Category: org dev

  • What Is Organizational Development? – Archer Education

    What Is Organizational Development? – Archer Education

    Applying Principles of Organizational Development in Higher Education

    If you work in higher education, you know the industry is constantly evolving. Shifting student demographics, emerging technologies, and market pressures require institutions to be proactive in building a stronger, more adaptable foundation for long-term success. 

    That’s where organizational development (also known as org dev or OD) comes in.

    OD uses a strategic approach that goes beyond surface-level fixes to create lasting, meaningful change. In higher ed, that means optimizing infrastructure, investing in the right people and resources, and fostering the leadership skills necessary to drive sustainable growth. This article breaks down the four essential pillars of organizational development and how they can help your institution navigate change with confidence.

    Organizational Development Definition 

    Organizational development is a strategic, science-backed approach to improving an organization’s effectiveness, adaptability, and culture. 

    Rather than focusing on quick, short-term fixes, org dev emphasizes long-term, sustainable change through: 

    • Data-driven decision-making 
    • Continuous learning and adjustment 
    • Intentional plans for growth 

    At its core, org dev is about aligning people, processes, and strategy to create a stronger, more resilient institution. 

    How Is Org Dev Applied in the Higher Ed Industry?

    At higher education institutions, organizational development is used to drive strategic change, improve institutional effectiveness, and enhance the student and faculty experience. 

    Universities can apply OD to initiatives such as: 

    • Conducting leadership training and faculty development
    • Restructuring academic programs to align with industry demands
    • Fostering an inclusive campus culture 
    • Improving communication across departments 
    • Streamlining administrative processes 

    By leveraging data, collaboration, and iterative improvement strategies, org dev helps institutions stay competitive in a volatile educational landscape. 

    But how can your institution actually execute on these initiatives? Let’s dig into the nuts and bolts of true organizational development. 

    The Four Pillars of Organizational Development 

    Organizational development can be distilled into four essential pillars that need to be addressed to create lasting, effective change. From the right technological infrastructure to the competencies that drive leadership, each element plays a critical role in shaping a university’s success. 

    1. Infrastructure     

    A strong OD strategy starts with the right tools. A school’s information technology (IT) infrastructure encompasses all the systems and programs that support the institution’s goals by facilitating seamless communication, data management, and student engagement across all departments. 

    Learning management systems (LMS), customer relationship management (CRM) platforms, and student information systems (SIS) are all essential for effective operations.

    Additionally, collaboration tools — like Asana, Trello, Monday.com, Slack, and Microsoft Teams — are critical for project management and internal communications. With a solid tech foundation, faculty, staff, and administrators can more easily work toward common objectives.           

    2. Resources 

    People and capital investments drive organizational development forward. Universities need dedicated staff to support their online and on-campus programs, including instructional designers, student success coaches, and faculty development specialists. 

    Beyond personnel, financial resources play a crucial role in funding curriculum development, marketing initiatives, and partnerships with third-party service providers. The right investments empower institutions by giving them the capacity to scale programs, enhance student support, and maintain a competitive edge. 

    3. Skills 

    Skills are the specific, teachable abilities that allow team members to execute org dev initiatives effectively. In higher education, these range from technical expertise — such as search engine optimization (SEO), paid media management, and statistical analysis skills — to operations skills in areas such as course mapping, instructional design, and system administration for LMS, CRM, and SIS platforms. 

    Providing training and professional development to staff members in these skill areas can help them better implement and manage institutional improvement efforts.

    4. Competencies

    While skills focus on execution, competencies are the broader abilities needed to apply knowledge and lead meaningful change. Important org dev competencies for university leaders and staff members include being able to align online growth initiatives with institutional goals, make data-driven decisions, and foster a culture of adaptability. 

    Higher ed leaders also should be able to communicate a clear vision and gain buy-in from stakeholders to navigate transitions with confidence. Without these competencies, even the most well-equipped institutions can struggle to implement lasting transformation. 

