Characterising Strategic Thinking in a Public University Setting: A Qualitative Approach

Abstract

Background: Universities face challenges in the current dynamic higher education sector. As a result, university managers have to contend with finding ways that will help increase revenue to enable adequate provision of the core services covering teaching and learning, research and publishing, community engagement and promotion of beneficial partnerships. This calls for developing strategic plans by employing strategic thinking skills. The University of Zambia has not been meeting the targets in all its previous strategic plans in the period 2008-2022 as expected. The aim of this paper is to characterise strategic thinking with a view of rendering an explanatory understanding of strategic planning actors in the University of Zambia from their point of view. Methods: This paper is part of a larger qualitative case study which examined the applicability of strategic thinking at the University of Zambia from a sample of 175 participants. However, 26 strategic planning actors were enlisted as participants for this qualitative paper using criterion i type of sampling. Findings: A characterisation of the strategic thinking skills, which inform the mindset of strategic planning actors in their motivation to participate in the planning and implementation of strategic plans shows the use of environmental analysis, systems thinking, reframing and intelligent opportunism more than focused intent, thinking in time, reflecting skills hypothesis generation and testing and professional capabilities. This is shown by the first four strategic thinking skills exhibiting AV.FR ratios that are more than or equal to 1. There is a weak practice of strategic thinking in the strategic planning actors as shown by the AV.FR values especially when implementing strategic plans. Conclusion: There is a wide gulf among strategic planning actors in being consistent when it comes to applying strategic thinking skills. There is a weakening in the mindset of strategic planning actors in strategic thinking during the implementation phase of the strategic plan than during the development phase as the AV.FR ratios are less than 1 in the former. At the same time, the application of knowledge and practice gap exhibited by the executives in terms of professional capability has been recognized suggesting the need to develop programmes that will enhance the exposure of strategic planning actors to building strategic thinking ability which they can, in turn, pass on through mentoring of others.