july07b.indd


Gordon Aamot 

Getting
the
most
out


of
strategic
planning


How libraries can create strategy ovens 

“Our
planning
process
is
like
a
primitive

tribal
ritual—there’s
a
lot
of
dancing,
waving

of
feathers,
and
beating
of
drums.
No
one
is

exactly
sure
why
we
do
it,
but
there
is
almost

mystical
hope
that
something
good
will
come

out
of
it.”1


Strategic
 planning
 is
 viewed
 by
 some
with
 skepticism
 and
 even
 trepidation.

It
 not
 only
 requires
 a
 signifi
cant
 amount

of
organizational
time
and
energy,
but
the

relationship
between
the
planning
process

and
 the
 creation
 of
 new
 strategies
 is
 not

always
apparent.
When
used
thoughtlessly,

obsessively,
 or
 with
 excessive
 formality
 it

can
drive
out
precisely
the
kind
of
strategic

thinking,
 acting,
 and
 learning
 it
 was
 sup­
posed
to
promote.2


The
 reason
 for
 investing
 our
 organiza­
tional
resources
in
strategic
planning
should

not
be
just
to
create
a
plan
for
implement­
ing
existing
strategies,
but
it
should
help
us

improve
 our
 strategic
 thinking
 capabilities

and
make
better
choices
about
the
future.

One
 of
 the
 most
 valuable
 aspects
 of
 the

planning
process
comes
from
the
framework

it
 can
 provide
 for
 facilitating
 the
 natural

emergence
 of
 new
 ideas
 by
 encouraging

ongoing
 strategic
 conversations,
 creating

opportunities
 for
 new
 voices
 and
 ideas
 to

be
heard,
and
developing
an
organizational

atmosphere
open
to
new
perspectives
and

experimentation.


Strategic planning and strategic 
thinking 
An
under­appreciated
benefit
of
the
strategic

planning
process
lies
in
its
potential
for
help­

ing
improve
a
library
organization’s
collective

ability
to
think
strategically.
Strategic
planning

and
strategic
thinking
are
complementary
in

nature,
but
they
are
not
synonymous.


Strategic
planning
is
a
structured
process

intended
to
help
an
organization
determine

where
it
is,
where
it
wants
to
be,
and
how

to
get
there.
It
requires
broad­scale
and
ef­
fective
 information
 gathering,
 clarifi
cation

of
 the
 mission
 and
 issues
 to
 be
 addressed,

exploration
 and
 development
 of
 alterna­
tive
 strategies,
 and
 an
 emphasis
 on
 the

future
 implications
 of
 present
 decisions.3


However,
the
planning
process
is
analytical,

conventional,
and
convergent
in
nature.
Its

formal
and
linear
approach
tends
to
focus
an

organization’s
attention
and
actions
on
what

it
already
knows.
It
is
most
effective
as
a
tool

for
helping
a
library
to
align
organizational

resources
with
goals
and
operationalize
pre­
existing
strategies.
It
has
been
suggested
by

some
that
strategic
planning
is
an
oxymoron

and
that
strategic
programming
would
be
a

more
 accurate
 name,
 since
 it
 is
 best
 suited

for
 helping
 an
 organization
 program
 the

implementation
of
strategies
that
have
already

been
created.4


The
 nature
 of
 strategic
 thinking,
 on
 the

other
 hand,
 is
 synthetic,
 iterative,
 divergent,

and
creative.
Its
purpose
is
to
discover
new,

imaginative
strategies
that
can
reframe
the
rules

of
the
game
and
envision
potential
futures
sig­
nificantly
different
from
the
present.5


Gordon Aamot is head of the Foster Business Library at 
the University of Washington-Seattle, e-mail: aamot@u. 
washington.edu  
© 2007 Gordon Aamot 

C&RL News July/August 2007  418 

http:washington.edu


Strategic
 thinkers
 can
 be
 characterized

more
as
learners
than
“knowers.”
They
ask

questions
and
incorporate
new
information

into
decision
making.
They
have
a
systems

perspective
and
are
able
to
see
interrelation­
ships
 and
 patterns
 in
 complex
 situations.

They
 also
 have
 a
 mental
 model
 of
 the

complete
beginning­to­end
system
of
value

creation
in
their
profession
or
industry.
Stra­
tegic
thinking
is
intent­driven
and
conveys

a
sense
of
direction,
discovery,
and
destiny.