    Benefits of Org Dev for Institutions 

    Effective organizational development creates lasting improvements in how institutions operate, innovate, and serve students. By investing in OD, colleges and universities can:

    • Enhance their efficiency through streamlined processes, better technology, and clear workflows to reduce bottlenecks and improve day-to-day operations
    • Improve their student outcomes through strong support systems, streamlined curriculum design, and data-driven decision-making processes
    • Increase their adaptability to become better equipped to navigate market shifts, policy changes, and emerging educational trends
    • Strengthen their collaboration through communication tools and cross-functional teamwork to break down silos and align departments toward common goals
    • Drive their sustainable growth through strategic investments in people, technology, and training to ensure the institution can scale programs without sacrificing quality

    Ready to Level Up Your Institution’s Org Dev Strategy? 

    At Archer Education, we take a strategic, structured approach to organizational development, starting with a full assessment of your institution across all four pillars using our Good, Better, Best framework. 

    From there, we partner with you to implement targeted changes, optimize your processes, and drive your long-term growth.

    Our ultimate goal? To make ourselves obsolete. By the time we’re done, your institution will be operating at its best across all dimensions, equipped to sustain growth and innovation without relying on external vendors.

    Let’s build a stronger, more resilient future — together. Contact us today to get started.

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  • What to Expect on Your Organizational Development Journey

    What to Expect on Your Organizational Development Journey

    Next Steps to Empower Your Multiyear Growth Road Map

    In higher education organizations, enrollment management plans can be like the weather: short term, ever changing, and subject to the whims of the seasons each year. 

    But for your organization and programs to thrive no matter the conditions, a multiyear growth road map is needed to keep all parts of the organization aligned and moving toward a strategic set of goals. 

    In my last article, I discussed the importance of taking a step back to assess the people, processes, and technology of your organization to identify opportunities for improvement and high-quality growth. This critical first step results in an organizational development plan that moves your institution from good, to better, to best in class. 

    With this article, we’ll dig deeper to outline how you can build a multiyear growth road map that allows you to weather everything from regulatory storm clouds to enrollment droughts, keeping your focus on a longer-term strategy. You’ll learn how to get started, measure your progress, and ensure that feedback loops are in place for continuous improvement. 

    A multiyear growth road map helps your teams move beyond term-to-term thinking to develop activities that ladder up and contribute to a true organizational vision. Everyone has a part to play that is specific, measured, and celebrated.  

    The First 90 Days

    As with any effective plan, laying a strong foundation can lead to long-term success. In the context of your multiyear strategic road map, building the foundation involves these steps:  

    • Hold discovery sessions: Engage with individuals and teams across your organization and open up space for productive — and sometimes uncomfortable — conversations. You are looking for concerns, challenges, and hopes for the future. This phase isn’t about problem-solving. It’s about understanding the existing culture and building trust.
    • Complete an internal readiness assessment: This critical component looks at your institution’s existing strengths, weaknesses, and roadblocks. The readiness assessment process ensures that any proposed changes are offered within the context of your institution’s culture and helps you paint a realistic picture of what you’re ready to take on. 
    • Conduct a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis: Once you have identified your internal current state, you can then compare that to the broader market and competitive landscape. Where is your organization or portfolio strongest, and where is it at greatest risk? Where are the potential market opportunities that you can begin to assess? Where are the most likely threats from competitors, regulation, resource shifts, or other market trends?
    • Prepare for action: As the first 90 days close, you’ll have developed a much clearer image of a business case and action plan. This could mean starting with centralizing marketing efforts, for example, or it may involve planning for a technology tool or system and data mapping for eventual migration. Each institution is different. 

    Year One: The Blueprint

    With a solid understanding of your institution’s current landscape — both internally and externally — it’s time to launch into the first year of your strategic road map. These 365 days are about implementing basic changes to boot up the structures, systems, and processes that will support growth in later years. 

