Discussion: Identifying Resources
All change involves a negotiation of resources.
Think of a significant change you have made in your personal or professional life, such as your decision to enroll in this graduate program. Did you consider what resources would be needed in order to succeed with this planned change? If so, how did you evaluate the fiscal and time commitments you would need to make? How did you assess your readiness to take on the challenges that might lie ahead? What activities or milestones functioned as dependencies in your plan? What other obligations, plans, or aspirations did you deprioritize or delay to make available the necessary resources? Did you discover—after you were already invested in this change—that you needed more or different resources to continue on?
As you propose and evaluate changes with an organizational or systems-level impact, it is especially important to consider what resources may be required and what trade-offs may be needed to bring the change to fruition and achieve sustainability.
As preparation for your Course Project, in this Discussion you consider the resources that would be required to implement your proposed change.
To prepare:
Review the resources listed in “Appendix 7: Sample Template of the Strategic Planning Process” in the Sare and Ogilvie course text. In addition, consider the other Learning Resources that focus on the process of identifying resources for a strategic plan. Conduct additional research as necessary to deepen your thinking about resource identification for strategic planning.
Reflect on the results of the SWOT analysis you conducted for your Course Project (submitted in Week 7), and consider what resources may be needed to address the weaknesses and threats and build upon opportunities and strengths you identified. Evaluate the specific financial, personnel, and time resources that you would need to carry out your proposed change.
Think about how you would leverage the resources you currently have and those you plan to acquire or develop to create the best possible results. For instance, consider the following:
What trade-offs would you need to make to ensure that you have sufficient financial resources? How would you raise capital?
Who would you need to hire or promote, what training should be provided, and/or what workload adjustments would you need to make to have the right personnel in place?
What is a reasonable timeline for adoption and implementation given the parameters of this change and other organizational or group priorities?
Post an explanation of the specific resources (e.g., financial, personnel, time) needed to address the weaknesses and threats and build upon opportunities and strengths you identified through your SWOT analysis. Explain how you would leverage these resources to carry out the change you are proposing through your strategic plan.
Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days using one or more of the following approaches:
Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information or research.
Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.
Validate an idea with your own experience and additional resources.
