strategic planning retreat - south central college€¦ · 2013 strategic planning retreat two...

Strategic Planning

Retreat

October 3-4, 2013

with

Cheri Torres and Bob Laliberte

South Central College

2 2013 Strategic Planning Retreat

Strategic Planning in a Culture of Collaboration

Collaboration is defined as people working together to achieve shared outcomes. In a culture of

collaboration, strategic planning is a tool that supports people’s efforts rather than dictates

their work. A living strategic plan is dynamic, evolving over time to continuously support the

collaborative efforts of the community.

Collaboration From the Outset A living strategic plan is developed by those who will work together to achieve the shared goals

that they co-create. The next two days are designed to empower you to co-create a set of

shared goals and to prototype strategies for achieving your goals. The difference between a

traditional strategy and a prototype strategy is simple:

A Culture of Collaboration is about shared goals, learning and innovation. It is outcomes-

focused—what are we trying to achieve together? And, it is inquiry-based—are we moving

towards our goals? Follow-on questions include: What’s working well? What are we learning

that can help us innovate, be more effective, more efficient, have more fun? Is this the right

goal? What are we missing?

Traditional

Static

Determined pathway for achieving

a goal.

Work and metrics are in service to

the strategy, which is in service to

the goal.

Dominant question: How are we

doing in working the strategy?

Prototype

Dynamic

A best guess, good enough to try

pathway that initiates movement

toward a goal.

The strategy and metrics are in

service to the work, which is in

service to the goal.

Dominant question: How is this

strategy doing as a pathway

towards our goal?



Two primary forms of inquiry support a culture of collaboration:

Appreciative Inquiry Disruptive Inquiry.

Over the next two days we will collaborate in creating a living SCC Strategic Plan. It will be

highly engaging, interactive, and call for each of us to bring our strengths, ideas, knowledge and

highest hopes for the future of SCC to the table. We will use six basic practices for co-creating

our plan:

Inquiring into what's working when we are at our best, what

adds value or creates value, what gives life, strengths and

opportunities, sources of excellence and exception.

Inquiring in ways that disrupt ordinary ways of thinking and doing, challenge assumptions,

create dissonance , provoke curiosity and inspire creativity.

Inquire

Imagine

Inspire

Innovate

Initiate

Integrate



Inquire

A culture of collaboration embraces what is—we call that Radical Appreciation. We will inquire

into what is using Appreciative Inquiry questions that surface Strengths, Opportunities,

Aspirations and desired Results (SOAR).

Imagine A culture of collaboration frames goals and work around shared and desired future outcomes.

We will envision future states through questions like: Where are we going? What do we want

to achieve together? How are we being of collective service to our students, clients, customers,

communities? Images are compelling, so images as well as words are utilized.

Inspire A culture of collaboration is capable of accessing collective intelligence, making room for the

new and novel to emerge. Disruptive Inquiry will empower us to challenge assumptions,

question our ordinary ways of thinking and doing to make room for new possibilities and new

ways of seeing and doing.

Innovate A culture of collaboration is capable of innovation because it is inquiry based. Provocative

possibilities emerge, new and better ways are entertained and ever-greater efforts at

excellence and simplicity are favored. We will identify Potent Possibilities as new or modified

goals or new and modified strategies for achieving our desired outcomes.

Initiate A culture of collaboration is alive, vibrant, continuously growing and evolving in its ability to

achieve shared outcomes; therefore, our plans will be designed to adapt and evolve as well—

we call this Elegant Design. The strategies we will develop for achieving goals will be

prototypes, best guess, good enough to try pathways to initiate our collective efforts. As

prototypes, they will be designed for testing, refined, tested again, modified and kept alive in

service to our collaborative work.

Integrate A culture of collaboration integrates strategic planning into the fabric of the way it works simply

because the living plan empowers people to achieve goals more rapidly and more effectively.

The plan will include mechanisms to ensure agile action and perpetual evolution that will help

our community continuously achieve and innovate as natural outcomes of the way we work.