It
 also
 allows
 for
 intelligent
 opportunism

that
not
only
furthers
intended
strategy,
but

leaves
 open
 options
 for
 the
 emergence
 of

new
strategies.6


If
strategic
planning
is
what
we
have
and

strategic
thinking
is
what
we
need,
what
can

we
do
about
it?
Strategy
making
cannot
be

institutionalized,
but
we
can
take
advantage

of
the
planning
process
to
facilitate
the
emer­
gence
of
new
ideas
and
creative
responses

to
opportunities
and
challenges.


Creating a strategy oven 
Gary
 Hamel,
 visiting
 professor
 of
 strategic

and
international
management
at
the
London

Business
 School
 and
 one
 of
 the
 business

world’s
most
influential
writers
on
the
subject,

suggests
 five
 preconditions
 for
 the
 emer­
gence
of
strategy.
These
include
listening
to

new
 voices,
 facilitating
 new
 conversations,

unleashing
 new
 passions,
 gaining
 new
 per­
spectives,
and
engaging
in
new
experiments.

To
this
we
add
providing
new
focus.
Taken

together,
these
have
the
potential
to
create,

in
Hamel’s
words,
a
“strategy
oven.”7


How
might
libraries
start
to
create
their

own
strategy
ovens?
Some
of
Hamel’s
pre­
conditions
for
the
creation
of
new
strategies

can
be
developed
and
nurtured
during
the

planning
 process.
 Library
 leaders
 should

intentionally
 and
 deliberately
 leverage
 the

process
to
create
a
framework
for
enabling

new
 voices,
 conversations,
 passions,
 per­
spectives,
and
experiments
to
emerge
and

begin
building
a
culture
of
strategic
thinking

in
their
organizations.


•
 New voices.
 It
 is
 essential
 to
 incor­
porate
 new
 and
 diverse
 genetic
 material


into
the
strategic
gene
pool.
Senior
library

managers
must
relinquish
their
monopolies

and
 give
 underrepresented
 constituencies

a
larger
voice,
including
those
younger
or

newly
hired,
and
from
the
organizational
and

geographical
peripheries.
Strategy
creation

should
be
pluralistic
and
participative.8


An
open
and
inclusive
planning
process

can
 serve
 as
 a
 powerful
 tool
 for
 facilitat­
ing
 developmental
 strategic
 conversations

in
the
library
and
can
provide
a
forum
for

dialogue
 that
 may
 not
 otherwise
 occur.

The
simple
process
of
just
talking
can
be
a

powerful
enhancer
of
thinking
capabilities.

The
 framework
 of
 strategic
 planning
 can

provide
a
setting
where
it
is
safe
to
speak

one’s
 mind
 and
 question
 one’s
 own
 and

others’
assumptions.9


• New conversations.
 Another
 impor­
tant
ingredient
is
the
ability
to
introduce
new

ideas
into
the
conversation.
After
all,
strategy

is
always
concerned
with
the
search
for
the

next
great
idea.
Enriching
the
repertoire
of

ideas
and
frameworks
people
have
to
work

with
 can
 enhance
 and
 enlarge
 strategic

thinking
and
conversations.


To
 improve
 the
 odds
 that
 new
 insights

will
emerge,
we
need
to
expand
conversa­
tions
beyond
the
library
and
create
dialogues

that
 cut
 across
 organizational
 boundaries

to
include
students,
faculty,
campus
IT
and

student
services
staff,
colleagues
from
peer

institutions,
vendors,
and
others.


•
 New passions. Nothing
 creates
 ex­
citement
like
unleashing
the
deep
sense
of

discovery
 within
 people.
 Most
 people
 are

not
against
change
per
se,
but
they
can
dig

in
their
heels
and
push
back
when
it
does

not
offer
the
prospect
of
new
opportunity.

If
they
see
that
the
library
is
serious
about

change
for
the
better
and
there
is
a
chance

to
 create
 a
 new
 and
 exciting
 future,
 they

will
 more
 likely
 invest
 their
 energy
 and

commitment.10


An
 inclusive
 planning
 process
 can
 also

help
 improve
 internal
 communication.

Shared
discussions
can
help
provide
a
con­
text
 for
 decision
 making
 and
 help
 people

to
 understand
 why
 decisions
 are
 made.


July/August 2007  419 C&RL News 

http:commitment.10


Participants
may
find
their
passion
for
library

work
refreshed,
their
understanding
of
larger

issues
expanded,
and
their
teamwork
skills

improved.11


• New perspectives.
 If
 it
 is
 true
 that
 a

change
in
perspective
is
worth
additional
IQ

points,
we
can
get
smarter
faster
by
looking

for
new
conceptual
lenses
through
which
to

reconceive
academic
libraries
and
librarian­
ship.
Scanning
the
environment
through
the

multiple
 lenses
 of
 business
 and
 nonprofi
t

management
 offers
 just
 a
 few
 of
 the
 pos­
sibilities
for
new
perspectives.


