Strategic Planning
External Environmental Scanning
Strategic Plan 2010 Kickoff Workshop:
Using External Environmental Scanning and Forecasting to Improve Strategic Planning
by Joel Lapin
The first of four workshops to kickoff Indiana University South Bend’s
new strategic planning process took place Friday, March 21, 2008. The workshop was facilitated by
Joel Lapin, a professor of sociology at The Community College of Baltimore County, Maryland, whose
consulting services have been retained to guide IUSB’s journey toward completing Strategic
Plan 2010.
Workshop sessions included:
- External environmental scanning and forecasting, and its role in a strategic plan for chancellor, chancellor’s cabinet, faculty, staff, administrators, students, community leaders, and appropriate friends and supporters of IU South Bend. International, national, and regional trends provided by consultant.
- Simulated scan team exercise, to train scan team members in external environmental scanning and forecasting.
- Plan to organize and operate external environmental scanning and forecasting activity in the institution – tasks, timelines, responsibilities, resources, etc. Preparatory work completed for interviews with community leaders.
Strategic Plan 2010 will be a collaborative effort (see chart) between the external Environmental Scanning Teams (which were established as a result of the workshop), Campus Directions Committee, and the Strategic Planning Advisory Committee.
The external Environmental Scanning Team are divided into the following focus areas:
- Competition
- Demographic
- Economic
- Education
- Labor Force
- Political
- Social, lifestyles, values
- Technology
Strategic Planning Assessment Metrics
2005 - 2006 First Edition
2006 - 2007 Second Edition
2007 - 2008 Third Edition
Strategic Links
Mission Differentiation Project
HLC Self Study Report, Fall 2007
