The difficulties associated with the formulation and implementation of multiyear planning in institutions of higher education are discussed. The organizational factors that limit an institution's ability to change direction or deviate from traditional patterns are described. The results of attempts to develop strategies to implement change are…

Successful human resource strategic planning at colleges and universities requires that: (1) outcomes contribute to the bottom line; (2) the plan is linked to the institution's long-term strategy; and (3) the plan is simple to understand and follow. Staff retreats are essential and should involve environmental analysis, departmental analysis,…

Strategic planning models seek order in a disorderly world. However, chaos science offers a language of concepts to discern deeper patterns in organizational life that appears out of control. Many of these concepts apply to higher education institutions. Interpretation of chaos theory principles suggests five tools for making high-leverage change…

A model for strategic planning using a new definition of management by objectives (MBO) is outlined and illustrated in the context of college or university administration, including department-level planning. Routine objectives, personal objectives, team objectives, budget performance, problem-solving objectives, innovation objectives, and…

A computerized method for managing institutional information to use in creating college planning documents is described. Development of the database, manipulation of the data for reporting, uses in strategic and long-range planning, and the model's implications for improvement of planning processes are discussed. (MSE)

Demands from state level agencies for greater accountability, less academic program duplication, and greater cost containment have pushed U.S. colleges toward greater seriousness, and more competence, in planning. A prominent factor in greater effectiveness in planning models is integrally relating planning, management, and evaluation. (MLW)

Strategic benefit planning is a management process that establishes overall objectives that form the basis for decision making on all elements of indirect compensation. The Tax Reform Act of 1986 and implications to tax-sheltered annuities are discussed. An example of a statement of university policy on employee benefits is appended. (MLW)

To cope with stresses of rapid growth, Regent University (Virginia) developed a five-year plan replacing performance review with a program of continual review of job responsibilities, training needs, and areas for improvement; identified pressing job training needs; and established training programs for the top three annually. The program is…

The University of Missouri completed the first year cycle of applying incentive pay to the university teaching hospital. The efforts to formulate and implement the program are described. Program characteristics, measuring performance, eligibility and award size, performance objectives, scales, and weights, and planning for incentives are…

A review and analysis of higher education planning efforts is presented, followed by findings from two studies: (1) the survey of the planning attitudes of administrators in colleges and universities, and (2) a pilot study of the fit between community college division heads' planning perspectives and the assumptions underlying strategic planning.…

The challenge of recruiting, retaining, and retraining college and university information technology (IT) staff affects the entire institution. Some issues in the impending IT staff crisis are outlined, particularly trends in demand for technology workers, and steps are suggested for campus IT leaders to take to minimize the effect of staff…

Colleges and universities should place less emphasis on the leadership of one or a few individual administrators and concentrate on creating a culture of leadership that will empower all members of the institution. The human resource development program at Boston College (Massachusetts) exemplifies the dynamic possibilities of leadership…

A staff development program at California State University at Long Beach trains faculty and other personnel to participate in earthquake-related search and rescue operations on campus if needed. Vendor-trained staff members prepared a campus training program in emergency operations, fire suppression and protection, casualty assessment, urban…

When the University System of Georgia (USG) felt the information-technology (IT) staffing squeeze, it ordered a study of IT worker recruitment and retention practices throughout the system and the public and private sectors. What resulted were recommendations that reflect some strategies more familiar in the corporate world than in higher…

In an era of rapid technological advancement and an economy in transition, colleges and universities must struggle to keep up with change. College human resource personnel will be instrumental in helping employees cope with technological challenges and increase productivity, and this will require taking a long-range perspective of personnel…