Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the use of strategic planning within a public university's auxiliary organizations and perceived measures of improvement. Theoretical framework. Strategic planning is a management improvement process developed and utilized by the private sector. In his study, Coolbaugh (1994) outlined the benefits of strategic planning when applied to public sector municipal governments within the state of California. This study builds on the work of Coolbaugh and others by examining strategic planning in another public sector entity. As the largest public higher education system in the world, the California State University (CSU) is faced with substantial challenges. To aid in the achievement of their educational mission, the CSU developed "auxiliary organizations," which are the focus of this study. These auxiliary organizations are independent business entities within the CSU that bridge the gap between public sector activity and the private sector market system. Methodology. This study utilized survey research to collect data from the university auxiliary organizations within the twenty-three campuses of the CSU system. A series of instruments were mailed to chief auxiliary administrators. The survey incorporated research and inferential questions regarding administrators' perceptions of improvement derived from engaging the strategic planning process. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyze the data collected. Methods used include cross tabulation, correlation analysis, and analysis of variance. Findings. A series of descriptors and process attributes were established to characterize the university auxiliaries involved in planning. These elements identified several correlations with strategic planning utility among university auxiliary organizations. Auxiliaries indicating the greatest planning step completion indicated the greatest benefit from the process. The perceived overall improvement experienced by auxiliary organizations engaging the strategic planning process was significant. Conclusions and recommendations. Universities are engaged in the strategic planning process. When the process is embraced with the allocation of appropriate resources, the results can be very beneficial. Emphasis for success must be placed on adequate and timely planning step completion. Results can provide; establishment of new goals and objectives, improved internal and external communications, team building, development of fiscal plans, redesign of structures, and increased stakeholder confidence.