Visions: Images of the Future
Visioning and Strategic Planning
Types of Futures: The 3  Ps 
Questions to Consider
Possible Outcomes
References
Scenario I: Range of Institutional Initiatives and Reprioritization
Scenario II: Institutions Devoted to A Learning and Development Culture
Scenario III: Virtual Educational Development, Faculty Development, and Organizational Developmen

Gordon, George

Wheeler, Daniel W.

English

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University of Nebraska - Lincoln 
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln 
POD Network Conference Materials Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education 
2000 
Shaping the Preferred Future of Faculty, Instructional, and 
Organizational Development 
George Gordon 
Daniel W. Wheeler 
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/podconference 
 Part of the Higher Education Administration Commons 
Gordon, George and Wheeler, Daniel W., "Shaping the Preferred Future of Faculty, Instructional, and 
Organizational Development" (2000). POD Network Conference Materials. 142. 
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/podconference/142 
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Professional and Organizational Development Network 
in Higher Education at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in POD 
Network Conference Materials by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. 
SHAPING THE PREFERRED FUTURE 
OF FACULTY, 
INSTRUCTIONAL, 
AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT 
A Presentation to the 
POD National Conference 2000 
November 8-12, 2000 
Dr. George Gordon, Professor 
Centre for Academic Practice 
University of Strathclyde 
Dr. Daniel W. Wheeler, Professor 
Office ofProfessional and Organizational Development 
University ofNebraska-Lincoln 
VISIONS: IMAGES OF THE FUTURE 
Characteristics 
-¢- Optimistic, compelling, enabling 
-¢- Elevates aspirations 
-¢- Attractive 
-¢- Has a "pull" rather than a "push" 
-¢- A force in the hearts of people 
-¢- Language is intended to evoke images, not precise realities 
-¢- Connected to personal visions 
Importance 
-¢- Ultimately what we want to be 
-¢- Guiding light during change 
-¢- Contract that represents commitment toward a shared future 
-¢- Provides direction for change 
-¢- Belief that transformation is possible 
-¢- Longing for something better 
1 
... 
VISIONING AND STRATEGIC PLANNING 
VISIONING 
End-state oriented 
Holistic snapshot 
Desire to create in the world 
Work backward from the future 
Unclear how to get there 
Dynamically incomplete ... 
STRATEGIC PLANNING 
Directional 
Linear 
Reaction to trends and what is 
known 
Work forward to the future 
Have to know how to get there 
Completed plan 
Source: Michael Doyle, "Quest for Vision," Association Management, September 1990, pp. 29-
33; quoted by Institute for Alternative Futures, Alexandria, Virginia. 
2 
TYPES OF FUTURES: THE 3 "Ps" 
Probable Future: What's to be expected if the present course continues? Based upon 
scientific extrapolations from present and past. The focus is "What we 
know enables us to predict." Rarely happens because of innovations and 
adaptations of people. 
Possible Future: Possibilities that may happen in a given period of time. Less precise than 
probable future- more speculative and imaginative thinking. The focus is 
"imagine a future in which ... " 
Preferred Future: Represents the future we want to happen. It depicts how we want the 
future if only we could make it so. The future is empowering and 
suggests, "The world I would choose to live in would ... " 
3 
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER 
1. What are the assumptions and forces behind this scenario? 
2. If you were giving it a name, what would you call it? 
3. What aspects of this scenario are most meaningful to you? 
4. What would be the role of educational, faculty and organizational development in this 
scenario? 
4 
POSSIBLE OUTCOMES 
1. A greater sense of the kinds of issues and expectations that we and a new generation of 
developers will have to deal with to be ready for the future. 
2. A baseline of how faculty developers/educational developers see the future. 
3. Potential opportunities for our allies (administrators, regular faculty, and students) to 
respond to our scenarios and to suggest others we may not see. 
4. A source of possibilities for the CORE and other groups to look at our future 
programmmg. 
5. An activity for others to replicate with regional faculty development groups (Great Plains, 
Northeast, Southern, international) to help clarify their planning for the future. 
6. Potential article(s) for To Improve The Academy and other publications. 
5 
REFERENCES 
Bourner, T., Katz, T., and Watson, D. "New Directions in Professional Education," SRHE/OUP, 
Buckingham. 2000. 
Brown, Judy Sorem. Universities as Learning Organizations: Possibilities and Challenges [A 
Collection of Readings]. Battle Creek, MI: W.K. Kellogg Foundation. 1995. 
Brown, Lester, et al. Vita/Signs: The Trends That Are Shaping Our Future. New York: 
Worldwatch Institute, W.W. Norton, Annual. 
~ Clark, B.R. Creating Entrepreneurial Universities. Elseveir/Pergamon: Oxford. 1997. 
Coates, Joseph F. The Highly Probable Future: 83 Assumptions about the Year 2025. Bethesda, 
MD: World Future Society. 1994. 
Collins, James C., and Jerry I. Porras. Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies. 
New York: Harper Business. 1994. 
Gibbons, M., et. al. The New Production of Knowledge. London: Sage. 1994. 
Hamel, Gary, and C.K. Prahalad. Competing/or the Future. Boston: Harvard Business School 
Press. 1994. 
