategic planning which helps to truncate the process for some respondents, as opposed to conducting user feedback specifically for the strategic plan process. Other quantitative methods include customer intelligence and library-produced data. Qualitative methods include the use of focus groups, interviews, and user experience/design techniques to help inform the strategic plan. The focus of questions to users tended to fall towards user-focused (with or without library lens), library-focused, trends & vision, and feedback on plan. Conclusions- Combining both quantitative and qualitative methods can help give a fuller picture for librarians working on a strategic plan. Having the university community join the conversation in how the library moves forward is an important but difficult endeavour. Regardless, the university library needs to be adaptive to the rapidly changing environment around it. Having a sense of how other libraries engage with the university community benefits others who are tasked with strategic planning

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