Strategic Management of
Nonprofit Organizations
SYLLABUS
BUSA 645a (Part One)
Semester: January 30- March 27,2010
Eastern University
Campolo College of Graduate and Professional StudiesCourse Description
This course is a study of the planning and analysis of nonprofit organizations using the strategic planning process as a means of assessing the past and future, and developing action strategies. The study of efficiency and effectiveness “best practices” is also undertaken.
Core Competencies
The nonprofit program intentionally partners with students to build competency in thirty crucial skills. This Strategic Management course targets competency in eight of those skills – competencies one to five are major competencies; numbers six to eight are minor competencies of the course. A graduate of Eastern University’s Master of Science in Nonprofit Management:
1. Manages effectively within the nonprofit sector.
2. Plans and delivers on organizational objectives and outcomes. 3. Casts organizational vision and inspires commitment to the vision. 4. Embraces change.
5. Aims for excellence.
6. Aligns organizational culture with organizational mission. 7. Builds a culture of teamwork.
8. Thinks critically.
All courses in the program, including Strategic Management, build the following six competencies. so that each student:
1. Presents persuasively and professionally.
2. Breeds equality and compassion into professional interactions. 3. Comprehends and connects the big picture and the details. 4. Applies faith within the work place and life.
5. Connects faith, reason and justice.
6. Integrates ethics in professional and personal practice.
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
Develop a framework of a strategic plan for a specific nonprofit organization.
Apply the concepts of strategic thinking and best practices to the overall management of a specific organization.
Identify an organization’s strategic issues and formulate appropriate goals and objectives to resolve those issues.
Lead an effective strategic planning process.
Recognize the advantages or disadvantages for specific organizations of several approaches to strategic management.
Integrate strategic thinking and management principles into your role as a Christian leader.
Course Overview
The purpose of this course is to prepare Christian leaders to plan, initiate, and manage intentional and systematic change in their organization or church and to develop capacities and tools for comprehensive strategic analysis. Focusing on the classic strategic plan format but also utilizing other approaches, this course will establish a framework for overall strategic management, so that an organization can better achieve its mission. Strategic planning will be presented as a process of looking both internally and externally, setting measurable outcomes to be achieved, and implementing new or continued strategic actions, all of which are appropriate to a specific context.
Course work will be done in two sections. Section One: The first residency of the nonprofit management program will focus on strategic planning as a tool for strategic management. Section Two: The course will finish during the tenth residency, when approaches to strategic management alternatives to the formal plan will be discussed, and knowledge gained throughout the program will be utilized to understand “strategic management” as a short-hand term for an effective and efficient organization.
Biblical Framework and Integration
As we examine various organization development, change, and strategic planning models and concepts, we will continually be integrating biblical concepts into our thinking and discussion. We should also be asking how our attitudes toward these models and concepts affect our well being and relationship with God. This tension between the secular and the Christian is a healthy one that should cause us to be reasonably disturbed as we seek to serve the Lord in this work.
Many scriptural teachings or examples exhort us to plan our work. The book of Nehemiah is full of strategic plans. Habakkuk 2:2-3 reads, “The Lord replied: Write the vision. Make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the vision awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will surely come and will not delay.” In Luke 14, Jesus tells us to “count the cost.” At the same time, as Christians we want to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit into unanticipated places. This tension between careful planning and openness to the new and unexpected is also a healthy one.
Course Methodology
The course is designed in the “blended” model of instruction. There is both a classroom
component and a distance component to the course. The classroom component (Part Two) totals 20 hours of “seat time” divided between two residencies at the beginning and end of the program consisting of lecturettes, discussions, presentations, and exercises. The distance component consists of Part One and Part Three assignments during which you will be preparing for the course and later,
interacting with the instructor and with the other students in threaded discussions through Eastern University’s electronic classroom system (http://eastern.blackboard.com), as well as facilitating a planning process and writing a formal strategic plan.
