Strategic Planning in an Educational Development Centre - Motivation, Management, and Messiness

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by jay

The essay examines strategic planning practices surrounding the creation of a new educational development centre within a research-intensive university faculty. Drawing on literature, the authors outline the history of strategic planning in universities, then review key criticisms and benefits. Based on their own experience, they argue that despite established formulas, the process is non-linear and “messy,” and they conclude with lessons learned and recommendations for educational developers.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

History of Strategic Planning in Universities

Strategic Planning in Universities: Motivation, Management, and Messiness

Criticisms and Benefits

Stages of the Authors' Planning Process

What Supported and Hindered the Process

Lessons Learned and Recommendations

Strategic Planning in an Educational Development Centre: Motivation, Management, and Messiness Simon P. Albon, Isabeau Iqbal, and Marion L. Pearson University of British Columbia Strategic planning in universities is frequently positioned as vital for clarifying future directions, providing a coherent basis for decision-making, establishing priorities, and improving organizational performance. Models for successful strategic planning abound and often present the process as linear and straightforward. In this essay, we examine our own experiences of strategic planning for a new educational development centre situated in a Faculty of a research intensive university. Drawingfrom the literature, we provide a brief history of strategic planning in university contexts and consider criticisms and benefits. We investigate complicated issues related to our own process and, throughout, we argue that in spite of established formulas for creating a strategic plan, the process is non-linear and messy. We end this paper with recommendations for educational developer colleagues. Introduction If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there. - Carroll, 1865 While in theory strategic planning is linear…development of a strategic plan is more analogous to conducting an orchestra. - Hinton, 2012 The words “strategic planning” can elicit visceral responses: rolling eyes, sweating palms, and feelings of futility, to name a few. For some individuals working in higher education, strategic planning may be considered a distraction from our real work of teaching and research. The literature on strategic planning, however, positions this activity as vital for clarifying future directions, important for developing a coherent basis for decision-making, necessary for establishing priorities, and helpful at improving organizational performance (Shah, 2013) . The literature also abounds with models for successful strategic planning that elaborate on the steps to follow. Often, these steps are presented as linear and relatively straightforward. Our own view is that strategic planning is complex, chaotic, and frequently detached from daily activities and decision-making (Mintzberg, 1994; Sevier, 2003) . This article is based on our experiences of developing a strategic plan for the teaching and learning centre in our Faculty. Having been involved in strategic planning previously but never leading the process, we presented some of these experiences at the round table sessions at the 2015 Society of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Conference. The intent was to share with and learn from like-minded colleagues and more experienced strategic planners from other post-secondary institutions to build our understanding of strategic planning generally and our own processes specifically. In the current work, we argue that in spite of established formulas for creating a strategic plan, the process is non-linear and messy. We begin with a literature review highlighting those areas that have been particularly helpful for building our current understanding of strategic planning and for framing our planning efforts. Included is a brief history of strategic planning in universities and important criticisms and benefits of strategic planning. We then outline the stages of our own planning process and draw attention to elements of our academic background and culture that hindered or supported us. We emphasize the complexities of strategic planning and end by offering lessons learned and recommendations based on our understandings of what worked and what did not. History of Strategic Planning in Universities While strategic planning has its roots in the military, modern conceptions originated in the business practices of the early twentieth century (Sheridan, 1998; Taylor, 1911) . Increasingly valued as a standard business management tool in the postWorld-War-II decades, strategic planning remained mostly a private sector un

FAQs

What is the central argument of the essay about strategic planning?

The essay argues that, despite established formulas for creating a strategic plan, the planning process is non-linear and “messy,” not straightforward or orderly.

Why is strategic planning considered important in the literature?

The literature frames strategic planning as vital for clarifying future directions, supporting decision-making, establishing priorities, and improving organizational performance.

What changes occurred in universities’ attitudes toward strategic planning over time?

Universities initially resisted business-like approaches and had difficulty applying planning models, but perspectives shifted by the late 1980s as competitiveness, funding pressures, accountability, and accreditation increased.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by jay