Agenda

Day 1 Interviews

SOAR Analysis

Mapping Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations/Results

Envisioning Key Outcomes for the Future

Disrupting Ordinary Ways of Thinking

Generating and Stress Testing Possible Goals and Strategies

Day 2

Identifying Measurable Goals

Identifying Key Strategies

Creating Strategy Prototypes and Agile Action Plans

Planning for Engagement and Perpetual Evolution



Interview Guide

Community colleges have the potential to play a pivotal role in helping to move the country forward;

South Central College has the potential to play that role in Minnesota. Over the next two days we’ll be

participating in imagining the future of SCC and developing a strategic plan to meet the needs of our

communities while aligning with the MnSCU goals. This is a time to take ownership of SCC’s strengths

and potential. It is a time to challenge assumptions and step into the learning leadership role that will

allow us to move our communities to inspired growth.

The questions below are designed to surface the best of SCC in order to identify our core strengths;

those elements that we want to bring into the future. They are also designed to uncover important

trends and potential opportunities that we may want to address as we work towards a strategic plan for

our future. Finally, the questions will help us identify our professional aspirations and the results we

want to see come from our collective efforts.

Grounding Ourselves in What We Know

1. What brings you to this retreat in support of SCC?

2. What do you value or like most about SCC?

3. Recall stories of when you were at your best working with students, the community and/or

your colleagues. Choose one that is a highpoint story for you.

• Share that story with me, including why it’s a highpoint story for you.

• What was it about the environment that you were in that brought out the best in you?

• What did you bring to the table?

• What did others bring to the table?



4. MnSCU defines student success as full-time students who graduate, are retained or transfer.

This measure is defined with an eye toward financial stability.

• How do you define student success from the point of view of students, the workforce

and the community?

• Share a story that you think exemplifies SCC’s strengths in delivering what students, the

community or business would label success.

5. Recall a time when SCC was at its best in partnering with our community or with local

industry--a time that would define SCC as the partner of choice. In choosing a story to

share, consider any one of the following: North Mankato, Faribault, online and/or off-

campus.

• Tell me about the partnership, the purpose, what happened and the results.

• What made SCC the partner of choice for this effort?

• How were SCC’s programs aligned with the needs of this situation?

6. Student services and instructional experience has been changing rapidly over the last ten

years and that trend is only going to continue.

• What innovative online and digital media ideas and programs for service, learning and

classroom enhancement have you offered or heard about that we might expand on

throughout the college?

• What has to happen for you personally to integrate cutting edge digital strategies in

your teaching or work?



Discovering Opportunities

7. We are being called to provide learning environments and education in a time of

tremendous upheaval and uncertainty. Our students will be working and taking leadership

roles in complex systems that are continuously changing and evolving. We are preparing

students with knowledge and skills for the jobs of today and those of the future.

• What do our students most need to learn to be prepared for this future?

• As you scan the changing horizon, what significant trends might influence learning and

instruction?

• What opportunities should we explore for transforming the curriculum, our strategies

for teaching, and the services we offer?

8. Reflect on trends and data as well as the needs in our local communities and across the

state.

• What opportunities stand out for you?

• More specifically, what opportunities are there for us in the areas of:

o Diversity and inclusion?

o Student enrollment and the expansion of Post Secondary Enrollment

Opportunities?

o Continuing education and customized training?

o Innovative income generation?



Aspirations and Results

9. Just for the moment, imagine South Central College is designed to be so integral to the

sustainability and flourishing of our communities that we never have to worry about

student enrollment or finances—those are ensured because the programs we offer, the

services we provide, and the skills and capacities we enhance for our communities are

understood to be essential for the sustainable flourishing of those communities. Imagine

being an integral part of enabling businesses to succeed in a complex and uncertain global

market. Imagine all citizens (infant to aged) developing meaningful and productive lives

because of the work we do in the community, on our campus and through public/private

partnerships. Imagine SCC enabling our communities to develop ever easier and more

sustainable ways to grow and flourish.

• Now, really put yourself in that future image and tell me about it as if we are there.

• How are we integrated into the fabric of our communities; what’s different?

• How have our most relevant programs been enhanced?

• What are we offering or doing in this future state that we are currently not offering?

• How has our mission/purpose changed, if at all?

10. Three Wishes: If you had three wishes for the culture at SCC--the way things are done

around here, i.e., the way we work, how decisions are made, the atmosphere in our

classrooms and on campus, our relationships and ways of communicating, our behaviors),

what would they be?



Activity: SOAR Analysis

Work with your partner to add the highlights from your two interviews to the SOAR map on the

walls of the room.

