Selected factors that influence successful strategic planning in South African higher education

Abstract

The objective of this investigation is to examine selected factors that contribute to successful strategic planning in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in South Africa. Organisations, including HEIs, that wish to achieve their objectives in the current fast-changing operating environment should formulate and implement strategic plans. The King III Report on corporate governance stresses the need for leaders to take responsibility for defining the strategies of their organisations. Existing literature has identified some factors that influence the success or failure of strategic planning. However, the extent to which these factors influence - if at all - strategic planning in South African HEIs remains unclear. The importance attached to these factors in South African universities is compared with their international counterparts. In carrying out this investigation, online questionnaires were completed and returned by 108 participants comprising Registrars and Information Managers at 23 South African HEIs and Information Managers in selected international higher education institutions. Data analysis entailed both descriptive and inferential statistics. Correlational analysis of the results confirmed that factors such as management buy-in and the availability of Business Intelligence (BI) reports were positively related to effective strategic planning and vice versa. Similarly, a strong correlation was observed between the presence of reporting guidelines and strategic planning. Other factors that strongly emerged as being positively related to successful strategic planning include: consultation during the strategic planning process as well as visible and strong leadership.