Institute for Alternative Futures. The Annotated Facilitator's Guide Book. Washington, D.C.: 
Institute for Alternative Futures. Developed for the FSPE Symposium, September 26-28, 1994. 
Jacob, M. and Hellstrom, T. (Ed). "The Future of Knowledge Production in the Academy," 
SRHE/OUP. Buckingham. 2000. 
Kouzes, James M., and Barry Z. Posner. "Envisioning Your Future: Imagining Ideal Scenarios." 
The Futurist. May-June 1996. 
Nanus, Burt. The Vision Retreat: A Facilitator's Guide. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass. 1995. 
Nanus, Burt. The Vision Retreat: A Participant's Workbook. San Francisco, CA; Jossey-Bass. 
1995. 
Nanus, Burt. Visionary Leadership. San Francisco, CA; Jossey-Bass. 1992. 
Parker, Marjorie. Creating Shared Vision. Oak Park, IL; Dialog International Ltd. 1990. 
6 
Schultz, Wendy L., Clement Bezold, and Beatrice P. Monahan. Reinventing Courts for the 
Twentieth Century: Designing a Vision Process [A Guidebook to Visioning and Futures Thinking 
within the Court System]. Washington, D.C.: Institute for Alternative Futures. 1993. 
Schwartz, Peter. The Art of the Long View: The Path to Strategic Insight for Yourself and Your 
Company. New York: Currency Doubleday. 1991. 
Weisbord, Marvin R., et al. Future Search: An Action Guide to Finding Common Ground in 
Organizations and Communities. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler. 1995. 
Weisbord, Marvin R: Discovering Common Ground. San Francisco, CA; Berrett-Koehler. 
1992. 
7 
Scenario I: Range of Institutional Initiatives and Reprioritization 
Institutions are in a changing environment with a range of initiatives- accountability, 
generating outside dollars and overhead, and increasing expectations. More "us" versus "them" 
politics are evident. More decisions are centralized with questions about what constitutes faculty 
governance. The focus is on outcomes. Various crises (decline in enrollment, lack of funds, 
outside political pressure) require cuts and reallocations. Considerable time and energy are 
spent on grievances and threatened legal action. Various functions are eliminated, consolidated 
or reorganized in some manner. Personnel feel over-extended and morale is low. 
Some possible directions of change in this scenario include: 
»»- More outsourcing of educational services 
»»- Every program/activity must pay its way 
»»- Differences exist in institutional and individual priorities 
»»- Reorganizations to create efficiencies and fewer organizational limits 
»»- More time spent on documentation 
»»- Competing demands with a public concern about the direction of the institution 
»»- Challenges to the traditional professional development culture 
»»- Lack of trust in management 
»»- Political tradeoffs are the order of the day 
»»- Programs become more creative with limited resources 
»»- Partnering increases 
»»- Adjunct staff increase 
Sct:pario II: Institutions Devoted to A Learning and Development Culture 
All personnel in this institution continually focus on growth and development. Policies, 
procedures and rewards are oriented to encouraging and maintaining this culture. Institutions are 
characterized by a strong sense of community with peer collaboration and investment in each 
other. Dominant values are matching of individuals and institutional needs and preparing 
personnel for present and future needs. Institutional policies are geared to renewal and 
prevention of over-commitment and burnout. 
Some possible directions of change in this scenario include: 
»»- Institutional and outside dollars designated for professional development 
»»- Compulsory professional development for beginning faculty 
»»- Mandatory times of"stepping out," times for intensive development and other 
breaks in continuous work obligations 
»»- Rewards are oriented to professional development 
»»- Emphasis on collaboration rather than competition 
»»- Learning rather than training 
»»- Focus on risk-taking 
»»- Reduced staff and faculty turnover 
»»- Highly motivated employees 
»»- Managerial commitment to development 
»»- Personnel with meaningful development plans 
»»- Sense of trust among all personnel 
»»- Faculty complaints about too much professional development 
»»- Lack of appropriate personnel for providing training 
»»- Professional development needs overrun budget 
Scenario III: Virtual Educational Development, Faculty Development, and Organizational 
Development 
Ideas associated with virtual development become increasingly important in institutional 
decisions. The technologically disadvantaged and traditionalists suggest a loss of personal 
contact and institutionally determined activities. This emphasis gains momentum because of a 
belief in saving dollars and making everything available whenever people want information and 
training. Thus, place and time are unimportant and boundaries are non-existent in this scenario. 
Some possible directions of change in this scenario would include: 
»»- Greater outsourcing 
»»- More global and national partnerships 
»»- A decrease in the dollars spent and number of personnel involved in professional 
development 
»»- A range of possible services and development activities that are endless 
»»- More time spent evaluating services and activities 
»»- Institutional weaknesses or voids compensated for by identifying additional 
resources available 
»»- Some potential for generating income through the sale of services 
»»- More time spent on contracting on both a long-range and short-term basis 
»»- Greater individual initiatives to find and use what is available 
»»- New people are brought into professional development 
»»- Poorer departments/units struggle with access to hi-tech resources 


