HI Richard
Looks like you have a great formula for getting ideas from your staff. And the requirement that they write it out as well. Great. We wonder if you could identify the environment in the informal sessions where you get great ideas. Maybe you can create that environment in your other meetings.
Best wishes
Susan
I agree with Nate Clark that if the school does not have growth as an objective - and some schools don't - then it should be able to demonstrate to accreditors how it is still meeting accreditation standards by staying within its own mission.
Hi Linda
Great point. Growth is implicit in every organization. And growth requires dreaming, planning, implementing, measuring. Should be the mind set of everyone in the school-- how to make it a million dollar school and the part that each employee plays in that.
Best wishes
Yes, I conducted brainstorming or open planning sessions. I have discovered that there is no better way to business/run a school. The fundamentals of brainstorming/open planning that have increased the productive of the sessions that I have been involved in are as follows;
•Be diversified (not a homogeneous group)
•Have an overall topic/question to be answered or objective accomplished.
•Have mediator keep the group on task moving towards the question/objective.
•Keep them to a set time (people from the community will continue to participate when their time is respected.)
Outcomes from these types of sessions have answered questions from: Admission Open houses, outreach to community businesses, locating a new school building, retention and placement concerns.
When decisions are derived by this format my experience is you have a higher buy-in and participation level when implementing the ideas or decisions.
Hi Joshua
Well said. It's amazingly easy to get solutions and new ideas when you have a diversified group of people to gain opinions from. Another key to brainstorming is to create an environment where people feel free to express themselves.
Best wishes, Susan
Our school just went through the whole accreditation process and while it was a lot of work for the staff and faculty it was also very motivating as to where we could be 5 years from now and I think it made us feel more like a team united to reach our goals.
Hi Sarah
Five year planning is such a great exercise. Done right you get fabulous ideas from participants. If you participants are selected to represent your entire constituency you'll get lots of solutions to problems and the buy in to solve them from everyone. It's important to have a plan to know where you are going and to set the route to get there.
Good job, Susan
Just a thought...If you start each brainstorming session with just one question. Encourage participants to THINK BIG. Think without limits. "What if we could..." Keep the questions open ended. If you have a big staff, break them into small groups and have each group come up with a plan for expansion. Smaller staffs, give them the question before the brainstorming session, and have them come into the session with ideas. Be creative.
I have not started brain storming as of yet. I plan to discover how our school could Increase enrollments, increase creativity, creating new markets and to have a more pleasant working enviornment.
HI Carmen
You have lots of great goals. Believe it or not, the ways to reach them can come from effective brainstorming. An open forum to get ideas is a great way to create a great working environment too.
Good luck, Susan
Really great ideas, Susan. Other tips for successful brainstorming are to assure participants that all ideas are great - some for now and some maybe for later. Also no one gets fired based on their ideas. And, perhaps pose the question as - if you could design an ideal solution or scenario for xxxx what would it look like? The often expands people's thinking.
Best wishes, Susan
Having just joined the course today it's very exciting to read an established thread and see all the ideas.
We have weekly staff meetings and quarterly faculty meetings. With very few exceptions, all our faculty are part time, so when they come together they are full of ideas! The Director of Ed. then takes these ideas to the staff meeting for discussion. Twice a year we hold "Vision" meetings for all staff on a weekend day but have not included faculty. I see now that we should include the faculty in the "vision" meetings for greater brainstorming!
What a synergy this would create! My obstacle with faculty is pay. We have included the faculty meeting as a requirement in their contract. Should this be the continued practice? Or should we promote this in a way in which it would be an honor to be included and not a paid requirement? Perhaps we would have those instructors who really want to contribute?
Thanks Judith. Lots of good information. Just wondering what would happen if faculty meetings were held once a month and not quarterly. And what if the staff and faculty held some joint meetings. Might be even more ideas. And certainly needed information exchanged. Each group would learn what the other does and the importance of their roles. As to how to pay faculty. That's a dilemma for most schools that pay their faculty on an hourly basis. We suggest that faculty be paid for all their time. They will be better in front of the classroom if they attend meetings and learn more about your school. And the reality is that instructors are usually seen as "the" school by students. Thanks, Susan
the actual reality of a 5 year iip versus a shorter time frame
Hi Harry, Good point. It is a challenge to get staff involved in planning for 5 years. But important. If you all can envision what you want your school to look like in 5 years, then each step each year will bring you there. There are tasks that simply have time frames with some events coming before others. People seem to grasp putting together details of a plan for year 1. It gets harder for year 2. But with some encouragement you can get valuable ideas. Thanks, Susan
My campus has regular brainstorming sessions and we find that some very good ideas come from having these. It is important to come into these sessions with an open mind and to remember that we are here for the students. I find that often times I have to remind the staff that we do not have a blank check and that while their suggestions are very good and serve the purpose of the students and the growth of the programs, financially they are not realistic at times.
There have been suggestions that have come from these meetings that have proven benenficial, such as new student "meet and greet" in the first week with the Program Chairs that have increase student retention in the first 30 days.
Janet,
We think the goal of all brainstorming type sessions and meetings is to set the tone of openness. That means that every idea is great. But not always great for right now. The goal is not to rate the idea but rather see if it is feasible right now. Or can it be tweaked so that it meets budget and other constraints. If you create any limitations or negatives that will almost immediately reduce or eliminate the incentive for anyone to share or come up with good ideas. Just a thought. Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
Brainstorming is a lot of fun!! We sit down with our admin staff several times a week and brainstorm ideas and ways to attract more students, improve programs, etc. All of these idease are going into our plan and our certifications that need to be updated.
Marci,
Yes, brainstorming is fun and very productive when done right. Your staff has all the solutions to problems and creativity to add new programs and do things differently and more effectively. It just takes asking them regularly and setting the tone that all ideas are great. The reality is all ideas are great - sometimes for now and sometimes for later. Some ideas can be re-crafted to work. Thanks, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
I LOVE this idea. I am going to implement it with my staff to start our brainstorming session.
