detecting and eliminating bad international strategy
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Detecting and Eliminating Bad International Higher Education Strategy
David Graham, Ph.D.Senior Advisor to the President on International StrategyConcordia UniversityMontreal, QC
Canada
APAIE 2014, Seoul, South Korea
Introduction
Overview of our session Overview of this presentation Key definitions (“internationalization” and “strategy”,
and their characteristics)
Overview of Our Three-Part Session
Part 1 (David Graham) Learn why bad strategy is so prevalent, how to recognize it,
and what to do about it
Part 2 (Eric Deschamps) Understand how entrepreneurialism is impacting
international education and what that means for our students, international offices, and institutions
Part 3 (Hans Pohl) Will discuss different methods to bring the measurement of
internationalisation closer to its actual impact in terms of diversity
Overview of this Presentation
Definitions “Internationalization” and “Strategy”
Diagnosis: what bad strategy is; how to recognize it What it is
In a nutshell, sloppy thinking that masquerades as strategy Recognizing bad strategy and understanding how it arises
Bad strategy has several diagnostic features It’s so easy to do! Good strategy is hard work
Prognosis: The dangers of bad strategy It hinders the development of good strategy It can lead to catastrophe
Prescription: Recovering from bad strategy Steps to success
Two Fundamental Definitions
Internationalization
“Internationalization is a process of integrating an international, intercultural, and global dimension into the goals, functions, and delivery of higher education.” (Jane Knight, “Five Truths About Internationalization.” IHE 69.)
Strategy
“The term ‘strategy’ should mean a cohesive response to an important challenge. Unlike a stand-alone decision or a goal, a strategy is a coherent set of analyses, concepts, policies, arguments, and actions that respond to a high-level challenge.” (Richard Rumelt. Good Strategy, Bad Strategy)
“The core of strategy work is always the same: discovering the critical factors in a situation and designing a way of coordinating and focusing actions to deal with those factors.” (Ibid.)
StudentsFaculty
Internal
Offshore
Shared
Research
Outreach
Holistic Internationalization
People
Programs
Kno
wle
dge
InternationalMeans
Mobility
InboundOutbound
RecruitExchange
ExchangeStudy-abroad
InboundOutbound
RecruitRetain
ResearchLeaves
Internationalized Curriculum
ArticulatedJointDual
PartnershipsExchanges
Joint ventures
Faculty upgradingKnowledge transfer
Alumni relationsGovernment relations
Conferences
Alone or sharedWith or without infrastructure

Characteristics of a True International StrategyHigh-level
Operating at the institutional policy level, not at the operational or transactional level
Long-term
Robust, and able to accommodate unforeseen contingencies; “good for the long haul”
Pervasive
Affecting and mobilizing all sectors of operations
Influential
Taken into account in the course of all major decision-making processes (not determinative, but always a factor to be considered)
7
The Claim to an “International Strategy” is Common
Source:“Comparing International Student and Institutional Objectives at Canadian Colleges and Universities: Implications for Institutional Strategy” (Skinkle, Embleton, and Hewitt 2012)
Diagnosis:Defining and Recognizing Bad Strategy
Richard Rumelt’s four categories of “bad strategy” Some typical examples Characteristic symptoms to look for
Rumelt’s Components of Bad StrategyFluff
Undefined Challenge
Wrong Objectives
Goals ≠Strategy
Bad StrategyLet’s see some real-life examples
Example 1: Fluff
“International activities and collaborations enhance the quality of research and education at [University], and improve its competitive position. Internationalisation is a process responding to internationalism and globalisation. It includes both local and international aspects, and serves as a tool to attain the high standards and promote innovative knowledge creation which are the core principles of the university.
[University] is far from alone as universities increase international outreach and focus, but none will have an identical “web” to [University]’s. This web is built on the strengths of our researchers and teachers, on their potential leadership, and on the unique perspective each brings to the problems and questions they address.”
Rumelt’s Four Signs of Bad Strategy (1)
1. Use of fluff “Fluff is a form of gibberish masquerading as strategic
concepts or arguments.”
Example 2: Failure to face the challenge
“[University]’s focus is to substantially increase international student enrollment in the next five years, continue and expand our academic preparatory programs, enhance our support services for international students and ensure that global engagement activities are in cooperation with local community organizations that have a global outlook.
The Global Engagement Strategy (GES) is a new initiative at [University] to prepare all graduates to be citizens of the world. Since the goal is to increase the population of international students at [University], this initiative will focus on the support services for international students and make sure that global engagement can be felt in some way by all students, faculty and staff. The establishment of global engagement programming differentiates [University] among other universities.”
Rumelt’s Four Signs of Bad Strategy (2)
1. Use of fluff “Fluff is a form of gibberish masquerading as strategic
concepts or arguments.”