It
 also
 creates
 an
 opportunity
 to
 share

information
 widely
 that
 can
 be
 critical
 to

the
 development
 of
 a
 broader
 perspec­
tive—for
 example,
 an
 environmental
 scan

summarizing
 key
 social
 and
 economic

forces,
new
technologies,
new
competitors,

and
 trends
 in
 higher
 education.
 This
 kind

of
 focused
 information
 sharing,
 as
 part
 of

a
strategic
conversation,
can
help
create
a

shared
context
among
staff
and
give
coher­
ence
 and
 depth
 to
 information
 that
 might

otherwise
seem
fragmented
or
irrelevant
to

one’s
own
role.12


•
 New experiments.
 Strategic
 thinking

is
an
iterative,
learning
process.
A
library
can

increase
its
rate
of
learning
by
launching
pur­
poseful,
low­risk
experiments
designed
to
test

new
ideas.
For
example,
a
reference
depart­
ment
might
experiment
with
free
instant
mes­
saging
software
to
learn
about
synchronous

virtual
reference
service
before
(or
instead
of)

investing
in
commercial
software.


•
 New focus. The
 pressures
 of
 daily

work
 tend
 to
 cause
 us
 to
 concentrate
 on

the
urgent
rather
than
take
time
to
contem­
plate
 the
 important.
 Even
 planning’s
 most

relentless
critics
allow
that,
used
with
care,

formalizing
 strategic
 discussions
 “can
 help

focus
attention,
stimulate
debate,
keep
track

of
issues,
promote
interaction,
and
facilitate

consensus.”13


Finally,
it
is
important
to
keep
in
mind

that
even
the
most
carefully
tended
strategy

oven
will
burn
more
than
it
bakes—includ­
ing
 leadership
 credibility
 and
 staff
 good­
will—unless
there
is
also
a
commitment
on


the
 part
 of
 the
 organization
 to
 more
 than

just
solicit
new
ideas
and
strategies,
but
to

do
something
constructive
with
them.
It
is

essential
to
both
acknowledge
contributions

and
 incorporate
 the
 most
 promising
 into

future
 actions.
 To
 do
 otherwise
 will
 only

confirm
the
skepticism
of
those
who
suspect

that
strategic
planning
is
an
exercise
devoid

of
practical
meaning
and
application.


Conclusion 
Over
the
past
few
decades
the
practice
of

strategic
planning
has
become
fi
rmly
estab­
lished
in
academic
libraries
and
the
institu­
tions
they
serve.
It
is
recognized
as
a
useful

way
 to
 help
 focus
 attention
 on
 mission,

environmental
trends
that
pose
opportunities

and
challenges,
and
preferred
futures,
and

to
help
align
resources
to
achieve
specifi
c

goals.
However,
because
of
its
formal
and

cyclic
nature,
it
tends
to
not
be
a
very
effec­
tive
means
for
directly
creating
new
strate­
gies
and
coming
up
with
new
ideas.


To
get
the
most
out
of
our
strategic
plan­
ning
efforts,
we
should
recognize
that
one

of
 the
 most
 important
 indirect
 benefi
ts
 of

the
 process
 comes
 from
 the
 framework
 it

can
provide
for
helping
prepare
individuals

in
libraries
to
think
strategically
as
new
op­
portunities
arise
and
to
make
more
informed

choices
about
how
to
better
serve
our
users.

By
 reframing
 our
 assumptions
 about
 why

we
engage
in
strategic
planning
to
include

creating
an
organizational
environment
con­
ducive
to
strategic
thinking
and
the
natural

emergence
 of
 new
 strategies,
 the
 practice

can
take
on
increased
value
as
a
manage­
ment
tool
for
libraries.


Notes 
1.
Sarah
Kaplan
and
Eric
D.
Beinhocker,


“The
Real
Value
of
Strategic
Planning,”
MIT

Sloan
Management
Review
44,
no.
2
(Winter

2003):
71.


2.
 John
 M.
 Bryson,
 Strategic
 Planning

for
 Public
 and
 Nonprofi
t
 Organizations:

A
 Guide
 to
 Strengthening
 and
 Sustaining


(continues
on
page
426)


C&RL News July/August 2007  420 

http:improved.11


the
 Web
 site
 has
 not
 been
 updated
 since

2003
while
a
Transition
Committee
considers

its
future,
but
the
site
still
contains
the
very

exhaustive
and
informative
NINCH
Guide
to

Good
Practice
in
the
Digital
Representation
&

Management
of
Cultural
Heritage
Materials

(242
pages
in
length)
for
anyone
undertaking

or
thinking
of
undertaking
a
digitization
proj­
ect
involving
cultural
objects
and
resources.

