P A R T N E R I N G F O R S O L U T I O N S

Strategic PlanningAdministrative Retreat

June 6, 2008

Gail GriffithThe Singer Group, Inc.

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AACPL Memory Wall

In your table groups:• Share a brief story highlighting something

important to you from the time you first joined the library staff

• The scribe from each group will capture significant words and ideas and post them on the timeline

• We’ll look at the entire timeline together

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Agenda

• Introductions, Goals

• About strategic planning

• AACPL’s process

• Context: Data and Trends

• Your Vision

• Next Steps

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Goals for Today

• Kick off the process with Administrative Staff

• Understand AACPL’s strategic planning process and how you and your staff will be involved

• Set context for planning• Share your vision for the future of the

library

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About Strategic Planning

Strategic planning is a roadmap for impelling continuous change and ensuring a future for an organization.

C. Davis Fogg (1998)

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Traditional vs. Learning-Oriented Assumptions: Strategic Change

[Readding & Catalanello]

Traditional Assumptions

No need to look back—only look forward

The future can be predicted – therefore plans need to anticipate forecasted changes.

A clear, consistent strategic vision will show is the path to the future.

We need a detailed, formal, comprehensive implementation plan.

Learning-Oriented Assumptions

We learn from the past, and context is important

The future is unpredictable – therefore planning needs to anticipate the possibility of a variety of futures.

The major value of a strategic vision is that it compels the library to act and learn.

We need to trigger quick journeys of discovery focused on immediate business issues.

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Our Process: Transparent, Inclusive

• Steering Committee with staff and Board: analyze data, set direction, collate, and prioritize

• Staff involvement: contribute ideas, develop strategy (email surveys, cross-functional teams)

• Community input : Surveys and Focus Groups

• Open to all – Wiki

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Steering Committee

– Marion Francis– Nancy Choice– Kate Purcell– Scott Sedmak– Lois Miller– Chief, TKS– Wanda Wagner– Cathy Butler– Gloria Davis– Joanie Bradford– Ed Epstein

– Betty Morganstern– Susan Schmidt– Laurie Hayes– Joanne Trepp– Skip Booth– Pat Ferguson– Board of Trustees Member– Library Associate– Circulation Supervisor– Librarian I– Branch Manager/Librarian

II

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Steps

Conduct External

Environmental Analysis

Conduct Internal

Organizational Assessment

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Set Strategic Direction

Construct Strategic

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Design & Execute

Implementation

Evaluate Performance

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Dates

• First Steering Committee meeting is June 24– Five meetings to follow, dates TBD but

beginning in the Fall– Staff ‘goal teams’ for strategy development

TBD, later in the Fall

• Community focus groups, other data gathering to begin in the summer

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P A R T N E R I N G F O R S O L U T I O N S

Context

Individual GroupLibraryCountyThe US

The World

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Context

• Turbulent and changing world

• Compelling need for leaders and all staff to proactively shape how the library’s business will be conducted

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The World and this is just a start!

• New technologies• More generations in the library and at the

workplace• New groups, other cultures• COMPETITION! • Succession planning imperatives • Web 2.0• What do our customers want? How can we best

satisfy them?• What is changing that we cannot see?

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And at AACPL

• County funding issues

• New Foundation, Development Office

• Community support

• Changing demographics, BRAC

P A R T N E R I N G F O R S O L U T I O N S

So Let’s Get Started

Setting the Context

Perspectives: Individual, Group, Library, County

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Some Data Analysis…

You have results from– AACPL Road Trip, April 2007– Patron Online Survey, February 2008– In-Branch Patron Survey, April 2008

As a table group, identify the top 3 items that the community wants/needs from the library based on this data.

Be ready to report out

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Trends to Come

• Social

• Technological

• Economic

• Environmental

• Political

• Values

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Trend Convergence• The world we live in• The world our library

customers (or non customers) live in

• The world our employees live in

• The world our employees come from

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We’ll be looking at the implications of trends on AACPL

• In the Steering Committee meetings and on the wiki, there will be opportunities to discuss

– Which trends are especially significant

– What they mean to the role of the library in the community

– What we must do in order to meet the community’s changing needs and expectations

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Developing a Vision

• Requires collective, creative and entrepreneurial thinking about how to prepare the library for the future

• Describes the preferred future for the library• Conveys a larger sense of purpose

P A R T N E R I N G F O R S O L U T I O N S

Which brings us to today…

..and a way for you to help envision the future

P A R T N E R I N G F O R S O L U T I O N S

Imagine that Library Journal has selected

as its Library of the Year in 2012!

YOU are LJ’s ‘Cover Story’

Tell us what the story says…

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The Cover Story

5 minutes Think or write your visionSelect a recorder and a reporter

15 minutes Share images in your group 20 minutes Write your story

Decide how to present it in a creative way

Draw, write, act, whatever you like. But be sure to involve the right side of your brain in some way!

Sign up for the order of presentation at any time

P A R T N E R I N G F O R S O L U T I O N S

Current Vision

AACPL is the essential connection to learning and enrichment

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Challenges of Creating A Strategic Vision

• Needs to be well-conceived

• Needs to be articulated clearly so that all the library’s stakeholders can see the future and their place in it

• Needs to create enthusiasm and provide a compelling rationale for change

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The Vision ….

• EXCITES: Appeals to our heart, our values

• IGNITES: Compelling; moves us to action

• INVITES: Everyone can share this vision

• UNITES: Everyone wants to be part of it

• LIGHTS: Shows the way to a better organization

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Next Steps

• First meeting of Steering Committee 6/24

• Roll out the wiki

• Public focus groups

• Staff Zoomerang surveys

• Best practice + trend research

• Look at ourselves

• Updates to Board and Staff