Institutional Strategic Planning Strategic Planning

Institutional Strategic Planning

Strategic Planning for Academic Institutions

Introduction- Mission, vision, values, goals, and objectives in strategic planning for academic institutions

Strategic planning is the key to the success of a business. No matter if we are taking into account a company or an institution, the planning is of the utmost importance. As components of this concept, we can depict: the mission, the vision, the values, the goals and the objectives.

The importance of good strategic planning is recognized throughout higher education. All universities and colleges understand the need to clearly identify their mission and objectives, their priorities and targets for improvement, and the action to be taken to achieve them. Good progress has been made over a long period to improve the rigor of strategic planning. But the challenges and opportunities facing higher education are growing every year. There is a constant need to secure greater value from available resources. Also the decisions and choices which institutions have to make become ever more complex as the requirements of students, staff, employers and society change. All of this places a premium on good strategic planning: the quality of planning must itself improve year by year. [...] In virtually all universities and colleges, strategic planning is seen as an essential tool for effective institutional management. Unless time is invested to analyze the institution and its environment, and to consider its medium - and long-term direction and goals, it is unlikely that action will be focused or goals achieved. Effective planning helps higher education institutions (HEIs) to identify what makes them distinctive and what they have in common with other HEIs, and therefore it helps to maintain their individuality" (Strategic Planning in Higher Education).

Each organization must devise its plans according to the specifics of its activity. There is not only one correct manner of approaching this matter. It is certain that institutions differ each from the other (even if they conduct their activities in the same branch, higher education) and, in accordance with this, their strategies will also vary.

The mission of an academic institution is to provide the best educational support for the students who are seeking to develop their professional skills. Due to the fact that a higher education institute is frequented only by the persons interested in further studies (not compulsory), it must offer quality and timeliness information, adapted to the current state of affairs in the domain.

The vision refers to the future expectancies. An academy can adopt the vision of becoming the most respected in its domain, the vision of being recognized as the one of the premier educational institutions.

Values reflect the inner culture of an organization. They are features or qualities which are considered meaningful. According to these values, people establish their behavior inside the institution. In addition to that, values are reflected in the way the organization carries out its activity in relation to the customers, suppliers and the internal community. A higher education institution should be grounded on values such as: respect for the students and the educational process, competency, equality of chances and non-discrimination, dedication from the part of the teachers and of all the employees, improvement, excellence, challenge to improvement and best results, discipline etc.

Goals are major targets that an organization aims at. They are set on a long-term basis and they are achieved by means of objectives. As examples of goals in regard with the academic activity we can mention: expanding the facility by 50%, doubling the number of students etc. As objectives which are to be accomplished in order to reach the final goals, we can give examples for each goal mentioned above. In order to expand the facility, the institution may set as an objective the acquisition of a new building or the rental of another facility. In order to double the number of students, it may develop an advertising campaign so as to promote the academy, or it can offer a new range of subjects and specializations with the aim of attracting new students, or it can launch a series of courses on the internet (targeting the people who do not have time to attend the lectures but are still interested in taking some courses, offering customer convenience).

II. Mission

Characteristics of quality mission statements. As Mintzberg asserts: "A mission describes the organization's basic function in society, in terms of the products and services it produces for its customers" (Strategic Planning-Mission). A qualitative mission should comprise all of the following: vision, values, goals and objectives. We can say that "A mission statement provides the commercial logic for the business and so defines two things: The products or services it offers (and therefore its competitive position) and the competences through which it tries to succeed and its method of competing" (Strategic Planning-Mission). Thus, higher educational institutes offer learning services to the people interested in developing their professional skills. These services, together with the material basis (laboratories, material support for practice) differ from one academy to another. Therefore, it is imperative for each of the institutes to emphasize on their competitive advantages (the series of services which distinguish them from others that conduct their activity within the same domain).