2. Failure to face the challenge “When you cannot define the challenge, you cannot evaluate
a strategy or improve it.”
Example 3:Mistaking goals for strategy“By helping to situate [University] firmly within the international context, the plan enhances [University]’s ability to achieve a number of critical objectives including:
1. developing our capacity to establish strong collaborative research initiatives and to stimulate innovative research of benefit to Canada and the world in an increasingly competitive funding environment;
2. meeting the expressed needs of students, faculty and administrators to understand their work within a global setting;
3. ensuring that teaching, learning, research and service are as current as possible, based upon existing realities of and developments both within and well beyond Canada; and
4. attracting students and faculty of the highest calibre to [University].”
Rumelt’s Four Signs of Bad Strategy (3)
1. Use of fluff “Fluff is a form of gibberish masquerading as strategic
concepts or arguments.”
2. Failure to face the challenge “When you cannot define the challenge, you cannot evaluate
a strategy or improve it.”
3. Mistaking goals for strategy “Many bad strategies are just statements of desire rather
than plans for overcoming obstacles.”
Example 4:Bad strategic objectives
“Under the Strategy, the Government of Canada will work with the provinces and territories, Canadian educational institutions, and other stakeholders to double the size of our international student base from 239,131 in 2011 to more than 450,000 by 2022 (without displacing Canadian students). Increasing the number of international students to more than 450,000 will create new sources of jobs, economic growth and prosperity in every region of the country.”
Rumelt’s Four Signs of Bad Strategy (4)
1. Use of fluff “Fluff is a form of gibberish masquerading as strategic
concepts or arguments.”
2. Failure to face the challenge “When you cannot define the challenge, you cannot evaluate
a strategy or improve it.”
3. Mistaking goals for strategy “Many bad strategies are just statements of desire rather
than plans for overcoming obstacles.”
4. Bad strategic objectives “Strategic objectives are ‘bad’ when they fail to address
critical issues or when they are impracticable.”
Symptomatic Weaknesses to Look For Missing pieces
Key problems or barriers to success are omitted or avoided The strategic challenge is often not identified or is left unstated There are no clearly defined actions, targets, and measurements The authors use soft or “flabby” language (“enhance”, “improve”)
Magical thinking Especially about quantitative issues: time frames, resources needed Failure to assign responsibility for outcomes
Assuming the conclusion Internationalization is often assumed to be important It’s essential to state why internationalization (as opposed to other
activities) is a necessary component of the response to a challenge Essential to explain why the goals are important
Confusing implementation or operation with strategy Do we need a strategy or an operational plan?
Prognosis: Very Poor if Untreated(Why Bad Strategy Drives Out Good, and Why This is so Dangerous)
Bad strategy is not just the absence of good strategy It is easier than good strategy Promising much, claiming to cost little, it has a
seductive appeal This combination of characteristics makes it very
dangerous for institutional well-being
1. Bad Strategy Has a Life of Its Own
In other words, it is more than just the absence of good strategy“Bad strategy has a life and logic of its own, a false edifice built on mistaken foundations. Bad strategy may actively avoid analyzing obstacles because a leader believes that negative thoughts get in the way. Leaders may create bad strategy by mistakenly treating strategy work as an exercise in goal setting rather than problem solving. Or they may avoid hard choices because they do not wish to offend anyone—generating a bad strategy that tries to cover all the bases rather than focus resources and actions.” (Rumelt)
Because of this, it can easily come to dominate
2. It’s Also Much Easier than Good Strategy
Easier Harder
List Aspirations and Accomplishments
Identify the Strategic Challenge
Claim Value for Them Understand its Implications
Identify a Resource GapDevelop a Coherent Plan of
Action
Lay Claim to the ResourcesAssign Responsibility and
Resourcing
Promise New Accomplishments Execute and Assess the Plan
3. Bad Strategy is Seductive Bad Strategy is “Feel Good Strategy”: inoffensive, easy to
love, undemanding, it glosses over the difficulties“Students at [University] come from over 150 countries, and help create a rich environment for every member of the university. Programs, teaching, and opportunities to learn in a wide spectrum of contexts complement this richness, providing a basis for adaptability, academic rigour, and openness.”
Bad Strategy avoids responsibility altogether, or locates it elsewhere (or everywhere, and thus nowhere)“No internationalisation plan can hope for success without the participation of a wide array of administrative units. The reach of internationalisation crosses every sector of the administration and life within the university: recruitment, student services, academic programs, research networks, student mobility, international partnerships, government relations, a strong advisory capacity, hosting delegations, etc. All together, these activities can strengthen the university for all of its members.”
