This interview with a founding partner of a consulting firm specializing in product and process innovation discusses the need for American businesses to rethink their one-shot approach to innovation and implement instead a systems approach to supporting and managing innovation. A strong collaborative effort that reaches throughout the organization…

More than 170,000 children are injured yearly on U.S. playgrounds. Every school should establish a long-range plan to bring its playground into compliance with Consumer Product Safety Commission guidelines and establish good programs for children and playground supervisors. Safety rules and proper management and supervision can reduce injuries.…

Strategic planning enables colleges to direct discretionary dollars into high-impact areas that can enhance critical core activities, improving output. When the institution can disinvest financial resources in weak or noncritical core areas and redirect them through careful budgeting, it improves its chances for success. (MSE)

Explores ways in which educational institutions may undertake market research, using case studies from various educational situations. Recommends market research for long-range planning and marketing activities. (SK)

Discusses the loss of stored knowledge due to the continuous obsolescence of digital formats and platforms. Topics include digital storage versus digital preservation; the use of metadata and efforts to create standards for it; information on the Internet; and the need for long-term planning to solve digital degradation. (LRW)

Describes development and implementation of a four- page strategic plan at Colby-Sawyer College (New Hampshire). Notes initial small group meetings of faculty and staff to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Explains the resulting plan's format which is organized around eight critical areas, three institutional goals, and…

Excerpts from a coming book, "Intentional Design and the Process of Change" identify 13 lessons from the authors' 20 years of experience in change management and strategic planning in higher education. Emphasis is on leadership principles for managing the process of change. (DB)

Assesses whether college administrators are planning and building adequately to meet the the educational demand for space over the next 20 years. Trends in construction dollars expenditures over the past two decades are presented. (GR)

Argues that application of a marketing perspective to higher education does not require "doing everything the customer wants," but rather bringing the expectations of the service provider and the customer closely into line. Distinguishes between providing professional services and the manner in which they are marketed. Urges educators to develop…

Asserts that strategic planning can be a powerful tool in helping an organization like the National Association for Developmental Education to reinvent itself to better meet today's and tomorrow's needs. The strategic planning process involves the asking of several basic questions: "What do we want to be in the future?"; "Who are…

Offers a nine-step program to colleges and universities for selecting a consultant, including: (1) deciding what is needed; (2) evaluating in-house skills; (3) using what is available; (4) conducting research; (5) asking consulting firms key questions; (6) evaluating the information; (7) interviewing people; (8) selecting the consultant; and (9)…

Organizational performance is highly influenced by how employees envision the future. To date, many scholars have emphasized the importance of an overarching future vision that unites all stakeholders, while acknowledging the presence of divergent perspectives among members. This variety in perspectives may be further complicated in organizations…

In this article, the author recalls a situation he encountered when a 4-year old boy inexplicably collapsed unconscious to the ground in the middle of his preschool classroom. She describes how the school had a detailed emergency and crisis plan in effect and how they utilized it while dealing with this situation. Sections include: (1) A Working…

Many books have been written about leadership. Every author approaches the subject from his or her own perspective and emphasizes different qualities leaders must have to be effective in the particular environment or type of work in which they are engaged. There is consistency, however, in many of the characteristics leaders should possess.…

This study investigates influences on the sustainability of a computers-in-schools project during the implementation phase thereof. The Computer Assisted Learning in Schools (CALIS) Project (1992-1996) is the unit of analysis. A qualitative case study research design is used to elicit data, in the form of participant narratives, from people who…