These missions should be adapted for each of the organizations which design them. Quality should be reflected in the goals proposed and in the means taken into consideration in order to achieve them. The mission should refer both to the aims of the institution and to the beneficial effects on the students (community). In the case of higher education institutions, these should provide the best studying opportunities, the best practical approaches in order to increase the educational convenience. The mission statement should be grounded on a high quality educational experience. Thus, the experience consists of the best teachers who possess both the knowledge and the pedagogical skills required so as to make themselves understood among their students. In addition to that, academies should provide high tech instruments and well-suited laboratories which can enable the better understanding of the subjects discussed.

External and internal trends which may cause a change in the mission. As the world is rapidly evolving, the institutions have to keep the pace with the new trends. Therefore, their missions will be adapted to the latest tendencies. If people want more time flexibility, then the academy will design special programs targeting the persons in case. Thus, it may introduce compressed license lectures, or programs with reduced required frequency or it may even provide an online support service, an online course aimed at the self-teaching students. This external trend may change the mission from "providing the most valuable information" to "providing the most valuable information adapted to each student's needs and availability."

Internal causes of change may arise from the different visions of the people leading the institution. There will be no major changes, but the missions may slightly differ in relationship with the managers' goals.

III. Vision

Characteristics of a quality vision statement. In order to develop a qualitative vision statement, the institutions should devise it with respect to the following ideas: "clarity and lack of ambiguity; paint a vivid and clear picture, not ambiguous; describe a bright future (hope); memorable and engaging expression; realistic aspirations, achievable; alignment with organizational values and culture; rational; time bound if it talks of achieving any goal or objective. In order to become really effective, an organizational vision statement must (the theory states) become assimilated into the organization's culture. Leaders have the responsibility of communicating the vision regularly, creating narratives that illustrate the vision, acting as role-models by embodying the vision, creating short-term objectives compatible with the vision, and encouraging others to craft their own personal vision compatible with organization's overall vision" (Strategic Planning).

The manner in which vision statements guide the strategic plan. If a higher education institution seeks to provide the most accurate, up-to-date, centered on reality information for the following 10 years, it should find ways of acquiring the best materials on the market. The objectives will somehow shift or will pay more attention to the most up-to-date materials, the latest changes in the subjects, and the most recent trends in the domain.

We can, therefore, say that the vision statements are very important in the case of strategic plans. They are the point from which goals are being born. They offer a broader view which has the scope of designing the other elements of the strategic planning.

IV. Values

Any organization must respect a set of values which differ in the case of each institution. These values constitute the framework of the decisions which are made inside the institution. Each assessment must be judged in accordance with the values which are promoted within the workplace. If the decision matches the requirements and if it does not oppose these values, then it will be further implemented.

When designing a mission or a vision statement, the persons in charge must take into account the cultural core of the business. For example, in the case of higher education academics, these statements should be developed in accordance to what the academics symbolize. These institutions are a promise made to the community of excellent teaching. They have been created in order to help the students in the process of their professional development. Thus, their values should comprise the following notions:

Competency is the feature that all the professors must possess in order to influence their students. As a result, if a professor is not competent in his domain, he will never be able to offer the best education experience to its students. In addition to that, equality of chances must be given to all the students. If a professor discriminates within his scholars, he is liable for the lost interest in the subject of the persons discriminated. Besides, the institution must prove its integrity. Consequently, the professors must do their jobs without letting themselves influenced by other suppressing factors.

The values mentioned above are only a slight part of all the values which must be comprised within a higher education institution. They must be clearly expressed because they represent a guiding force in the development / revision of the mission and vision.

V. Goals

Goals are set in accordance to the institution's plans for the future. "By definition [they] are "Outcome statements that define what an organization is trying to accomplish both programmatically and organizationally." Goals are usually:

collection of related programs reflection of the major action of the organization rallying point for chairmen" (Strategic Planning- Goals vs. Objectives)

At the beginning of its activity, an institution has some ideas about what it seeks to achieve. In fact, it expects to be successful. However, the desire to be successful is not a goal. Therefore, in order to accomplish its desire, the organization must establish clear ideas about its future development. These major focuses are called goals.

