Tips for Implementing Your Strategic Plan

By: Rob Kelly in Academic Leadership

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When John Pyle was vice president at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota, one of his goals was to focus the campus’s energy on implementing the operational plan. “There was a lot of energy once the strategic plan was developed, but we kind of lost steam in implementing the operational plan,” he says.

One problem was that the six strategic directions in the strategic plan—unique identity, organizational symbiosis, integrated infrastructure, alliance and partnerships, new populations of learners, and institutional visibility—were pretty broad, and although developing the strategic plan was a “highly inclusive process,” people had a difficult time making sense of it, Pyle says.

Another problem with implementing the operational plan was that there were just three or four people sitting around the table trying to make decisions for the entire campus. “When I moved into the leadership role, I really wanted to open up participation into this operational planning mechanism,” Pyle says.

Pyle convened campus-wide meetings, which had up to 80 people in attendance (out of 120 faculty and professional staff), to create connections across functional areas. In addition to the general sessions, there were breakout sessions to devise tactical steps to complete assignments that would link objectives from the operational plan to the strategic plan.

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Each of these groups had “quite a bit of decision-making power. They recommended what they felt were the key items. As a leadership team we told them up front, ‘We reserve the right to make some judgments with budgets and other priorities the institution is taking.’ They were given a lot of voice in helping shape the plan, the initiative, and the process,” Pyle says.

Another element of the implementation planning process was bringing in a consultant group to foster innovation halfway through. Pyle chose a group called Brave New Workshop, a Minneapolis-based comedy group that also does organizational workshops. Although this sounds like an unlikely resource to help with the operational planning process, [the process] was well received by participants. “I think people really resonated with it. There was a lot of energy. It wasn’t a highly theoretical process. It was really simple and straightforward, and people seemed to buy into it,” Pyle says.

The process that Brave New Workshop brought to St. Mary’s was based on John Sweeney’s (the owner of Brave New Workshop) book Innovation at the Speed of Laughter, which features the following eight secrets to innovation:

• Accept all ideas, not just those you are comfortable with.
• Defer judgment. When participants don’t feel as if they’re being judged, they are more likely to present their ideas.
• Accept styles. Allowing people to work in the manner that they are comfortable with encourages participation.
• Declare point of view. This reduces ambiguity.
• Create a statusless environment. This increases confidence and encourages participation.
• Create a reward system that recognizes innovation.
• Yes first. By responding to an idea with “yes,” you show that you accept and respect the person presenting the idea.
• Perceive change as fuel. The need to respond to change is a great motivator.

Working with this consultant group “helped create a culture that really fostered innovation,” which is a key component of the university’s mission, Pyle says. “I thought this would be a way to help invigorate new idea generation instead of just sitting around in meetings and talking about this trend in this field or this trend in that field.”

Throughout the process, Pyle made it a point to share progress reports with the entire campus. “We were pretty open with the campus community about the whole operational plan. We posted it on our Blackboard website and allowed people to comment. I also had a monthly newsletter that gave updates on progress outside of these special [campus-wide] sessions,” Pyle says.

Lessons learned
From this experience, Pyle cites the following lessons learned:

• Be willing to take risks.
• Make the process meaningful to people’s work.
• Create cross-functional teams.
• Use metaphors to help focus the group.
• Talk regularly about how people will be involved and where their ideas will be used.
• Initiate the brainstorming early in the process.
• Provide regular updates.

Excerpted from How to Get an Implementation Plan on Track, May 2008, Academic Leader.

Permalink: http://www.facultyfocus.com?p=7574

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Tags: academic administration, strategic planning

More and Better Ideas | SUCCESS Videos

1. Some of the steps we are taking to increase market share are sick!
2. As I stated in our analysis forecasting conference call, I think this organization is completely awesome!
3. Perhaps the reason we have achieved such a high level of consumer preference is due to the fact that our competition are total tools
4. I would not say that the leadership team we transitioned out of the org were douche bags but they certainly had “douchedenetal” tendencies
5. Although that firm was historically a value added partner currently our relationship is a bit strained and we now consider them an “ex-hole”

Thanks for listening, be sure to laugh hard today!