    • Build your blueprint: Your blueprint is your North Star for change. It’s a clear vision that outlines your key goals, timelines, and measures of success. Think of it as a collection of SMART goals: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. 
    • Take simple steps: This is where you implement the first round of changes, which should be relatively achievable. This could be adopting a new customer relationship management (CRM) system, refining a marketing strategy, or establishing new faculty support systems. The goal here is to get the basics right, then let these efforts evolve over time. 
    • Gather feedback: This may be the most important part of your first-year efforts: garnering input on the efficacy of the changes made from stakeholders from all levels and departments at your institution. Feedback loops help you gauge your progress and identify areas that need adjustments. 

    Year Two: Optimize and Accelerate 

    With a firm foundation now in place from your first year’s efforts, the focus shifts toward refinement, optimization, and acceleration of your growth initiatives. This phase is crucial, as it’s where you begin to see the fruits of your labor blossom.

    • Double down on success: Now is the perfect time to capitalize on what’s working. Your teams are eager for a win, so identify any initiative that has shown promise — be it a marketing strategy that’s driving higher engagement or an educational program that’s exceeded enrollment expectations. By scaling these successful ventures, you can ride the momentum and amplify your results.
    • Refine with data: Use the data accumulated from the initial implementations to tweak and improve your systems and processes. Engage in conversations with your teams to pinpoint any bottlenecks or slowdowns in the student journey. Experiment with new approaches based on these insights, and critically evaluate the impact of these changes. This iterative process is key to continuous improvement.
    • Celebrate and share visible wins: Success is a powerful motivator. Make it a point to regularly share and celebrate each tangible achievement — whether it’s a surge in student enrollments, heightened faculty engagement, or the seamless adoption of a new process. Publicizing these wins not only builds internal momentum but also reinforces the collective commitment to your strategic goals.

    Years Three and Four: Knowledge Sharing and Independence 

    As your strategic initiatives mature, the focus will naturally transition toward sharing knowledge and strengthening your internal teams. This critical period in years three and four is about empowering your staff and shifting your role from hands-on implementer to guiding coach.

    • Empower through ownership: Encourage teams to take full ownership of the implemented processes and changes. This allows you to step back and adopt a coaching role, guiding your teams through challenges and ensuring they have the confidence and skills needed to manage and refine these new systems independently. This is also the time to ensure your organization has strong documentation on its processes and training both for knowledge sharing and to support future hiring and onboarding.
    • Build internal capacity: Looking ahead and preparing for a future where your organization can operate and evolve without the need for external partnerships is essential. This requires a dedicated effort and a commitment to providing ongoing training, resources, and support to build a robust internal capacity. Invest in these areas to develop a self-sustaining system that thrives on its own merits.
    • Celebrate the milestones: After your extensive efforts over the past few years, taking the time to celebrate is not just rewarding but necessary. Highlight the significant impacts made by your teams, and take a moment to reflect on the growth, changes, and obstacles that have been overcome. This celebration not only acknowledges the hard work but also reinforces your institution’s positive culture and its commitment to continuous improvement.

    The Journey to Sustainable Development Starts Today

    Successful organizational development requires a multiyear effort that encompasses careful planning, precise execution, and a dedicated team of leaders. From the initial 90 days to the subsequent years, each phase of the process moves your institution closer to becoming stronger and more agile.

    Our team at Archer Education has helped dozens of institutions build and execute comprehensive multiyear strategic plans. These plans are tailored to enhance enrollment and retention, setting each institution on a path to long-term success.

    If you’re ready to transform your organization and achieve remarkable results, reach out to us at Archer Education. Let’s make your educational vision a reality together.

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    Melanie Andrich

    Melanie Andrich is vice president of strategy and development at Archer Education. Melanie is a results-driven higher education leader with 20-plus years of experience in developing and supporting high-quality, accessible, and scalable academic programs and services. She spent the first half of her career at Rutgers University running study abroad programming and leading the first fully online professional master’s degree program for the university. She then moved into management consulting to help colleges and universities with academic innovation, enrollment management, and organizational transformation initiatives.

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