Purpose: To map our core strengths and see the big picture opportunities, aspirations and

results that are possible for us.

Goals:

1. Core Strengths. With your partner, reflect on your interviews, with special attention to

questions #1 - #6. What stands out for the two of you as the core strengths of SCC. Include

programs as well as practices and capacities. Capture each individual strength on a 6 x

8 post-it. Write one per post-it.

2. Inspiring Opportunities. Your interviews no doubt surfaced many trends and potential

opportunities that could influence the future of SCC. Reflect together on questions # 7 - #8

and choose those opportunities that the two of you feel offer the greatest potential.

Capture each individual opportunity on a 6 x 8 post-it. Write one opportunity per

post-it.

3. Aspiration and Results. Look through your answers to one another’s questions #9 - #10.

What are your most important aspirations, the ones that are essential for you to buy into

any future plans? What are the most inspiring and provocative results that you both want

for the future of the college, community, workforce and state? Capture each individual

aspiration or result on 6 x 8 post-it notes. Write one concept per post-it.

4. Build the Map. Map your post-its on the wall. As you do so, take the time to see what is

already up there and group your ideas with ideas that are already on the wall that are the

same or similar. Create space in between ideas that are different or unique so that they

stand out.

• Post your strengths to the Strengths Map.

• Post your Opportunities to the Opportunity Map.

• Post your Aspirations and Results to the Results Map.

5. Affinitize and Conceptualize.

• Gallery Walk. Take a gallery walk and help create natural groups for the ideas and

concepts that are up there.

• Create natural groupings. Move the post-its to where you think they go.

• Label groupings. Use 8 ½ x 11 paper and bold marker to create focus areas or category

labels for each grouping.



Images of the Future

Return to your original tables of 6-8 for this activity. Each group will manage its own dialogue

and time, using the guidelines below for self-managing this work.

• DISCUSSION LEADER – Manages the table task. Assures that each person who wants to speak

is heard within time available.

• TIMEKEEPER – Keeps group aware of time left. Monitors report-outs and signals time

remaining to person talking.

• RECORDER/REPORTER - Writes group’s output on flip charts/post-its, using speaker’s words.

Delivers report to larger group in allotted time.

Purpose: To create images for each of the focus areas and capture core elements associated

with those images of the future.

Goals:

1. Silent reflection and visualization. Take 5 minutes to ponder the opportunities, aspirations

and results groupings. Feel free to wander to the wall for a closer look. Allow images of the

future to bubble up. What are the different images that come to mind for who we want to

be and how we want to serve?

2. Small group discussion. At your table, discuss the various images and ideas that came to

mind for each of you for each of the groupings. What are the most exciting, provocative or

inspiring aspirations and outcomes for your group?

3. Individual Sketches. Each person take a few minutes to sketch the ideas, create a visual

image for the aspirations and results groupings that are of greatest interest for you.

4. Group Images and Core Elements. Share your individual sketches and merge, mesh and

blend until you have group images for each focus area that is of interest for those at your

table. Imagine you have achieved the results—what are the core elements of this future

state?

• Write each focus area label at the topic of a flipchart page for each area you selected

• Draw the image(s) for that focus area

• Write the core elements of the focus area below the image.

5. Report Out. Prepare a 2-minute report out to share your images and core elements.



Exploring and Expanding Possibilities for Achieving Results

Choose the focus area that most intrigues, excites or interests you. Before jumping into

planning for this future—let’s disrupt ourselves!

Purpose: To challenge our ordinary patterns of thinking and doing and expand the possibilities

for how we might achieve the results we desire.

Goals:

1. Conversation Tables. For those who want to engage in conversation, begin at the table that

hosts the focus area in which you are most interested.

• Choose a Table Host—someone who is so committed to this focus area that he or she is

willing to stay at the table the whole time in order to provide continuity.

• Use the Conversation Questions on pages 13-15 to inspire disruptive conversation. The

idea is to challenge ordinary ways of thinking about this focus area to make room for

possible innovations in achieving desired results. To push the boundaries and make

room for something innovative that wants to emerge. Capture salient ideas on flipchart

paper.

• You may be interested in more than one of these areas or you may also want to do

some research. Buzz around. Feel free to cross-pollinate by moving from conversation

to research to resource table to conversation table. .

