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Strategic Planning: An Effective Teambuilding Process
Coordinating Presenter
F Jeri Carter
Director, Student Health & Wellness
University of Washington Tacoma
1900 Commerce St.
Box 358403
Tacoma, WA 98402-3100
Phone: 253-692-4405
Ext: N/A
Fax: 253-692-4602
E-Mail: fjcarter@u.washington.edu Program Type
General Interest Session

Other Presenters
Shellie Jo Enscoe
Associate Director of Student Planning & Assessment
University of Washington Tacoma
Cedric B. Howard
Associate Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs & Chief Student Affairs Officer
University of Washington Tacoma

Other Information
Professional Development Curriculum
Culture, diversity environment, and organization development
Leadership, administration and management
Content Areas
No Records
Target Groups
Mid-level Student Affairs Professionals
Senior Student Affairs Officers
Continuing Education Credits
No
AV Needs
Flip Chart w. markers
Will bring own LCD; need power connection & screen

Narrative
Program Abstract
Effective teambuilding and strategic planning each present unique challenges. Strategic planning process provides a structured opportunity to build team cohesion while accomplishing necessary administrative and budgetary tasks. Collective synergy is time- and resource-efficient, and increases staff retention and motivation. This interactive presentation, designed for mid-level and senior Student Affairs professionals, offers a preliminary model for using the strategic planning process to build better functional teams, increase cross-divisional collaboration, and enhance standing in campus budget wars.
Program Description
Strategic planning has, as its manifest intent, the goal of providing a blueprint to guide a university’s progress toward future success. Effectively structured strategic planning at the divisional level may also serve as a mechanism for building a cohesive, highly-functioning team. This presentation uses concepts drawn from organizational development and dynamics, situational and transformational leadership models, and flow psychology to propose a model for effective teambuilding using the strategic planning process as structure. We will describe the University of Washington Tacoma’s Division of Student Affairs’ journey through the strategic planning process, moving from siloed, separate units with poor lines of communication and competing interests, to a unified Student Affairs division with common identity, mission, vision, values and goals. The challenge was complicated by the University’s shift from a two-year upper division institution to a four-year model, and by 70% new staff. Under the direction of a new chief student affairs officer, and informed by a student engagement model with learning domains, Student Affairs engaged in a multi-layered, developmental, collaborative process, combining doing the work, learning the skills, and structuring time for unstructured social interaction—getting to know one another as people, not just positions. The division managers met weekly for intensive, guided discussions that required consensus on key elements of the strategic plan. As ownership of the new process increased, the transformation from managers to leaders began, and leaders, in turn, modeled the new paradigm for their respective staff. This was reinforced through the implementation of monthly all-division meetings to support whole-team buy-in. Our success in melding a leadership team through collective learning and development ensured our successful strategic planning, which subsequently became a model for other divisions within the University and produced a successful budget cycle. Continuous engagement with our strategic planning and regular attention to team maintenance assures sustainability over time, and provides standing for a stronger collaborative relationship with Academic Affairs and other University departments. Student Affairs moved from invisible to influential, igniting a new synergy