Hannah's Learning Journal: ETL504: Module 5

Strategic Planning

Environmental Scanning: STEEP

The STEEP tactic introduced here is very similar to the acronym we use in VCE geography to analyse geographic factors in human activity and natural processes. SHEEPT: Social, Historic, Economic, Environmental, Political and Technological factors. In class students can use this to analyse images, newspaper articles and other texts. I am sure the STEEP or SHEEPT factors could be used as a classroom activity in younger years too it does not have to be just a strategic planning tool.

I find this quite hard to do when not currently working, so I will think about studying and being unemployed.
Social - There is a positive social attitude to furthering yourself and attaining a master degree. However there is also stigma to being unemployed and not supporting your family.
Technological - Having access to relatively high speed internet has led to the ability to take on a course via distance ed. Large amounts of screen time strains my eyes and makes me lazy.
Environmental - I print out a lot of the readings, so I don't have to be at the computer all day. This leads to a lot of paper waste.
Economic - Because I am not working full time we are on a very tight budget, I feel bad about that. No certainty this will even get me a job so the cost of the degree may be too high for the end outcome. The new suggestion we might have to start paying back our HELP debt once we hit minimum wage. (Sorry way too negative here).
Political - Wanting to raise the standards of teachers and teacher librarians means further study for some.

Mission and Vision

Example library mission and vision :

Mission

We strive to provide quality library and information services in the field of health sciences to the South West Healthcare network.

Vision

Working within the framework of the organization's vision, Stan Carroll library is committed to:
Providing staff of South West Healthcare, affiliated organisations, health science students and members of the public with appropriate information to support patient care, education and research.
Providing a setting conducive to independent learning and research and expertise in educating users in accessing and using the resources.
Forging effective partnerships with other health science and tertiary institutions for the benefit of library users.

Example school mission and vision :

To prepare well-equipped children and young men and women for a fruitful life, enabling them to strive for academic excellence, high integrity, and strong character;
To challenge young people to know Jesus Christ as Lord, to love others as themselves, and to grow in knowledge and skill, so they may serve the world through their character and leadership; and
To present a living education that develops vigorous minds and bodies, and a self-disciplined spirit, integrated in a Christian view of life and the world.

I found the mission statements for a school and a library I have been associated with on their websites. I think the school mission is unique to them and says what they do, however they are quite long compared to the examples given in the m3planning videos and associated readings. The school did not have a vision statement and I think this is why the mission was so long, it was a mix of the two.

The library mission however, is quite succinct stating what they do and who for. The libraries vision statement was about the capabilities and qualities it has to meet the organisations vision. I don’t think they have gone far enough to inspire them towards change in their future. I think these sound more like specific mission statements. They are not quantitative or competitive in their vision statements. In the video ‘How to write a vision statement that inspires’ states that there are basically three types of vision statements those quantitative in measure ($), competitive in nature (out do the competitors) and superlative (#1, the best). I don’t think the two vision statements fit these any of these types.

I think that for both these organisations there is not a clear delineation between mission and vision.

Smart Goals

I had a look through the strategic goals of the library where I had my placement. They had quite a lot of goals and the way they broke them down and set them out made it clear that they were SMART goals. It was in the fleshing out of the goals into actions that made these into specific goals that were achievable. At the top of each page was the organisational goal, below this was a table with the following headings Action, Performance Measure, Person Responsible, Timeline, Outcome: progress and final report of business objectives.