Environment Scanning & Business Intelligence
"It is fair to say that this section generated the most discussion in the Leadership Team and has been one of the most valuable sections of the kit"
The term 'Environment scanning' is often thought to only apply to external forces, to the broader political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental factors creating the backdrop to educational institutions. This is an important part of the equation and many of the tools, techniques and data sources covered in this section (e.g. PESTLE analysis, benchmarking, Boston Matrix) relate to this external perspective. However, it is also essential that the institution and its managers also have access to information required to accurately assess the internal environment, as well as its strengths and weaknesses and ability to meet current and future strategic challenges. 'Business Intelligence' is an agenda moving rapidly to the top of many institutions' priority lists combining, as it does, data from both within and outside the institution.
The material included within this stage is designed to help your institution to answer two main questions:
- Is our organisation currently 'fit for purpose' and in the right condition to undertake the activities planned?
- What factors may currently, or in the future, influence our chances of success?
Being able to answer the first of these questions relies heavily on having access to the right data at the right time and being able to trust its currency and accuracy.
In essence, answers to these questions create a four way matrix of views of your institution:
Tools and Techniques
Critical to these four perspectives is timely access to reliable, accurate and useful information. For more than a decade the need to improve information management within institutions has been acknowledged: in some areas, significant strides have been met whilst in others there still remains much more that needs to be done. The focus too often has been upon the application of technology rather than upon the management and governance of the information created and contained. Awareness is growing of the vital role that effective control of an institution's information assets has in ensuring organisational efficiency and maximising its competitive advantage. However, this potential can go unrealised as institutions continue to be constrained by practical problems limiting their ability to gain full value of the information they create and obtain.
Ultimately, environment scanning is about making sure your institution has access to the right information at the right time. Exactly when that is and what information you need access to will largely depend upon your own individual circumstance and, as we shall see, investing in initiatives which improve your 'Business Intelligence' represents the best way of achieving this.
The institutional experience - Beaumont College
"It was interesting to note that the process of working on the kit really made the entire Leadership Team think about the diversification agenda in a more joined up and comprehensive way and highlighted the areas that different Leadership Team members had divergent views on. How 'risk' was perceived was very different depending on the perceived impact that diversification will have on different teams"
