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How do your campus's or department's action plans support your organization's overall corporate strategy?
Eric,
Great example of alignment in planning process. Your Dual Language Immersion Model sounds really interesting and a key point for differentiation. Thanks for sharing this example with the class.
Dr. Blake Faulkner
The most aligned initiative is our media plan that focuses on a common message related to our Dual Language (English and Spanish) Immersion Model which is our key market differentiator. Since we are targeting Latino adults in all campus city locations, our message is brand-consistent and aligned with the regional (Continental U.S.) strategic plan (Chancellor's Office).
Eric,
This is interesting. Can you give an example a key initiative that aligns aross both the campus and the regional strategic plans?
Dr. Blake Faulkner
My Daytime Programs Department generates an action (marketing) plan that is aligned with the local campus as well as with the regional strategic plans. By making sure that we are supporting the long term business objectives at all three levels, we are able to get the resources and priority assignments that we need in order to be able to execute and achieve our departmental goals.
Amy,
Great pratice Amy! In a multiple campus institution how do you connect the individual campus strategies the overall instutional strategy?
Dr. Blake Faulkner
At the beginning of the year, our executive staff meets to define our goals for the year, the next three years, and the next five years. In addition to the goal, we set a time frame -- by February of 2014 -- for the goal to be accomplished, and who will be involved.It is great to see these goals, small and large, get accomplished. At every meeting of my staff, I review what we have achieved and what we are still working on. It's a nice way to see our progress play out. Plus, who doesn't like to check things off a to do list?
Troy,
What is the process your organization uses to ensure this alignment?
Dr. Blake Faulkner
Arturo,
How does your department or campus integrate with the overall strategy for your organization?
Dr. Blake Faulkner
Our department plan are geared to target and achieve the strategic plan for the campus.
Troy
Since we are aligned with strategic "open minded" thinking in our organization, it basically allows us to have a broader spectrum of all situations on hand, however, always keeping in mind our long term vision, without hurting our short term goals. I hope I have explained this promptly and correctly. Thank you for such wonderful course!
Angelica,
You bring up a very insightful point. The accreditation process brings significant value to our organizations as it focuses a great deal on ensuring we have the appropriate systems and processes in place to fullfill or mission, as well as to continually improve. I have found that completing a self-study and preparing for a site visit helps organizations look at themselves objectively across all areas, as well as integration across functional areas, that is healthy and tends to spur further improvement.
Dr. Blake Faulkner
Dylan,
How do you think the system(corporate)leadership can best ensure alignment between individual campus plans and the broader organizations strategic plan?
Dr. Blake Faulkner
Dylan,
How do you think the system(corporate)leadership can best ensure alignment between individual campus plans and the broader organizations strategic plan?
Dr. Blake Faulkner
Currently our organization is going through accreditation process. Therefore corporate strategy has become the everyday topic. Our staff seems to enjoy it, are very motivated and very involved in the process. All of action plans support corporate strategy and are the drivers to achieve our current main objective of becoming accredited. Action plans take into consideration the improvement or maintenance of student retention and placement,student learning outcomes and graduate satisfaction.
The action plans developed by our campus focus on recognizing what the overall vision is for the college as a whole.
By identifying and understanding what the whole organization's mission is, we can then assess how our unit fits within the framework of this vision.
We then identify what what we need to do through activities such as SWOT analysis' and collaboration with other campuses (or units) in order to align ourselves with the organization's vision.
We review our performance objectives and our departmental results on a course by course basis (which is every 3 weeks). We usually don't re-evaluate our departmental goals until the end of our fiscal year. In reference to action plans, we review them on a regular basis depending on the action plan.
Jesus,
It looks like your organization has connected departmental action plans to the overall organizational goals and strategies. How often do you review departmental goals and action plans?
Dr. Blake Faulkner