2. Research Tables. For those who want to research and explore ideas that are not found

internally.

• Use the research questions on page 16 to stimulate an online search for ideas that will

stimulate innovative and creative ideas about this focus area. You may also want to skim

the conversation questions in case they might stimulate your own disruptive question.

• Browse the resource table, reading or skimming articles and books that should disrupt

your patterns for moving forward on educational or college goals.

• You may be interested in conversations as well. Buzz around. Feel free to move from

online research to resource table to more than one conversation table.



Disruptive Conversation Questions

1. Read through the “core elements” and associate these with the “images” for this outcome.

What underlying assumptions are we holding? What can be challenged? What if those

assumptions are not true?

2. What ideas for how to achieve these results immediately come to mind? Step back and look at

the frame or filter that is guiding your ideas: assumptions, traditional values or viewpoints,

habitual patterns for “doing”, habits? Now, let those go—what emerges?

3. What information would broaden the possibilities for how to achieve this outcome? What are

we missing?

4. What questions could we ask that would disrupt our ordinary ways of thinking and default

problem-solving strategies?

5. What expectations are we holding, what beliefs about the people involved? What if we’re

wrong? What could be possible then?

6. If students were describing this outcome from their own perspective (the impact on them),

what would they say? How does this change your thinking?

7. If the community or a business were describing this outcome from their own perspective (the

impact on the community or the business), what would they say? How does this change your

thinking?

8. What if this result was just the natural outcome of the “way we do learning at SCC?” What

could we do that would just naturally generate that outcome--as a byproduct of our activity?

9. What if SCC took a leadership role to help your communities become “cultures of learning” and

you lead this effort from birth through death. What would that look like? How might that

impact your position in the community? Your stream of students? Financial security?

10. If we had unlimited resources, how might we achieve this?

11. If we had no or very limited resources, what might we do?

12. Technology is changing rapidly and learning technology is no exception. Software is emerging

that supports self-directed, individually designed learning, serious gaming/gamification of

learning is moving forward at a furious pace. How could technology help make this outcome

simple and easy?

13. What if 4-year colleges sent us students?

14. What if students owned their success and contracted with SCC to achieve it.



15. How are trends and opportunities related to strategies for achieving desired results? (see

what’s been posted)

16. How would a group of 5 year olds suggest we achieve this--or how would we design solutions if

we were working with 5 year olds? 80 year olds? What technology could be applied that would

enable both these cases?

17. What if the faculty role changed completely? In appropriate course, what if students set about

collaboratively learning the subject with faculty in the role of Master Inquirer,

Coach/Consultant, Context Setter and Reality Framer?

18. If your job was so much fun you couldn’t wait to get to it each day, how would it change?

19. Social enterprise is one of the biggest movements making its way into higher education. Most

MBA programs now have social enterprise majors. Many social entrepreneurs, however, are

not in MBA programs, they are in our communities--seeing a need and finding a way to meet it

with a business idea. How can SCC jump into this arena to support student success and

community success, while addressing desired outcomes?

20. Every campus and community has its own unique strengths and resources. At the same time,

there are opportunities for collaboration across all campuses and communities.

• What is unique about each of our curriculums, campuses and specific communities that we

might take advantage of?

• What other MnSCU colleges would benefit from collaborating with us in our areas of

excellence?

• Where do we already collaborate across colleges? And else how might we collaborate,

especially with campuses close to us—like Faribault and Owatonna?

21. What if we offered sustainable agriculture as a business mode? How might organic farming,

grow local/buy local, farm to table, aquaponics, and no-waste practices support innovative

promising programming?

� What partnerships might be formed in the areas of farming, health and cooking?

� What additional areas of expertise might SCC add to their agricultural program that

would support the community and workforce development?

22. Mechatronics Engineering Technology?

23. What assumptions are we holding about the Community Social Service Program that need

challenging? What public/private partnerships might be possible in this area?

24. In the near future our nurses may need to know how to work with robots in the care of

patients. What role can we play?

25. What learning or incubator programs could we offer through the Center for Business and

Industry that would make us a leader in education and partnering for the future?



