Purpose-Driven Organizational Planning: The P-GOATS Model in Practice

This League for Innovation Leadership Abstract by Stan Brings, describes a a distinctive institutional community college planning model with a step-by-step guide:

Using the P-GOATS model for organizational planning may seem like an oversimplification of a task that can seem overwhelming. Whether considered from a reductionist perspective or a constructivist perspective, the structured, systematic approach makes P-GOATS a practicable approach. The logical construction of the model and its organized implementation make it understandable to the diverse populations that make up community college stakeholder groups.

The P-GOATS model for organizational planning improves effectiveness by structuring the work of the college. It improves efficiencies by identifying gaps and redundancies and providing opportunities for leveraging and optimizing college capacities. But perhaps its greatest and most important outcome is its effect on the individuals who make up the college. Providing security and a sense of certainty by establishing a direct connection between their work and the purpose of the college will yield dividends beyond those quantified for effectiveness and efficiency.