Access:
http://www.ninch.org/.


•
Steve.Museum.
An
art
museum
social

tagging
project.
Access:
http://tagger.steve.

museum/.


Employment opportunities 
•
 AAM Job Search (American Associa-

tion of  Museums). Search
 or
 browse
 hun­
dreds
of
museum
jobs
by
category
(curators,

education,
registrars,
etc.)
and/or
by
state/prov­
ince/country.
 Access:
 http://museumcareers.

aam­us.org/search/index.cfm.


•
 Archivists, Curators, and Museum 
Te c h n i c i a n s  ( O c c u p a t i o n a l  O u t l o o k  
Handbook). A
standard
reference
source
for

persons
looking
for
a
snapshot
of
a
particular

job
or
industry,
the
Bureau
of
Labor
Statistics’

Occupational
 Outlook
 Handbook
 provides

a
 brief
 overview
 of
 the
 various
 positions

within
museums
and
museum­related
work,

the
nature
of
the
work
therein,
qualifi
cations

desired,
typical
earnings,
and
future
demand

for
occupations
in
these
areas.
Access:
http://

stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos065.htm.


•
 Cultur eWor ks (Canadian Cultural 
Human Resources Council).
 Find
 museum

and
cultural
heritage
careers
across
Canada.

Access:
 http://www.cultureworks.ca/jobs/

search/index.asp.


Grants 
•
 The Getty Foundation. Access:
http://


www.getty.edu/grants/.

•
 Institute of  Museum and Librar y 

Services. Access:
http://www.imls.gov/.

•
 National Endowment for the Ar ts. 

Access:
http://www.arts.gov/grants/.

• National Endowment f or the Hu-

manities. Access:
 http://www.neh.gov

/grants/.


• National Historical Publications and 
Records Commission. Access:
 http://www.

archives.gov/nhprc/.


• National Science Foundation.
 Access:

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/.


Other resources 
• Academy of  Certifi ed Archivists. Ac­

cess:
http://www.certifi
edarchivists.org.

• American Institute for Conser vation 

of  Historic and Ar tistic Works. Access:

http://aic.stanford.edu.


• National Association of  Government 
Archivists and Records Administrators. 
Access:
http://www.nagara.org.


•
 Society of  American Archivists. Ac­
cess:
http://www.archivists.org/.


(“Getting
the
most...”
continued
from
page


420)


Organizational
 Achievement,
 3rd
 ed.
 (San


Francisco:
Jossey­Bass,
2004):
15.



3.
Bryson,
6–7.

4.
Henry
Mintzberg,
“Rethinking
Strategic


Planning
Part
I:
Pitfalls
and
Fallacies,”
Long

Range
Planning
27
no.
3
(1994):
19.


5.
Loizos
Heracleous,
“Strategic
Thinking

or
Strategic
Planning?”
Long
Range
Planning

31,
no.
3
(1998):
485.


6.
Jeanne
M.
Liedtka,
“Strategic
Thinking:

Can
It
Be
Taught?”
Long
Range
Planning
31,

no.
1
(1998):
122–24.


7.
Gary
Hamel,
“Strategy
Innovation
and

the
 Quest
 for
 Value,”
 Sloan
 Management

Review
39,
no.
2
(Winter
1998):
12–13.


8.
Hamel,
12.

9.
 Jeanne
 M.
 Liedtka,
 “Linking
 Strategic


Thinking
 With
 Strategic
 Planning,”
 Strategy

&
Leadership
26,
no.
4
(1998):
34.


10.
Hamel,
13.

11.
Bryson,
12.

12.
Liedtka,
“Linking
Strategic
Planning,”
34.

13
Henry
Mintzberg,
The
Rise
and
Fall
of


Strategic
 Planning:
 Reconceiving
 Roles
 for

Planning,
Plans,
Planners
(New
York:
Free

Press,
1994).


C&RL News July/August 2007  426 

http:http://www.archivists.org
http:http://www.nagara.org
http:http://aic.stanford.edu
http:edarchivists.org
http://www.certifi
http://www.nsf.gov/funding
http://www
http:http://www.neh.gov
http://www.arts.gov/grants
http:http://www.imls.gov
www.getty.edu/grants
http://www.cultureworks.ca/jobs
http://museumcareers
http://tagger.steve
http:http://www.ninch.org