26. What assumptions are we making about CBI?

27. One of our system goals is to provide the Highest Value/Most affordable education. This may

feel like do more with less; however, it is also an opportunity to step back and consider how

partnership and collaboration can drive up value while decreasing costs. In addition, it’s an

opportunity to examine the current what and how of all we do to discover what adds value and

what is waste.

• What do you know that’s happening in other MnSCU schools where we might collaborate

on highest value?

• How might we partner with members of our community to add value?

• What role can students play in adding value?

• What are we currently doing that does not add value and could be eliminated?

• What are we doing well that we should expand?

• How might we partner in our communities to increase access for all potential students

without compromising our financial stability?



Disruptive Research

1. What could we learn from unrelated industries or businesses who are achieving similar results

about how to do this?

2. How are other community colleges developing sustainable revenue?

3. Where are colleges turning students away for lack of space? What gives? Why the demand?

4. Some community colleges are overwhelmed with students. What do they know or do that

would help inform our plan?

5. How are colleges using technology in innovative and highly creative ways to enhance the

classroom experience and to make learning exciting and fun?

6. How do industry, government and the service sectors use technology to enhance learning in

their organizations?

7. What innovative approaches to learning are being used successfully that are different and

unique...without technology?

8. What clues are we hearing for secondary or specialty schools that have possibilities for us?

9. How are community colleges partnering with strange bedfellows to create innovative solutions?

10. What community colleges are not struggling financially? What’s going on with them?

11. What new and innovative programs are community colleges offering that are generating

income and student interest?

12. What about independent study and research….how can that play a role?

13. Read through the conversation questions for ideas on how you might search the Internet.

14. How are community colleges partnering with social venture capitalists to foster and develop

social entrepreneurism?

15. What are other countries who are just starting up community colleges—like India—doing?

16. What are our for-profit competitors doing that we can learn from?

17. What other community college systems could we learn from or partner?

18. What are community colleges assuming that needs to be challenged?



Generating Strategic Ideas

Move to the focus area of your choice; it should be one you spent time talking about or

researching as you will draw upon that knowledge and information to generate strategic ideas.

The one you have ideas and energy to work on.

• DISCUSSION LEADER – Manages the table task. Assures that each person who wants to speak

is heard within time available.

• TIMEKEEPER – Keeps group aware of time left. Monitors report-outs and signals time

remaining to person talking.

• RECORDER/REPORTER - Writes group’s output on flip charts/post-its, using speaker’s words.

Delivers report to larger group in allotted time.

Purpose: To make meaning from our research and disruptive conversations and generate

strategic ideas for achieving our desired results.

Goals:

1. Review Images and Core Elements. As you develop strategic ideas you will want to keep in

mind the images of the future and the core elements for your focus area. If your research

or conversations have stimulated new images or core elements for the focus areas and you

make changes, be prepared to share how and why this achieves the original desired results

or something broader and better.

2. Group Discussion. What ideas are emerging that allow you to conceptualize this focus area

and for ways to move towards the desired results for this focus? Create the opportunity for

each person to share the highlights of what emerged for them in their conversations and/or

research. Capture highlights and salient ideas. Group like ideas, make distinctions between

strategies and action steps to move a strategy forward—a strategy is how are we going to

achieve the desired outcome, an action step is what are we going to do to make progress

toward the strategy.

3. Develop a set of strategic ideas. On a clean sheet of chart paper, draft a focus area

headline and strategic ideas that your group sees as the most potent strategies for achieving

the results. Save action steps that have surfaced for use tomorrow. Write each idea and

leave space for small 4 x 4 post-its below each strategy.

4. Goal Statement. Reflect on these strategies and the outcomes or results they will generate.

Using the headline as a guide, craft a goal statement that is measurable.



Stress Testing Our Ideas

Hold your ideas lightly as we go forward. One person remains at your table to explain your

ideas and gather feedback. There will be several opportunities for stress-testing ideas. Visit

those tables that have worked with focus areas you are most interested in.

Purpose: To share our strategic ideas, stress-test them and gather input from our colleagues.

Goals: 1. Buzz around and cross-pollinate. Visit each of the tables and learn about the suggested

goal, recommended changes to the focus area and the strategic ideas for achieving the goal.

Share what you like about the ideas.

• On 4 x 4 post-its offer insights for goals. Make suggestions for what can be

measured for this goal.

• On 4x4 post-its, write down any suggestions or ideas about what should be

considered in moving forward in this focus area or strategy.