The instructor presumes that students are working in, or have some experience with, nonprofit organizations. The course is designed to be a catalyst for critical discussion of nonprofits, resulting in constructive improvements of the organizations in which students are involved. The presumption is that students and faculty will learn from one another, and that open discussion will be honored by confidentiality.
Academic Policies:
Please refer to the Eastern University graduate catalog for information related to school policies governing academic matters.
Required Textbooks
Bryson, John M. and Farnum K. Alston. Creating and Implementing Your Strategic Plan: A Workbook. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2005, 2nd edition. 0-7879-6754-8
Linnell, Deborah, et al. Executive Directors Guide. Boston: United Way of Massachusetts Bay, 2002. 0-9717426-0-X
Wilcox, Pamela J. Exposing the Elephants: Creating Exceptional Nonprofits. San Francisco: John Wiley, 2006. 978-0-471-79221-5.
Other required readings, including a Student Guide and case studies, will be distributed as hand-outs during residencies or posted on Blackboard under “Course Materials.” In addition, students will be required to utilize web sites during Section Two / Part One.
Section One / Part One
Requirements
These assignments are to be completed prior to the 1st residency of this course.
(BRING TO RESIDENCY)
Text Readings
: Skim texts Bryson & Alston and Wilcox. You are expected to demonstrate that you have completed these readings by incorporating them into class discussion during the residency.Assignment 1: Mission Statement & Graphic Representation of Organization
(Organizational Chart)
Find a mission statement or value statement for your organization – nonprofit, church, or business – and bring the statement to the residency. You will be referring to this statement during the
residency.
Second item to bring to residency is to draw a graphic representation of your organization to show interrelationships. Indicate which relationships are working well and note what is not working well. Bring for January 30, 2010(first day of residency).
Assignment 2: Identify a prospective organization with which to lead strategic
planning
.Make an initial contact if possible. Although you are not required to have a commitment from an organization until Part Two of this course, you need to identify as soon as possible a specific organization that is motivated to undergo a formal strategic planning process. Note: You will be contacting this organization some months after the plan has been completed to evaluate its implementation.
Assignment 3
:
Please read the Strategic Management Assignment posted in Blackboard under “Course Materials.
Every year, Fortune 2009 publishes lists of America’s Most Admired Companies. Choose one on the
list. Email your professor your 1st and 2nd Choice. I want all the admired companies to be covered, so it will be first come first serve.
Once you hear back from me with the company you are assigned then start in on your research and come
prepared to do an in-class 5-7 min. presentation for your cohort colleagues. A short paper should
accompany this presentation for the professor. Due Date: January 31, 2010.
Section One / Part Two Requirements and
Overview
of Units during Residency
Assignment: Part Two (Residency) Participation
Students will be graded on their participation in the residency class discussions.
To prepare for Units One and Two
please bring with you a mission statement, organizational chart and all three textbooks.Unit One: Introduction to strategic planning: A plan and a process
Learning Objectives. By the end of this unit, you will be able to:
1. Describe common reasons for unsuccessful strategic planning in nonprofit organizations 2. Restate reasons for failure into conditions for successful strategic planning
Unit Two: The plan, step-by-step
1. List the steps of the classic strategic plan 2. Explain what is meant by strategic issues 3. Define goals, objectives, and action steps
4. Recognize when different approaches to strategic plan facilitation are necessary
Section One / Part Three Requirements
Unit Three: Clearfield Youth Center (CASE STUDY)
Learning Objectives. By the end of this unit, you will be able to:
1. Practice the strategic planning steps by applying them to a case study
Assignment 4
:
After reading the case study entitled “Clearfield Youth Center” posted in Blackboard under “Course Materials,” write a mini-strategic plan: SWOT analysis with at least two items in each category, one strategic issue, two strategic goals and two objectives per goal for the Clearfield Youth Center. See the “Assignment Manager” for more details. Submit via e-mail. Due Date: February 14, 2010.
