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Strategic development in higher education: a critical systems perspective
Author(s) -
Gregory Amanda J.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
systems research and behavioral science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.371
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1099-1743
pISSN - 1092-7026
DOI - 10.1002/sres.950
Subject(s) - strategic development , strategic thinking , strategic planning , process (computing) , reflection (computer programming) , perspective (graphical) , process management , subject (documents) , field (mathematics) , work (physics) , engineering ethics , sociology , critical reflection , management science , management , knowledge management , engineering , computer science , pedagogy , economics , artificial intelligence , mechanical engineering , mathematics , library science , pure mathematics , programming language , operating system
Abstract This paper addresses the question of what it means to adopt a systems approach to strategic development. It arose from reflection on an ongoing case of an academic subject group from a UK business school, which has long been recognized for pioneering work in the field of systems thinking, using systems approaches in its own strategic development process. Critical reflection on this example led to a shift in focus from thinking about how systems methodologies can be used to augment the strategic development process to consideration of why strategic planning has become so important in higher education establishments, such as universities, and the raising of important questions about the ontological status of the strategic development process. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.