Rethinking Your Organization’s Collective Future through a Workbook-Based, Three-Level Model

Finally, here is a first-rate nuts-’n-bolts how-to guide to the next generation of strategic planning! Strategic Planning for Smart Leadership reviews relevant planning, management, and leadership literature to create the context for a heterarchical planning system within the theoretical framework of contemporary leadership, planning, human resource development, and systems thinking. It is designed to provide institutions – that enter the planning process with no idea of where it might take them – achievable ideals of where their planning process should lead them.

The author designed this book as a “how-to” tool for strategic planning at all levels of the organization. This proven book provides step-by-step strategies and practices for developing an institutional strategic plan, implementing the effort through departmental planning, and realizing the goals of the plan through the development of teams and personal/professional planning. Through theory, practice, workbooks, and the other training materials needed to create, implement and realize strategic plans, Strategic Planning for Smart Leadership will simplify the work of strategic planning for the everyday practitioner, manager, or leader.

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Professional Endorsements viii
Acknowledgements ix
About the Author xi

1. The Basics
   Chapter
   1. Introduction & Overview 1
      • The Quest 2
      • A Summary of the Basics 4
      • The Journey 6
   2. Strategic Planning in the New Economy 9
      • The Current Status of Strategic Planning 10
      • Surviving the Postmodern World by Navigating the Challenges of the New
      • Economy 11
   3. The Importance of Organizational Structure: Why Heterarchy? 19
      • Defining the Concepts 19
      • The Simplification and Explanation of the Importance of Structure 21
      • Why Heterarchy? 24
   4. The Art of Triadic Strategic Planning (Institutional, Departmental, & Personal) 39
      • The Triadic Planning Model 40
      • The Value of Adding the Personal Level to Traditional Strategic Planning 48
      • The Power of the Three Levels: Communication, Empowerment, & Ownership 49
   5. Completing the Entire Process In Less than One Year 53
      • Organizational Planning Process Path 57
      • Departmental Planning Process Path 59
      • Personal Planning Process Path 62
      • The Purpose of the Triadic Model 63
   6. Achieving Empowerment: The Essential Nature of Teams & The Culture of Shared Responsibility 69
      • The Role of Teams in the Triadic Strategic Planning Process 69
      • Heterarchical System Environments That Produce Effective Teams 71
      • Measuring Team Effectiveness 75
      • Teaming in the Heterarchical Structure 78
      • Teams and the Future 80
   7. Strategic Planning as a Means of Continuous Improvement 81
      • Thinking Strategically 81
      • Creating Change 84
      • Improving Practice & Processes 87
      • Human Resource Improvement 87
      • Strategic Budgeting 89
      • Continuous Improvement through Strategic Planning: A Worthy Goal 90
   8. Creating the Learning Centered Systems that Ensure Organizational Success 93
      • The Process of Becoming a Learning Organization 93
      • Using the Triadic Heterarchical Strategic Planning Process to Create Learning Centered Organizations 96
      • Principles of the Heterarchical Learning Organization 97
      • Creating the Culture of the Learning Organization Through a Learner Centered Approach 98
   9. Developing Data to Assess Effectiveness, Performance Improvement & Organizational Success 101
      • Data, What is it Good For?: Basic Research & Planning 101
      • Internal Assessment: Identifying Issues to Increase Quality 102
      • External Assessment: Looking Outward 105
      • Market Segmentation 105
      • Benchmarking Best Practices of Competitors 107
      • Identifying the Best Indicators of Effectiveness & Success 109
2. Step-by-Simple Step Planning Section: The Triadic Heterarchical Planning Process
   10. Strategic Organizational Planning Workbook 10.1
       • Purpose of Strategic Planning 10.3
       • Overview of Strategic Planning Process 10.4
       • Overview 10.4
       • Timeline 10.7
       • Preparation Guidelines 10.9
       • Vision, Mission, Evaluation & Development 10.10
       • Meeting Guidelines for Strategic Planning 10.18
         • Stage #1: Information Gathering & Exploring 10.18
         • Stage #2: Identifying and Assessing Alternative Actions 10.27
         • Stage #3: Creation of Criteria for Choosing Alternatives for Action 10.34
         • Stage #4: Proposal Development & Planning 10.38
       • Strategic Plan Format (Team Template) 10.49
       • Strategic Plan Format (Final Template) 10.51
   11. Strategic Departmental Plan Workbook 11.1
       • Purpose of Strategic Departmental Planning 11.3
       • Relating Your Departmental Plan to the Institutional Plan 11.3
       • Vision, Mission, Value, & Business Definition Development Process 11.5
       • Creating a System of Change through Leadership 11.10
       • The Role of the Inspirational Leader 11.12
       • Change by Means of Empowerment 11.14
       • The Dichotomy of Accountability & Responsibility 11.15
       • Relating Departmental Structures: Developing a Plan to Manage Business Functions 11.17
       • Managing the Process Functions of the Department 11.18
       • Defining Employee Talents Needed to Secure the Competitive Advantage 11.22
       • Setting the Key Departmental Objectives 11.26
       • The Pledge Matrix 11.31
       • The Departmental Planning Template 11.32
   12. Strategic Personal Planning Workbook 12.1
       • Introduction 12.5
       • Triadic Heterarchical Strategic Planning 12.9
       • The Case for Organizational Synergy 12.11
       • Putting Professional Life into Perspective 12.15
       • Ten Guiding Principles of the Successful Employee 12.15
       • Workplace Trend Matrix 12.19
       • Personal Knowledge/Skill Development Framework 12.21
       • Personal Ideals Worksheet 12.29
       • Personal Mission Statement Development Framework 12.34
       • Personal Plan Template 12.39
3. Advancing the Organization
   13. Leading the Process: Beyond the “Hero-Myth” toward the Inspirational Agenda 271
       • Summarizing the Theories of Leadership 272
       • Which are Essential, Managers or Leaders? 274
       • The Ideal Inspirational Model 277
       • Learning to Lead & Inspire Others 282
   14. Rewarding Success 285
       • A Simple Truth 285
       • Risks Create Rewards 286
       • Creating the Ideal Workplace 287
       • The Integration of Fun & Games 288
       • Creating Incentives & Rewarding Results Appropriately 288
   15. Conclusion: Forgetting Past Practice: Anyone and Everyone Leads Our Future: The Emergence of Sagacious Conductors 293
       • From Failure to Success 293
       • Expected Outcomes of Plan Implementation 294
       • Conclusion: Leaders for the People 296
       • Planning for Tomorrow: No End to Your Organization’s Potential 298