• On 4 x 4 post-its write down any links or overlaps that you can see with other

strategic ideas or focus areas.

2. Regrouping. Original group gathers back at their table and incorporates any ideas into their

final suggested strategies and goal description. Follow up on links to other groups so that

your goals and strategies positively impact one another from the outset and so that you

create an elegant plan (maximum impact, minimum effort).

3. Final Draft. At the top of a clean chart page write the goal headline plus the measurable

goal statement. Write each strategy in bold on 8 ½ x 11. Post the chart to the wall with the

strategies underneath in a long column.



Selecting and Prioritizing Strategies

Purpose: To identify the criteria that will help us select the most promising strategies.

Goals:

1. Generate Criteria. Reflect on the potential criteria we should use for selecting strategies for

achieving our goals. Keep in mind:

• State goals and strategies

• Our Mission, vision and principles

• Student, community and business needs

• Trends and opportunities

2. Observe and Listen. The President and Cabinet will engage in a fishbowl discussion on what

has been created so far, reflecting on whether we have the basic goals identified and initial

strategies for moving forward. Listen to hear how they are assessing our work from

yesterday and write down any additional criteria that we will want to use in selecting

strategies.

3. Finalize Criteria. As a group, finalize the criteria we will use in assessing, selecting and

prioritizing strategies for each group.

4. Rapid Update. Focus area group have a brief conversation. Using criteria as a guide, make

any final changes to your focus area and strategies.

5. Report Outs. Each group presents their final goal and recommended strategies for achieving

it.

6. Dot Voting. You will have 3 large dots and 9 small dots. Place your large dots on the 3 goals

that you believe are the most important for SCC to focus on in the strategic plan. Place your

small dots on the 2-3 strategies under each goal that you believe are the best strategies to

achieve that goal.



Prototyping Our Strategies

Purpose: To develop a prototype for our strategies that will enable us to learn fast and learn

cheap and evolve over time with relevant stakeholders.

Goals:

1. Develop strategic planning prototypes. For each strategy craft your plan for moving

forward and any action steps that may have surfaced in your conversations yesterday. Be

sure to include:

• Leadership. Who should own this strategic initiative? Who will take responsibility for

managing implementation?

• Stakeholder List. Who can influence or impact the success of this strategy? Who will be

responsible for implement the action plans? Who needs to be engaged in helping to

craft the action plan?

• What will be measured? How will we know this strategy is moving forward? How will

we know if we need to make adjustments to our plan?

• How it will evolve. What role will learning, evaluating, innovating, and change play as

we move forward and things change, as they inevitably will?

• First Action Steps and timeline. What are the first actions that need to be taken in order

to truly create an action plan?

• Ideas that Percolated. Action planning ideas that emerged in conversations.

2. Complete the Planning Template.

3. Rapid Stress Testing. Partner with another table. Share your goal and the strategic plan to

achieve it. Those listening, listen with the ears of those who are not here. What do you like

about the plan? What else should the group consider?

4. Final Update. Using the input from your colleagues, make any appropriate updates to your

template.



Planning for Implementation and Perpetual Evolution

Purpose: To make sure there is an overarching strategy for implementation, on-going agile

project management where appropriate and perpetual evolution over time.

Notes:

Goals:

1. Roles Going Forward. At your tables, identify your roles going forward. How will each of you

become a champion for the strategic plan, especially strategies that touch you daily?

2. Strategies for Engagement and Collaboration. How will you share what has happened at

the retreat and invite your colleagues to take an active role in achieving the goals. How will

you engage them in genuine collaboration? What do you need from leadership? From your

colleagues?

3. Project Management and Learning. What strategies are likely to have projects associated

with them that would benefit from agile management methods? What role will you plan in

that process?

4. Perpetual Evolution of the Plan. At your tables discuss and offer suggestions for ways to do

the following. Capture your ideas on chart paper.

� Ensure measures are used as routine bearings for moving toward your goals.

� Stay aware and alert to new trends and opportunities.

� Keep your strategic plan alive for the college and evolving in response to changes in the

environment and new opportunities as they emerge?

5. Choose the Best Ideas. Circle the ideas that your group believes will be the simplest and

most effect ideas in each of the three areas: using metrics, staying alert, perpetual

evolution.

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