Units Four through Nine: Facilitating a strategic planning process and
writing a plan
Learning Objectives. By the end of these units, you will be able to: 1. Develop facilitation leadership skills
2. Identify and analyze strategic issues
3. Create goals, objectives, and action steps appropriate to the resolution of strategic issues 4. Apply the complete formal strategic plan format to a specific organization
Assignment 5:
Your assignment will be accomplished in several steps. Review residency materials, utilize the Bryson & Alston text and see the “Student Guide” for tips for successful planning. See “Assignment Manager” under “Course Materials” for specific deadlines for assignments.1. Obtain a commitment from an organization to complete a formal strategic plan with you serving as the facilitator and coordinator. Due Date: March 7, 2010
2. Form a planning team. Team sets a time line for the process. Report to instructor via e-mail. Due Date: March 21, 2010
3. Report on planning progress through “ Discussion Board” in Blackboard. These reports will be done through answering questions posted by your instructor on the Discussion Board. Due Dates: 11 weeks after residency, 16 weeks after residency, and 5 months after residency. This assignment also includes each student’s response to the comments of the other students in his or her group. See the “Assignment Manager” for more
4. Communicate one-on-one with instructor 4 months after residency via e-mail or telephone or, if feasible, in person.
5. Submit via Digital Dropbox draft of plan by 5 ½ months after residency. 6. Submit completed plan via Digital Dropbox by 6 months after residency.
Assignment 6:
Two-page reflection paper on the planning process. What did you enjoy about the process? Were there any frustrations? What will you do differently the next time you lead a formal planning process? Due Date: 6 months after residency. Submit by e-mail when the plan itself is submitted via Digital Dropbox.Section Two / Part One Requirements
These Part One requirements are to be completed prior to the 10th residency of the program.
Text Readings
: Review Linnell and Wilcox. You are expected to demonstrate that you have completed these readings by incorporating them into class discussion during the residency.Assignment 7: Plan implementation
To prepare for Unit 10, review the plan you wrote and submitted at the conclusion of Unit 9. Review notes from the first residency (Section One / Part Two). Contact the organization with which you facilitated the strategic plan. Find out to what extent the implementation plan has been followed. Prepare a 12-minute oral presentation comparing your expectations or hopes for plan implementation with the reality. What was your own role during the planning process? What factors for success or failure were present in the organization or emerged during the planning process? The oral presentation will be given during the tenth residency (Section Two / Part Two). You may utilize PowerPoint or any other visual aid as you wish.
Web sites
To prepare for Unit 11, familiarize yourself with these two web sites: appreciativeinquiry.case.edu (note no “www”) and www.standardsforexcellenceinstitute.org.
Measurement review
To prepare for Unit 12, review material from your measurement course (Residency 4) on outcomes measurement.
Section Two / Part Two Requirements and
Overview
of Units
Unit Ten: Plan implementation
Learning Objectives. By the end of this unit, you will be able to: 1. Evaluate one’s own facilitation leadership experience
3. Develop the skill of brief formal oral presentation
Each student will present to the class for approximately 12 minutes the state of his or her plan’s implementation, and evaluate the reasons for implementation success or failure, including the role of the student during the planning process.
Unit Eleven: Alternative approaches to strategic management
Learning Objectives. By the end of this unit, you will be able to:
1. Compare and contrast appreciative inquiry to formal strategic planning 2. Compare and contrast “strategic thinking” to formal strategic planning
Unit Twelve: Characteristics of the strategically managed nonprofit
organization
Learning Objectives. By the end of this unit, you will be able to:
1. Relate the measurement of outcomes, effectiveness, and efficiency to overall strategic management
2. Identify best practices that characterize the strategically managed organization
Section Two / Part Three Requirements
Unit Thirteen: Evaluation of an organization’s overall management
Learning Objectives. By the end of this unit, you will be able to:
1. Apply best practices as described in Wilcox and The Executive Director’s Guide to a specific organization
Assignment 8: Evaluation
Using the organization with which you led the strategic planning process and wrote the formal plan as your case, evaluate the extent to which the organization adheres to best practices as described in
The Executive Directors Guide and Exposing the Elephants. You may also use information from other courses. Write your evaluation in the form of an annotated outline. Due Date: Three weeks after residency.
