Strategic Planning Models

1. Strategic Planning Models EDU 572 Systems, Change and Planning Cardinal Stritch University Kristine Kiefer Hipp, Ph.D.

2. Purpose of “Basic” Strategic Planning • Clearly define the vision AND mission of the organization • Establish realistic goals and objectives and timelines • Communicate the goals/objectives to the organization’s stakeholders • Focus the resources on key priorities • Build strong teams that solve major problems • Establish the value of building consensus around a common vision • Provide a base from which progress can be measured and monitored. • Increase efficiency, effectiveness, and productivity

3. “Basic” Strategic Planning Made Simple • Identify the ideal state (vision) • Identify the purpose (mission statement) • Identify degree of tension between ideal and real • Select goals to accomplish the mission • Identify strategies to reach the goals • Identify strategies to reach each goal • Identify action plans to reach each strategy • Monitor and update the plan • Missing: Regular ongoing internal and external scans: Information about possible futures

4. Alternative Planning Models • Issue- or Goal- Based Planning • Alignment Planning • Scenario Planning • Organic Planning

5. Issue-Based or Goal-Based Planning --- Applies the basic Strategic Planning Design but is ongoing and changes with emerging issues • Conduct an Internal/External assessment using “SWOT” • Identify and prioritize major issues and goals • Design strategies, programs, policies and procedures to meet goals • Design (update) the vision, mission and values • Establish action plans • Record the above in a Strategic Planning document • Develop an annual Operating Plan document • Develop and authorize the budget • Conduct the plan • Monitor, evaluate and update the document and consider other models as needed

6. Alignment Planning --- Applies the basic Strategic Planning Design and ensures strong alignment between the organization’s mission and its resources ---The model is helpful for fine-tuning and discovering why current strategies aren’t working • Outline the organization’s mission, programs, resources and needed support • Identify what’s working well and what needs adjustment • Strategize how adjustments should be made • Include the adjustments as strategies in the plan

7. Scenario Planning --- Applies the basic Strategic Planning Design and is useful in identifying issues and goals based on national, state and local trends ---Starts with priorities and moves to a SWOT….then… • Select several external forces and imagine related changes that could influence the organization • Create scenarios for each force (best case, worst case, OK case) • Identify potential strategies in each scenario to respond to each change • Identify common strategies across scenarios and select those most likely to affect the organization

8. Organic or Self-Organizing Planning --- Involves an “unfolding” – a naturalistic “organic” planning process v. a mechanistic, linear process ---Focuses on common values, dialogue around the values, and ongoing, shared reflection around the system’s current and preferred processes • Clarify the organization’s values using dialogue and story-boarding • Articulate the group’s vision using the same techniques • Meet regularly to dialogue about processes needed to arrive at the vision • The team assumes responsibility for these processes, focuses on learning and less on method, and determines how to portray plans to stakeholders

9. The Fifth Discipline suggests dialogue is “a free flow of meaning between people” with three basic conditions of dialogue: Participants must suspend their assumptions. Participants regard one another as colleagues. There must be a facilitator of dialogue. Smith, Barry, Piotrowski, & Ogunbowale, 2004 Ongoing Dialogue is Key toOrganic Planning

10. Key Components of an Organic Planning Model • Belief in self-organizing and organic planning • Commitment to be a learning organization • Large group and teamwork dialogue • Values, vision and boundaries • Responsible leadership • Visual story-boarding • Patience & tolerance • Open information • Reflection • Trust Smith, Barry, Piotrowski, & Ogunbowale, 2004

11. This is a new way of thinking about our responsibilities. In a self-organizing system, people do for themselves what in the past has been done to them.Margaret Wheatley & Myron Kellner-RogersA Simpler Way

12. This presentation has been modified from:Basic Overview of Various Planning Models by Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD The Management Assistance Program for Nonprofits (website)

13. Future Search: Finding Common Ground EDU 572: Systems, Change, and Planning Cardinal Stritch University Kristine Kiefer Hipp, Ph.D.

14. Overview (see also, module, pp. 184-185) • Task/Action oriented…move quickly from discussing/planning to action. • 4-5 meetings, as close together as possible, half-day each. Or, 3 days, 16 total hours. Action steps and the people responsible for them are the intended outcome. • 60-80 people in room, diverse, all relevant stakeholders. • Written record on flip charts. • As in the Chadwick conflict resolution process, skill-building occurs through the process, and is important. Outside training is available. • Skill development in dealing with ambiguity and conflict, skeptics, fight/flight, trusting the non-trained to self-manage tasks, work on your own issues of control, rescuing, lecturing, stereotyping, and “looking good”. • See : futuresearch.net