In order to develop the most adequate goals, the institution must also take into consideration its mission, vision and values. They act as a framework for the goal-establishment process. The goals embody all these relevant matters that are related to the company's activity.

As a conclusion, goals represent why an institution will perform its activity, what it seeks to achieve. In addition to the goals, we must mention the objectives, which show how the organization is going to carry out its activity.

VI. Objectives- means of achieving goals

By definition objectives are described as being very precise, time-based, and measurable actions that support the completion of a goal. Objectives must: relate directly to the goal; be clear, concise, and understandable; be stated in terms of results; begin with an action verb; specify a date for accomplishment; be measurable; must deal with a major subject" (Strategic Planning- Goals vs. Objectives). As a result, the objectives must be SMART, meaning: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-based.

The objectives must be measured after a certain period of time so as to establish if they have been achieved or if they have to be modified in order to lead to a better accomplishment of the goals. It is possible for the objectives to have been set in an incorrect manner and for them not to accurately concord with the goals.

VII. The importance of all the components of a strategic plan

When we refer to a strategic plan, we cannot abolish any of the following aspects: mission, vision, values, goals and objectives. They are all vital parts of a successful plan and must be treated accordingly to their importance.

An academic institution has the primary function to provide the means for professional development for its students. As academies represent higher education institutions, they target people with an above average professional intelligence, people who are seeking to develop their skills. However, there are various institutions centered on the same type of activity. In this domain, it is harder to differentiate between institutions. Yet, the prestige of the academies has a great weight in the prospective students' choices.

The reputation of a higher education institution can be created by putting forward a clear and precise strategic plan which covers all the essential aspects. The mission is to provide excellence in teaching and support services. Besides the material basis (laboratories and other facilities), of great importance is the attitude of the professors towards their students. They should promote a high standard of quality, outstanding knowledge in their domains and great teaching skills. A strong set of values should be maintained in the educational process.

VIII. Examining a set of academic institutions

California University of Pennsylvania. "This plan, Strategic Plan 2005, was formally adopted by the California University of Pennsylvania Council of Trustees at its March 2005 meeting following a year of study by the University Forum and key committees, as well as individual members of the University community" (California University of Pennsylvania web site). It regards a period of three to five years and it has been developed after a long and serious process. This process began in June 2004 by an initial draft based on the University Mission Statement and the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Strategic Plan. The present plan was chosen between six drafts of the document.

The mission consists of "Building Character and Careers." The University "is a diverse caring and scholarly learning community dedicated to excellence in the liberal arts, science and technology, and professional studies that is devoted to building character and careers, broadly defined" (California University of Pennsylvania web site). Its vision can be resumed in "be recognized as the best comprehensive public university in America." Some of the aspects resulting from this vision are the following: "offer an exceptional, one-of-a-kind character and career-building experience; define career-building broadly to include life-wide (multiple life roles) and life-long (legacy) aspects; recruit and retain a distinguished faculty who challenge and mentor students to attain their fullest potential; maintain a learning community known for its academic excellence, intellectual rigor, and civil discourse; instill not just learning but the love of learning; incorporate continuous improvement into all programs and activities to ensure competitive excellence" (California University of Pennsylvania web site).

The values which are promoted inside the university were adopted in July 22nd, 1998 and comprise the following: Integrity, Civility and Responsibility. In order to sustain the mission statement, the university has focused on three goals: student achievement and success, institutional excellence, and community service. The established objectives are several, from which we can mention: "to provide a liberal education, which aims at developing analytical thinking and individual initiative and responsibility; to provide flexible, innovative programs and support services that are responsive to a broad range of student and regional needs; to provide a professional faculty and an effective administration; to create and maintain a learning environment in which the rights of all are respected; to provide a wide range of learning opportunities for students interested in associate, baccalaureate, graduate, and non-degree programs" (California University of Pennsylvania web site);