Shaping the Preferred Future of Faculty, Instructional, and Organizational Development

DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska

University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln POD Network Conference Materials Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education 2000 Shaping the Preferred Future of Faculty, Instructional, and Organizational Development George Gordon Daniel W. Wheeler Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/podconference  Part of the Higher Education Administration Commons Gordon, George and Wheeler, Daniel W., "Shaping the Preferred Future of Faculty, Instructional, and Organizational Development" (2000). POD Network Conference Materials. 142. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/podconference/142 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in POD Network Conference Materials by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. SHAPING THE PREFERRED FUTURE OF FACULTY, INSTRUCTIONAL, AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT A Presentation to the POD National Conference 2000 November 8-12, 2000 Dr. George Gordon, Professor Centre for Academic Practice University of Strathclyde Dr. Daniel W. Wheeler, Professor Office ofProfessional and Organizational Development University ofNebraska-Lincoln VISIONS: IMAGES OF THE FUTURE Characteristics -¢- Optimistic, compelling, enabling -¢- Elevates aspirations -¢- Attractive -¢- Has a "pull" rather than a "push" -¢- A force in the hearts of people -¢- Language is intended to evoke images, not precise realities -¢- Connected to personal visions Importance -¢- Ultimately what we want to be -¢- Guiding light during change -¢- Contract that represents commitment toward a shared future -¢- Provides direction for change -¢- Belief that transformation is possible -¢- Longing for something better 1 ... VISIONING AND STRATEGIC PLANNING VISIONING End-state oriented Holistic snapshot Desire to create in the world Work backward from the future Unclear how to get there Dynamically incomplete ... STRATEGIC PLANNING Directional Linear Reaction to trends and what is known Work forward to the future Have to know how to get there Completed plan Source: Michael Doyle, "Quest for Vision," Association Management, September 1990, pp. 29-33; quoted by Institute for Alternative Futures, Alexandria, Virginia. 2 TYPES OF FUTURES: THE 3 "Ps" Probable Future: What's to be expected if the present course continues? Based upon scientific extrapolations from present and past. The focus is "What we know enables us to predict." Rarely happens because of innovations and adaptations of people. Possible Future: Possibilities that may happen in a given period of time. Less precise than probable future- more speculative and imaginative thinking. The focus is "imagine a future in which ... " Preferred Future: Represents the future we want to happen. It depicts how we want the future if only we could make it so. The future is empowering and suggests, "The world I would choose to live in would ... " 3 QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER 1. What are the assumptions and forces behind this scenario? 2. If you were giving it a name, what would you call it? 3. What aspects of this scenario are most meaningful to you? 4. What would be the role of educational, faculty and organizational development in this scenario? 4 POSSIBLE OUTCOMES 1. A greater sense of the kinds of issues and expectations that we and a new generation of developers will have to deal with to be ready for the future. 2. A baseline of how faculty developers/educational developers see the future. 3. Potential opportunities for our allies (administrators, regular faculty, and students) to respond to our scenarios and to suggest others we may not see. 4. A source of possibilities for the CORE and other groups to look at our future programmmg. 5. An activity for others to replicate with regional faculty development groups (Great Plains, Northeast, Southern, international) to help clarify their planning for the future. 6. Potential article(s) for To Improve The Academy and other publications. 5 REFERENCES Bourner, T., Katz, T., and Watson, D. "New Directions in Professional Education," SRHE/OUP, Buckingham. 2000. Brown, Judy Sorem. Universities as Learning Organizations: Possibilities and Challenges [A Collection of Readings]. Battle Creek, MI: W.K. Kellogg Foundation. 1995. Brown, Lester, et al. Vita/Signs: The Trends That Are Shaping Our Future. New York: Worldwatch Institute, W.W. Norton, Annual. ~ Clark, B.R. Creating Entrepreneurial Universities. Elseveir/Pergamon: Oxford. 1997. Coates, Joseph F. The Highly Probable Future: 83 Assumptions about the Year 2025. Bethesda, MD: World Future Society. 1994. Collins, James C., and Jerry I. Porras. Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies. New York: Harper Business. 1994. Gibbons, M., et. al. The New Production of Knowledge. London: Sage. 1994. Hamel, Gary, and C.K. Prahalad. Competing/or the Future. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. 1994. Institute for Alternative Futures. The Annotated Facilitator's Guide Book. Washington, D.C.: Institute for Alternative Futures. Developed for the FSPE Symposium, September 26-28, 1994. Jacob, M. and Hellstrom, T. (Ed). "The Future of Knowledge Production in the Academy," SRHE/OUP. Buckingham. 