Comprehensive Bibliography 299

Having experience with implementing strategic planning processes at two prominent teaching medical centers and one college I only wish this book had been available fifteen years ago. Not only is this book informative and well organized it is enjoyable to read and I found myself laughing on more than one occasion. A must read for anyone who wants to understand how to improve strategic planning.

In Strategic Planning for Smart Leadership, Dr. Austin explains in plain language and with easy to understand examples how to develop, implement, maintain, and complete a realistic strategic planning process. This book is invaluable to an organization with thousands of employees and to organizations with a handful of individuals trying to systematically and rationally plan for the future in uncertain times.

Lawrence A. Spellman, SPHR, MHA, JD
Township Administrator
Township of Franklin, News Jersey

An invaluable erudite resource for every organization starting strategic planning! This comprehensive step-by-step approach engages all levels of your organization.

Joan Baillie
DuPont Partners In Science Manager
DuPont Chambers Works, Deepwater NJ 08069

Dr. Austin has provided a simple, practical guide to the strategic planning process. His inclusion of workbook materials is a wonderfully useful, timesaving device. In a planning process where it is easy to neglect the "buy-in" needed from all levels of an organization, the workbooks help keep the various structural elements in focus. In short, his book has made for a unique and important contribution to the planning literature.

Craig M. Jacobs
Director of Research at the Pennsylvania Institute of Technology

Dr. Austin's planning guide is not only "smart" but also practical and useful.  Managers who wish to exert leadership at any level of an organization will find the principles to be straightforward and the applications to be immediate. He actually shows how to accomplish the common sense blending of fiscal and human resources to accomplish strategic initiatives.

Dr. G. Jeremiah Ryan, President
Raritan Valley Community College