Instructions on Accessing Your Course in Blackboard
The following is the step-by-step, sequential process you will use to access your Eastern University on-line course.
Get on the Internet and open your Internet Browser
Type in the URL: eastern.blackboard.com (DO NOT TYPE “www” in the address area.) A
Click the “Login” Button. It will redirect you to a new screen with two lines for your specific
information. Type your username and password in the appropriate boxes. Your username and password areas are case sensitive; type them exactly as they were provided to you.
Click “Enter”
You are now in the eastern.blackboard.com site where you will see a page with an Eastern
University logo in the top left hand corner, a “Welcome….” banner, several boxes of information, and buttons down the left side of the screen.
Scroll down the page and click on your course, for example, “Strategic Management.” This
will take you to the location of your course information.
If you have problems within Blackboard, information and online help is also available right on the Blackboard web site located at: the following site – http://support.blackboard.com Click
Documentation and then select the Level Two information in either .html or .pdf formats.
Grading
Grading Criteria:
Please refer to your student handbook for the standard grading criteria from Eastern University. An interim grade will be sent to the registrar for Section 1, and a final course grade at the conclusion of Section 2.
Classroom Presence and Participation:
It is expected that students will arrive at the residency prepared to participate in the classroom discussion. Participation is also expected through Blackboard during Section One / Part Three. A grade for total participation will be given approximately 8 weeks after the first residency (Section Two, Part 3). This grade will reflect the student’s perceived level of effort, degree of participation and preparedness. Participation during the last residency will also be factored into the final course grade.
Written Assignments:
See the “Student Guide” for grading rubrics for the case study, formal plan, and organizational evaluation assignments.
Summary of Course Assignments
ASSIGNMENTS % of Grade Comments
Sect
io
n O
ne
Part One (Assignment 1&2) Readings
Mission statement Selection of organization
Grade for
participation during class and on-line discussions will be 10% of final grade.
Used during class discussion and Assignment 3 “Most Admired Companies” Due January 31, 2010
Part Two
Participate in classroom discussion First residency Part Three
Clearfield Youth Center
Regular progress reports and response to reports from your group
The plan and reflection paper
10% 10% 40% Assignment 4 CASE STUDY Due February 14, 2010
Report by responding to questions posted on Group Discussion Board.
Assignment 5
Submit together 6 months after 1st residency Sect io n T wo Part One Readings Plan implementation Web sites Measurement review
Used during class presentation and discussion
Assignment 6
Part Two
Participate in classroom discussion
Brief (12 min.) oral presentation 15%
Tenth residency Assignment 7
Focus is on implementation and evaluation of your plan
Part Three
Organizational evaluation outline 15%
Assignment 8
You’ll be able to utilize what you’ve learned in several courses
Other Resources for this Course
Internet Resources
appreciativeinquiry.case.edu (note no “www”)
www.amanet.org Web site for the American Management Association.
www.managementhelp.org
http://www.mapnp.org/library/org_chng/org_chng.htm. Web site on organizational change, including a number of related links. Also includes links for non-profit organizations.
www.standardsforexcellenceinstitute.org
Books
Allison, Michael and Jude Kaye. Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2005.
Conner, Daryl R. Managing at the Speed of Change. Villard Books, 1992.
Drucker, Peter, Managing the Nonprofit Organization, HarperCollins, 1990, or anything by Drucker. Jackson, Peggy M. Nonprofit Strategic Planning: Leveraging Sarbanes-Oxley Best Practices. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2007.
Kocsis, Deborah L. and Susan A. Waechter. Diving Strategic Planning: A Nonprofit Executive’s Guide. Washington, D.C.: Boardsource, 2003.
Kotter, John P., “Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail,” Harvard Business Review (March-April 1995).
Myers, Bryant, “Strategic Thinking as Christians,” MARC Newsletter (June 1997). The Nonprofit Quarterly.
Rood, Raymond P., “How Then Should Organizations Live?,” White paper from Human Technologies International.
Salamon, Lester, America's Nonprofit Sector: A Primer, 2nd Edition, Foundation Center, 1999, or