2000. Kouzes, James M., and Barry Z. Posner. "Envisioning Your Future: Imagining Ideal Scenarios." The Futurist. May-June 1996. Nanus, Burt. The Vision Retreat: A Facilitator's Guide. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass. 1995. Nanus, Burt. The Vision Retreat: A Participant's Workbook. San Francisco, CA; Jossey-Bass. 1995. Nanus, Burt. Visionary Leadership. San Francisco, CA; Jossey-Bass. 1992. Parker, Marjorie. Creating Shared Vision. Oak Park, IL; Dialog International Ltd. 1990. 6 Schultz, Wendy L., Clement Bezold, and Beatrice P. Monahan. Reinventing Courts for the Twentieth Century: Designing a Vision Process [A Guidebook to Visioning and Futures Thinking within the Court System]. Washington, D.C.: Institute for Alternative Futures. 1993. Schwartz, Peter. The Art of the Long View: The Path to Strategic Insight for Yourself and Your Company. New York: Currency Doubleday. 1991. Weisbord, Marvin R., et al. Future Search: An Action Guide to Finding Common Ground in Organizations and Communities. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler. 1995. Weisbord, Marvin R: Discovering Common Ground. San Francisco, CA; Berrett-Koehler. 1992. 7 Scenario I: Range of Institutional Initiatives and Reprioritization Institutions are in a changing environment with a range of initiatives- accountability, generating outside dollars and overhead, and increasing expectations. More "us" versus "them" politics are evident. More decisions are centralized with questions about what constitutes faculty governance. The focus is on outcomes. Various crises (decline in enrollment, lack of funds, outside political pressure) require cuts and reallocations. Considerable time and energy are spent on grievances and threatened legal action. Various functions are eliminated, consolidated or reorganized in some manner. Personnel feel over-extended and morale is low. Some possible directions of change in this scenario include: »»- More outsourcing of educational services »»- Every program/activity must pay its way »»- Differences exist in institutional and individual priorities »»- Reorganizations to create efficiencies and fewer organizational limits »»- More time spent on documentation »»- Competing demands with a public concern about the direction of the institution »»- Challenges to the traditional professional development culture »»- Lack of trust in management »»- Political tradeoffs are the order of the day »»- Programs become more creative with limited resources »»- Partnering increases »»- Adjunct staff increase Sct:pario II: Institutions Devoted to A Learning and Development Culture All personnel in this institution continually focus on growth and development. Policies, procedures and rewards are oriented to encouraging and maintaining this culture. Institutions are characterized by a strong sense of community with peer collaboration and investment in each other. Dominant values are matching of individuals and institutional needs and preparing personnel for present and future needs. Institutional policies are geared to renewal and prevention of over-commitment and burnout. Some possible directions of change in this scenario include: »»- Institutional and outside dollars designated for professional development »»- Compulsory professional development for beginning faculty »»- Mandatory times of"stepping out," times for intensive development and other breaks in continuous work obligations »»- Rewards are oriented to professional development »»- Emphasis on collaboration rather than competition »»- Learning rather than training »»- Focus on risk-taking »»- Reduced staff and faculty turnover »»- Highly motivated employees »»- Managerial commitment to development »»- Personnel with meaningful development plans »»- Sense of trust among all personnel »»- Faculty complaints about too much professional development »»- Lack of appropriate personnel for providing training »»- Professional development needs overrun budget Scenario III: Virtual Educational Development, Faculty Development, and Organizational Development Ideas associated with virtual development become increasingly important in institutional decisions. The technologically disadvantaged and traditionalists suggest a loss of personal contact and institutionally determined activities. This emphasis gains momentum because of a belief in saving dollars and making everything available whenever people want information and training. Thus, place and time are unimportant and boundaries are non-existent in this scenario. Some possible directions of change in this scenario would include: »»- Greater outsourcing »»- More global and national partnerships »»- A decrease in the dollars spent and number of personnel involved in professional development »»- A range of possible services and development activities that are endless »»- More time spent evaluating services and activities »»- Institutional weaknesses or voids compensated for by identifying additional resources available »»- Some potential for generating income through the sale of services »»- More time spent on contracting on both a long-range and short-term basis »»- Greater individual initiatives to find and use what is available »»- New people are brought into professional development »»- Poorer departments/units struggle with access to hi-tech resources 

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