I am hoping that, by the time you read this blog post, you will have received a draft of the new strategic plan for Research and Enterprise. I knew from Day 1 that leading on the development of the strategic plan was of the highest priority and that it needed to be done in a relatively short period of time; not only to tie in with the University’s Strategy, but also because we have not had a plan for R&E for some time, and the sooner we have a clear plan, the better.

Like many others, I have been on leadership courses on developing strategic plans, and I have read widely on the subject. Let me digress and tell you about a book which is quite illuminating when it comes to strategic planning. The book is Good Strategy/Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt. What I like about this book is the breakdown of what makes a bad strategy and, as you read it, you realise how many bad ones you have encountered!! The book also provided me with many real examples of bad and good strategic planning. Apart from reading about it and going on a course, I had the opportunity to lead on the development of a strategic plan for research and innovation at my previous institution. The difference with that plan was that I knew the institution very well and had already been working there for a number of years. So, I knew the first step in developing the plan here would be to ‘immerse myself’, and to get to know the organisation by speaking and listening to as many people as I could. I soon realised that the more people I spoke with, the more I heard the same sorts of things, and this was enormously helpful in identifying the issues that the plan needed to tackle. When developing a plan, many organisations become totally inward-focussed, but I believe it is essential to also seek out external perspectives, and we are indeed doing this as part of the exercise. The other key point which helped whilst working on the plan was the commitment made by myself and my immediate team made to stay focused and pragmatic.

As you read the draft plan, you will note that we have identified a number of principles that underpin the plan itself, and its implementation. The power of these principles is in the living of them, not the writing of them. We need to organise our R&E activities around these principles and ensure we create a culture where these principles can thrive. Culture begins with beliefs and finds expression in behaviours. So, when it comes to creating a culture of excellence in R&E, we need to ask ourselves “what do we mean by excellence, and what behaviour reflects this”?

Excellence is all about the pursuit of better. There is a very large global organisation with the motto ‘We make the best better’!! To me, any organisation (be it a university or any other type of organisation) that isn’t getting better is getting worse. Another aspect of excellence is a commitment to building strong partnerships and relationships. Isolation is the enemy of excellence. Another aspect of excellence is a dedication to transparency: during my meetings with staff, I was overwhelmed by how hungry they were in their pursuit of transparency within the organisation. Lack of transparency distracts and weakens organisations. Excellence also requires responsibility, and the personal pursuit of excellence is the first responsible step toward organisational excellence.

I hope that, as you read the plan, you will see it as road map in pursuit of excellence. You have an opportunity to engage with this plan as it is developed further, and I encourage you to be part of this journey.