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A Multi-Faceted Strategic Planning Process for Innovation

Strategic planning has become an important component of how academic programs set goals and priorities.We present an approach to strategic planning that is characterized by inclusion of internal and external stakeholders and is unique in the combination of process tools utilized.

1. Introduction In the five years leading up to the beginning of our current strategic planning cycle, the College of Engineering at Purdue had undergone a period of significant growth both in faculty and facilities. The key questions facing the college centered around how to identify and realize the opportunities that this growth was creating. With this in mind, when the work on the next generation strategic plan began in late 2006, inclusiveness and widespread engagement of stakeholders were defining goals for the planning process. Reflecting this goal of including all levels of faculty and staff as well as students, outside academic and industrial experts andalumni, approximately hundreds of people across 25 continentshave been engaged in the preparation of the strategic plan.This inclusiveness of internal and external stakeholders has promoted a rich atmosphere for new ideas and approaches continued when teams were formed to translate strategies to actions.

In an effort to find new sources of value when planning forour learning, discovery, and engagementmissions, we sought out tools that would help stimulate new thinking and facilitate thoughtful discussion. Blue Ocean Strategy1 is based on study of industrial companies over the past century which have found success by providing goods and services valued by customers and other stakeholders that are truly different from their competitors. For our College, this approach focuses on stakeholders and providing value in new ways. Two facilitating tools –Polarity Management2and Creative Problem Solving3 – have been adopted in combination with Blue Ocean Strategy. In the remainder of the paper, we describe each of the three tools (Blue Ocean Strategy, Polarity Management and Creative Problem Solving) in more detail. Additionally, we describe the process that our College used to combine the tools in an integrated strategic planning process and the approach that our College used to implement this strategic planning process through the careful formation of teams and the support provided to these teams.

2. The Tools: Blue Ocean Strategy, Polarity Management and Creative Problem Solving

Blue Ocean Strategy1 A primary goal of the Blue Ocean Strategy is to identify and createuncontested market spaces— industries and offerings that are not yet in existence. While Blue Ocean Strategy is written with an industrial context in mind, the idea of new industries/ uncontested market spaces is still highly relevant to colleges and universities. Rather than offering products for consumers to purchase, colleges and universities offer educational experiences, and/or research opportunities for

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Cardella, M., & Davis, R., & Revankar, S., & Nies, L., & Percifield, C., & Jamieson, L. (2010, June), A Multi Faceted Strategic Planning Process For Innovation Paper presented at 2010 Annual Conference & Exposition, Louisville, Kentucky. 10.18260/1-2--16537