1. The recession has somehow circumvented the very specific social economic demographic of WWE fans. One hour prior to the event starting, there were 15,000 people waiting outside anxiously awaiting the chance to go inside and buy hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of overpriced T-shirts, hats, wrestling masks and fake championship belts.

2. Professional wrestling has created a secondary strategic vertical initiative by encouraging and enabling their customers to create and use hand-drawn cardboard signs. Many of the signs contained catchy slogans that would have gotten my mouth washed out with soap If I had used them as a child. It was refreshing however to see a resurgence of family-based arts and crafts activity.

3. Although I am not a doctor, it really really seemed like a few of the fellas who were wrestling may, on occasion, have used some of those steroid pills.

4. It is really not nearly as difficult as most people think to get 18,000 people completely excited, cheering, engaged, participatory and everything else every company is trying to do for their customers. You just need a few simple things:

a. Fireworks

b. half naked, over sexualized, hot chicks

c. super loud music

d. catchphrases that could be memorized through the hooked on phonics program such as “woooo” or “whaaaat”

e. a one in 18,000 chance to be on national TV

f. anger, violence, rage, a common enemy and pure unbridled physical dominance

g. 1426 gallons of body oil

5. Content is overrated, understanding what your audience wants and giving it to them is exponentially more effective than understanding what your audience needs and forcing it down their throat.

6. Many people need an outlet for their frustrations, shortcomings and pent-up emotions

7. it still seems easier to get a group of people to be against something than it is to get them to be for something

8. the words "real", "reality", "entertainment", "sport", "American values", and "family friendly event" all have a very wide level of interpretation and perceived meaning.

9. As a business model, the WWE is an amazing case study and perhaps a bit of genius

10. The "Undertaker" really sucks at the game “hide and go seek " (watch the video below and you'll see what I mean)

My first reaction to this spectacle event was cynical and disparaging but after further review I have decided to take what I can from that night and use it in my own life and work to help become more passionate, more excited and more courageous to make this life in this world a bit better every day. Once again I learned some things from a very odd and different experience.

Peace!

So I was talking to my 5 year old about the project he was working on for school. They are collecting money for Heifer International and we were counting his money to fill out the sheet to see how much he had collected. As we are counting he looks at me and says “it must be terrible huh Dad?” and I say “ya pal, it must be, those poor people don’t have enough food to eat and no money to buy”…… and he interrupts my long winded ramblings and says “no Dad, I mean, it must be terrible not to have anything to give!” Zoinks! caution, 5 year old wisdom moment!!!!!, prepare to realize that after 43 years, you can still learn something profound everyday (please imagine siren sound effects and lights blinking). “What do you mean son,” “I mean it is so easy for us to give, cuz all we have to do is collect money and send it to Heifer International, but what if we had nothing to give? Wouldn't that be terrible?” So, while I was taking a breath and thanking God this kid got his brain from Jenni’s side of the family, he starts again, “Oh, I know Dad, we would just give our time or work or ideas, ya, that's what we'd do.” Then he went back to filling out his form.

In an improv scene, we start with the premise that we don’t “have” anything but we can “give” everything. Since everyone is coming from that point of view, much is made, little is wasted and all is shared.

Today when it seems like I don’t “have” enough or can’t “give” because I don’t “have anything,” I will remember what I learned from improv and from my little Gandhi.

Here are Orgs the Brave New Workshop is pumped about lately

Tia Foundation

Heifer International

Autism Speaks

1. The fans were more into the game than themselves
2. The coaches seemed wonderfully nervous and excited about the big game
3. The players laughed a lot and seem to genuinely enjoy playing the game of basketball
4. The players on the bench watched the game and cheered for their team
5. The players hustled after loose balls and even went to the floor when necessary
6. The players played as hard as they could, even in the last minute when the game had already been decided
7. It was clear that the teams were more important than the players
8. The winning team went nuts because it was important to them
9. The losing team cried because it was important to them
10. The food was cheaper and tasted better

If you want to see some exciting basketball and a person who puts a little more passion and uuummmffff into what he does check out the below. it makes you wonder what we could all do if we just added some positive energy and importance to each day at work?