Posts by Agile Strategy Lab Team
How Higher Education Institutions Build Confidence Through Small, Early Wins
Universities and other higher education institutions often set ambitious strategic goals that can take years to achieve. While these long-term priorities provide important direction, it can be difficult for faculty,…
Read MoreThe First 90 Days of a Cross-Campus Initiative: How to Build Momentum That Lasts
When a new challenge or opportunity emerges for a higher education institution, it typically starts out with plenty of support and enthusiasm. Leadership is quick to assemble groups or committees,…
Read MoreStrategic Planning vs. Strategic Doing in Higher Education
In higher education, strategy and planning are often treated as the same thing. We create strategic plans, establish priorities, and define goals with the expectation that action will follow. While…
Read MoreBreaking Down Silos in Higher Education: Aligning Academic, Administrative, and IT Teams
Higher education has always relied on specialized expertise. Academic units, administrative departments, and technology teams each have distinct responsibilities, leadership structures, and measures of success. While these differences are valuable,…
Read MoreThe Hidden Cost of Too Many Campus Initiatives
Universities are no strangers to change, with student success efforts, technology implementations, accreditation priorities, enrollment initiatives, and workforce development projects often emerging simultaneously across campus. Each initiative may be well-intentioned…
Read MoreHow Universities Can Move From Planning to Coordinated Action
Most colleges and universities have developed strategic plans for the upcoming year and intend to see them through. Yet many leaders still find themselves asking the same question a year…
Read MoreHow to Modernize Your University Without Overwhelming Faculty and Staff
The challenge for most colleges and universities is not whether to modernize, but how. Many institutions – especially mid-size colleges navigating enrollment, academic innovation, and operational pressures – are already…
Read MoreAgile Isn’t Just for IT: How Colleges Can Become More Adaptive
One of the more persistent habits in higher education institutions – much like in other complex organizations – is assuming that change belongs somewhere else. We see it when new…
Read MoreHow the Agile Strategy Lab is Shaping the Future of Institutional Strategy
At the 2024 SCUP Annual Conference, higher education leaders were introduced to a dynamic and collaborative approach to strategic planning known as Strategic Doing. This agile methodology, championed by the…
Read MoreWhat Does It Mean to Truly Collaborate?
True collaboration goes beyond simple teamwork; it’s about co-creating something entirely new using the assets at hand. But what does that look like in practice? How can you develop leadership…
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