Eastern Michigan University, Pace University, Wilkes University
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, The University of Toledo, University of Dammam, Action Analytics Community of Practice

Problems Solved: Facing an Intractable Problem; Rapidly Rising Costs; Antiquated and Poorly Leveraged Technology; Misalignment of People, Resources and Program with Leaner Needs; Anxiety Over Change; Inability to Change Rapidly; and Declining Competitiveness		Strategic Focus: Leading and Navigating Change, Building Organizational Capacity and Changing Culture and Behaviors; Crafting/Executing Strategy; Aligning Learning, Knowledge, and Performance; Action Analytics™, Reinventing Processes
Project Team: Donald Norris, Sam Kirkpatrick, Joan Leonard, Paul Lefrere, Bassem Khafagy, Phil Taylor

Strategic Initiatives has worked with a variety of Institutions in measuring and improving performance through leveraging technologies, executive dashboards, process reinvention, changing organizational culture, and incentivizing collaboration and innovation. From 200-2004, our Project Team worked with Eastern Michigan University in reinventing its technology infrastructure and leveraging the technology to improve performance and institutional competitiveness. We deployed measurement of “value on investment” to capture gains from leveraging at Eastern Michigan University. We deployed similar concepts at Pace University from 2004-2005 and Wilkes University from 2005-2008.

Strategic Initiatives has been working with the executive leadership of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) since 2003 to develop strategic collaboration and innovation in a wide variety of areas. The MnSCU strategic plan mandates a robust innovation initiative, providing funding incentives and mechanisms for leveraging such initiatives, particularly ones focusing on student learning. The Board of Trustees established an ad hoc Committee on System and Institutional Assessment which oversees their performance efforts. The committee adopted targeted measures for each campus which serve as the basis for the performance review of the campuses’ presidents. MnSCU has deployed a performance dashboard to reflect these measures and supporting academic analytics, which are used at the system-wide and institutional levels. Currently, the Chancellor and Senior Vice Chancellor are both being evaluated using performance goals. This system will be rolled out more extensively across the enterprise in the near future.

Strategic Initiatives has also worked with the Compass Group to introduce a culture of performance measurement and improvement at the University of Toledo. The newly reorganized University of Toledo, recently emerged as a single institution from the combination of the University of Toledo and the Medical University of Ohio. The new chancellor, who was the physician leading the Medical Center, has announced his intention to deploy the performance measurement and improvement techniques that have been reducing costs and enhancing productivity in medicine into higher education. The stated goal is to create a “culture of performance measurement and improvement” that can be used to transform the institution. Strategic Initiatives has worked with the Compass Group in assisting the university to achieve productivity gains from the merger and to use performance measurement and improvement to drive process reinvention, collaboration, and innovation.

Strategic Initiatives is currently working on a number of projects involving measurement and enhancement of performance. Our strategy planning and execution projects for the University of Dammam and King Khalid University both feature performance measurement, KPIS, and critical success factors. In addition, our Action Analytics community of practice is firmly grounded in building cultures of performance measurement and improvement.