Leading Strategic Reset: A Framework for Revisioning University Strategic Priorities

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56059/jl4d.v11i3.1174

Keywords:

leadership, strategic reset, strategic priorities university futures, credentialing, societal shifts, geopolitics

Abstract

Strategic reset is the process of reassessing an institution’s strategic priorities, making changes if warranted, and assessing whether the institution can effectively engage and respond to any zeitgeist in the future through agility, flexibility, innovation, and responsiveness to all key stakeholders. The prerequisite for strategic reset is, Why change? What forces are the catalyst for change? The author notes that stakeholder demands for change in education are not new and not all institutions necessarily have to engage in all priority strategic areas for strategic reset. Moreover, reframing strategic priorities must be phased-in based on priority synergy areas. Attempting to do everything fragments resources, increases negative public perceptions about mission ambiguity and diminished quality and leads to mediocrity. Competitors will reframe their institutions with new architectures and streamlined strategic priorities to ensure focus, agility, and responsiveness to highly complex market forces. Competition will drive your institution off the playing field unless the leaders step back, reset, engage and focus their leadership team on resetting strategic priorities and creating the university of the future.

Author Biography

Don Olcott, Jr., University of South Africa

Dr. Don Olcott, Jr, FRSA, is Professor Extraordinarius of Leadership and ODL at the University of South Africa.   He is also President of HJ Associates in Romania and a consultant affiliate with Universal Learning Services (ULS), Barcelona, Spain. Don was the 2024 recipient of the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) Leadership Award for outstanding contributions to open, distance and online learning. He was the 2023 recipient of the ICDE Prize of Excellence for Lifelong Contributions to open, flexible, distance and online learning. Don is a Senior Fellow of EDEN Digital Learning Europe and was Chair of the EDEN Council of Fellows for 2021-He was adjunct Professor of Leadership and ODL at the University of Maryland Global Campus from 2011-2021. Dr. Olcott is former Chief Executive of The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education (OBHE) in the UK (2007-2011) and former Chairman of the Board of Directors and President of the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA). Dr. Olcott was the 2013 recipient of the International Council of Distance Education (ICDE) Individual Prize of Excellence for his leadership and contributions to global open and distance education. He was the 2016 Stanley Draczek Outstanding Teaching Award recipient from the University of Maryland Global Campus for excellence in online teaching and learning.   Don will be inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame at the University of Florence in November 2024 . 

Email:  don.olcott@gmail.com

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Published

2024-11-19

How to Cite

Olcott, Jr., D. (2024). Leading Strategic Reset: A Framework for Revisioning University Strategic Priorities. Journal of Learning for Development, 11(3), 514–527. https://doi.org/10.56059/jl4d.v11i3.1174

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 3 (2024): ISSUE 3

Section

Research Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Don Olcott, Jr.

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Received 2023-09-06
Accepted 2024-09-17
Published 2024-11-19