4. Bad Strategy is Dangerous
By definition:Any challenge is a test of ability; whether of skill, strength, power, wit, nimbleness, agility, speed, reaction time, or resourcesK “Generally, when demands outweigh resources, threat results;
when resources approximate or exceed demands, challenge results.” (Blascovich et al., “Stigma, Threat, and Social Interactions,” 2000; emphasis added)
A “strategic challenge” is almost always about institutional sustainability: high-level, medium- to long-term, and broad in other words, it has far-reaching implications If not met, a strategic challenge may thus become a threat
with potentially serious negative consequences
In Other Words, Bad Strategy Can Lead You Over a Cliff
Challenge Identified
Adequate Response
Failure
OptimalResponse
Maintenance
Decline
Improvement
Never Forget: Internationalization is Not Risk-Free!
Controversy!Reputational
Damage!Failure!Scandal!
Financial Ruin!
Prescription:Recovering from Bad Strategy
Defining the challenge Making the pitch for an international strategy Developing a plan Implementation
Creating Good Strategy: Steps to Success
1. Define the institutional strategic challenge Almost certainly, it will involve institutional sustainability (the
ability to continue operating as at present)
2. Decide whether internationalization is part of the answer For some challenges, certainly, but not all
3. If it is, make the strongest possible pitch to your boss How can you maximize your chances of being heard?
4. Know how to create the best conditions for successful development and implementation Consultation, responsibility assignment, follow-through
This part is left as an exercise for the audience!
1. Define the Strategic Challenge For public institutions, it will almost certainly involve
some combination of the following limiting factors: Finances (public funding, tuition, donor support) Demography (the recruitment pool for students and faculty) Government regulation (constraints on resource access) Accreditation (requires sustained academic standards) Competition (for resources of all kinds) Reputation (enables recruitment of students, faculty, donors)
These individual challenges are inextricably linked and mutually reinforcing
There’s no Shortage of Challenges
Government
InterventionDemographyFinances
In Short, the News is Not Good!
Sample Strategic Challenge: FinancesChange in USA State Appropriations, FY09–14
Source: http://grapevine.illinoisstate.edu/tables/FY14/Table2_GPV14.pdf
ND
IL
CA
LA
AZ
TXNY
“Spending [by state governments] per full-time public [higher education] student fell by an average of 26 percent in real terms between 1990-91 and 2009-10.” (Suzanne Mettler, “College, the Great Unleveler,” NYT, 1 Mar 2014)
Sample Challenge: DemographyUniversity-Age Population Shrinkage in Canada
http://www2.macleans.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/pop_growth_cohorts.png
Note net shrinkage of the 15–24 age group
Implications of an Aging Population If not met, a strategic challenge may lead to a “challenge
cascade” as consequences pile up: If the university-age population declines by 30%, and if our attendance
falls similarly, so will our funding Because most of our budget is tied up in salaries, this would entail
serious (and painful) consequences, including massive layoffs and program cuts
This could lead in turn to significant reputational damage, making it even harder to attract new students, especially good ones
As academic standards fall, recruitment becomes even harder
Shrinkage is so painful that it is almost always preferable to take up the challenge and meet the shortfall in some other way This means expanding our recruitment pool (options include linguistic,
age group, geographic pool) This in turn brings new challenges: how to maintain academic standards,
provide adequate academic and psychosocial support structures, fund our expanded recruitment efforts…
Institutional Sustainability Challenge Cascade
Loss of quality (overconcentration of students, declining admission standards, lessened support) leads inevitably to reputational impact
Academic
Reputational
Loss of reputational advantage complicates recruitment; incentives have to be offered to keep numbers up; finances are placed under stress
Financial
Weaker financing makes it even harder to sustain high standards and strong student support systems, leading in the worst case to the dreaded “death spiral”
2. More Internationalization is not Necessarily the Answer
If your institutional challenge is primarily:
Demographic increased holistic internationalization may well be an
essential part of meeting that challenge
Financial you will need to decide whether the bottom line from
internationalization will help or harm your institution
Regulatory internationalization may raise a warning flag
Related to accreditation especially if weak academic standards are involved, steer
clear of internationalization
3. Successfully Pitching Your Plan Be optimistic but honest
Couch the challenge in terms of institutional success After all, the point of a strategic plan is to meet the challenge successfully! Avoid using your plan as a disguised pitch for more resources
Be clear, concrete, and specific (avoid fluff!) Say clearly what failure to meet the challenge will mean for the institution
e.g., “The alternative to this approach will be an immediate across-the-board 5% budget cut” (actual quote from a CFO to a faculty Senate)
“Cookie-cutter templates” are no substitute for hard thinking about how to meet the challenge
Be realistic Avoid wishful, fuzzy, and magical thinking, unsupported assertions and
generalizations at all costs Define realistic goals that will have meaning to those who do the work Set out a program of coherent interlocking actions, and accept responsibility
for doing your share on time and within budget
