Strategy, Planning, Preparation - The 5Rs Partnership

STRATEGY, PLANNING CHALLENGES

What does strategy with a reputation focus mean?

It involves four key metrics- 1. what to prioritize and what to not 2. do more of less 3. alignment/integration versus just lots of activity and 4. planning built on evidence of what markets value and what reputational success looks like.

Education institutions and systems around the world are increasingly subject to competitive and demand-driven models. This places unprecedented requirement to develop strategy and planning processes that genuinely impact both educationally and reputationally.

Strategic planning approaches continue to be overly inward-looking, lack intent and high ambition, and are too generic in focus. Bland planning processes and generic content (e.g. a sameness in mission, vision, and values) are a direct source of what we call a lack of ‘’valued differentiation’’ in education institutions. This limits the impact of strategy and planning both externally in areas such as marketing authenticity, and internally through staff ownership and unity.

There is increased recognition that strategy and planning in educational institutions must be much more than compliance-based, ‘steady as she goes’ in parameters, and outcomes. Changed context demands a more ‘on-the-move’ perspective, data insight (including asking the right questions), and a more progressive process. A secondary benefit is that stakeholders advocate more readily when they see that planning has meaningful consultation, relevance, and accountability.

A strategic plan is a one-off platform for a definitive and focused response. The quality and inclusivity of strategic planning are increasingly being scrutinised as schools and universities expand their services, face more competition, and seek stronger relationships with stakeholders.

Expert Solutions- What We Do and How?

- We undertake strategic planning from a reputational perspective.
- 5Rs Partnership unique reputational approach to strategy and planning leads to identification of high value priorities and directions that impact. We guide the move from compliance to an evidence-based, strategic, reputational model of planning.
- 5Rs Partnership perspective and approach are that in a contemporary setting, strategic planning requires both an education and reputational perspective to be impactful, and unifying. Without it, there can be significant reverberations and a lack of clarity.
- Our approach ensures that strategic planning outputs are actionable and ‘user-friendly’ to all, including those often less engaged in the process (e.g., faculty). gain deep community acceptance and be a core reference. The 5Rs Partnership holds understanding of all the elements required for an integrative, future-facing strategy process which has meaning for all stakeholders.
- We also provide the underpinning feasibility research and due diligence to clients seeking to make major new strategic education investment decisions to expand. We work closely with educational institutions to analyse expansion opportunities and feasibility for new campuses internationally. We provide rigorous data-driven recommendations on the likely success of new campus investments that can then feed into more detailed business cases.