An institutional self-assessment for developing a college or university strategic plan would have to include a measure of institutional autonomy, a common as well as unique offering of courses so as to make the university both competitive among others in the marketplace and differentiated—which allows an organization to stand out and define itself (Trout & Rivkin, 2006); it would have to include a measure of the university’s commitment to excellence as well plus the freedom to pursue the goals it sees fit for its students and staff. Leaders could incorporate Alexander’s four characteristics by first developing a mission statement in which the key components of the four characteristics are included as guiding principles and values to ensure that the university always has this clear, concrete and public mission statement to serve as a visible guide and measure of success. Leaders could also turn to an external facilitator to assist in the self-assessment process. As Conservation Gateway (2018) points out, “it is most effective to use an external facilitator the first time the Self-Assessment is implemented” because the external facilitator can help to design “the most appropriate self-assessment process” for the university’s particular aims and intentions. The external facilitator helps to promote the objectives of the university by focusing on future development options as well as by “providing contextual information on specific indicators in the tool, facilitating the exercise itself, documenting the assessment process, and assisting the organization to identify the best approaches for meeting its improvement targets in the form of an action plan” (Conservation Gateway, 2018). With the help of a facilitator, a university can reduce the risk of partisanship, confirmation bias, and stagnation.

History and politics may influence a leader’s planning in the sense that today’s...

Presidents are compared to former presidents, current times are compared to past times, and one’s effectiveness is judged not by the given situation but by whether or not the organization reached levels of success attained by previous leaders. It may not be fair, but that is the nature of human behavior in society—and leaders feel the pressure not only to succeed but also to outperform their predecessors, or at least to not deviate in any way from what their predecessors have done. However, when leaders who should be focusing on innovative solutions fall into the status quo psychological trap (Hammond, Keeney & Raiffa, 1998). This trap occurs when a leader simply wants to maintain the status quo even though what is needed for the organization is a new set of directives in order to address issues that are new and call for a unique approach. Politics influences a leader’s planning because leaders do not work in isolation or in a bubble but are part of a much wider community, including business stakeholders, financial stakeholders, political stakeholders, and international stakeholders. The politics of business, of finance, and of society (both locally and globally) will impact a leader’s decision making process as the strategy that is implemented under the leader will have an effect on other stakeholders, who will press the leader to take up a strategy that will be favorable towards them.
The accreditation process is essential in ensuring that measures of quality and accountability are there to support the strategic plan. The elements of accreditation include, internal review, external review, and reporting. For a leader in a university, accreditation is needed to ensure that the college is operating at standards that befit its calling. For example, in today’s world, many students want access to courses through online platforms. Distance learning and…