Five Big Goals for Planning and Research Leaders
By Dr. Brian Miller, Vice President, Planning and Research Pitt Community College
During my over twenty years working in the community college planning and research professional space I’ve learned a lot about strategy, budgets, student recruitment and retention, assessment, accreditation, fundraising, board relations, and that advancing the institutional mission is hard and rewarding work.
During the last couple of years while managing institutional accreditation reaffirmation I have rediscovered the meaning of five goals I’ve adopted since I learned about them in 1993. Every day these goals influence my outlook and approach to leadership. These may help you.
1. Continuity
Planning and Research maintains mission-driven work and services on a continual and consistent basis that balances and meets the needs of students, faculty, staff, the board of trustees, other agencies, and the Planning and Research staff.
- Continuity helps earn trust. A planning and research department is typically an administrative, college-facing office. Within this dynamic setting colleagues and stakeholders expect us to be at bat and ready with sharp thinking to shape ideas and develop solutions.
- In mathematics, a continuous function is a function such that there are no abrupt changes in value, known as discontinuities. An adaptation for Planning and Research is that the office works to prevent abrupt changes to service or mission through professional development, environmental scanning, and close work with the college board of trustees. The office works daily to develop and grow consistent and high-value services and results.
2. Equity
Decisions are made free of bias or favoritism. Planning and Research provides the college community professional services including survey development and administration, institutional research, planning, effectiveness, and assessment systems. The department also monitors and manages institutional accreditation. Planning and Research staff strives to treat everyone with respect and courtesy. It is also recognized that individual differences exist within each professional project.
- Being a leader at a community college is people work. Whether interacting with community partners, alumni, board members, or elected officials, work to build positive relations with professionalism and knowledge.
- Equity is the quality of being fair and impartial. Balancing the many needs and deadlines associated with each project is a combination of art and science. The science is developing a clear understanding of the project and expectations/outcomes (of which there are infinite varieties). The art is carrying it to completion amongst the numerous work variables that arise every day.
3. Communication
Planning and Research uses a variety of platforms, such as the public website, the secure institutional portal, presentations, and publications, to share and communicate institutional information and project results with project sponsors and college stakeholders. Strategic plan progress is mapped with visual dashboard analytics on the public website. Real-time enrollment, FTE, and other data-based information is posted on data dashboards on the secure institutional portal. The department provides employees and stakeholders with reliable, valid, and referenced material for decision-making, instructional changes, and institutional policy development.
- Communication is a daily priority and an opportunity to improve leadership. Develop open lines with direct reports, so they are empowered to work with issues and develop solutions before catastrophe sets in. As the department works will all college levels communications are an everyday and all-the-time concern.
- In the era of telework and remote work, it is important to seek input and to be accessible. Bolman and Deal’s (2008) Symbolic frame of leadership is even more important as new work patterns and sites emerge. Symbols represent values. The value of being accessible cannot be overstated. One can be accessible by remote means or by being present in a campus office. This attribute signals the campus that you are open and ready to interact and listen.
4. Safe Environment
The department adheres to college policies and procedures to ensure confidence in operations. Diligence is expected of each staff member to ensure professional projects and personnel are free from harm. Honest discourse and professional integrity are foundations for positive project leadership and management. A safe environment helps to build positive and healthy relations within the department. Some key attributes that promote a safe environment culture include:
- Think forward and acknowledge risk areas within the work activity. For instance, Planning and Research helped usher in stand-up work locations and equipment. In the past, the department has also advocated for policies allowing wellness activity during the workday.
- Organizational commitment to resources to address safety concerns. Planning and Research has recurring budget to house a comprehensive first aid kit that building occupants regularly access and use.
- Expectations of shared responsibilities by staff for safety implementation and reporting unsafe conditions.
Attention to these items and others can contribute to the formation of optimal working environments.
5. Quality Experience
The work and environment within the department help individuals develop professional skill sets and build positive relationships across all college levels. The duties each professional performs have a wide-ranging impact. Each position within the department is uniquely positioned to affect change and offer solutions to advance the college mission.
- A quality experience speaks for itself. To borrow a concept from Stephen Covey, the department helps sharpen the saw for various college audiences. Services and information provided help employees become better teachers and professionals.
- By attending to the details above goals this goal can help to promote and advance the department and college mission and service field.
Last, these goals can help advance personnel retention, development, and promotion.
This is a fairly comprehensive set of goals that haved helped with leadership and management in my current position and with groups in a wide variety of settings, from graduate classrooms to the boardroom, from backpacking and canoeing trips to working with compliance committees.
These goals, continuity, equity, communication, a safe environment, and a quality experience, can help planning and research leaders with the many and varied responsibilities that come with the job.
Reference
Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2008). Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership. Jossey Bass.
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