Designing new models of higher education is no simple matter. Purdue's College of Technology is launching a major transformation, called the Purdue Polytechnic Institute. At the request of the Dean of the College of Technology, I prepared the enclosed slide deck to explain how agile strategy could be applied to the implementation of the Institute.

1. IMPLEMENTING THE
PURDUE POLYTECHNIC
Exploring
how
agile
strategy
can
support
and
accelerate
the
implementation
of
the
Purdue
Polytechnic
Institute
December
30,
2014
Prepared
by:
Ed
Morrison
Purdue
Center
for
Regional
Development

2. |
Preface
This document explores how the discipline of Strategic Doing could be
applied to the implementation of the Purdue Polytechnic Institute.
Strategic Doing is a strategy discipline designed for open, loosely-
connected networks. It focuses on building collaborations quickly,
moving them toward measurable outcomes and making adjustments
along the way.
Lately, Strategic Doing has been gaining traction in the transformation
of undergraduate engineering education. Coupled with the Pathways to
Innovation initiative developed by Stanford’s Epicenter and VentureWell,
Strategic Doing has been guiding the transformation of undergraduate
engineering education at 12 universities. In February 2015, another 24
universities will take up the discipline.
Further, the board of the American Society for Engineering Education
has turned to Strategic Doing to redesign the Association’s strategy.
2
Strategic
Doing
applies
agile
principles
to
the
development
of
strategy
.
Incubated
at
Purdue,
Strategic
Doing
has
spread
to
universities
in
the
U.S.,
Australia
and
the
UK.
Strategic
Doing
also
forms
the
core
of
a
partnership
among
the
Purdue
Center
for
Regional
Development,
Fraunhofer
IAO,
and
the
New
Jersey
Institute
of
Technology.

3. |
TableofContents
3
This document explores how the discipline of Strategic Doing could be
applied to the implementation of the Purdue Polytechnic Institute.
04 11 18
page page page
24 30 35
page page page
PPI’s
Challenge
PPI:
A
Visual
Interpretation
Strategic
Doing
Explained
The
Proposed
Strategy
Process
Additional
Training
Options
References
and
Contact
Information

4. PPI’s
Challenge
The
challenge
of
large
scale
transformation
Overcoming
the
organizational
immune
system
Innovation
diffusion
within
the
College
The
challenge
of
distributed
leadership
Transforming
undergraduate
engineering
education
Applying
Strategic
Doing
to
the
challenges
of
deploying
the
PPI

5. |
Thechallengeof
largescale
transformation
PPI represents the transformation of
the complex system of engineering
education within the College of
Technology. Although the college is
organized hierarchically, it does not
operate that way. Effective
hierarchies depend on command-
and-control structures.
Instead, the College, like the
university, operates quite differently
(Hammond, 2002). Clark Kerr,
president of the University of
California system in the 1950s and
1960s, joked that the university has
become “a series of individual faculty
entrepreneurs held together by a
common grievance over parking.”
5
How
does
large-­‐scale
transformation
take
place
when
hierarchical
command
and
controls
do
not
work?
Rather than a hierarchy, a university operates on a
loosely connected series of networks.

6. |
Overcomingthe
organizational
immunesystem
Transformative initiatives disrupt
existing relationships. As a
consequence, they often trigger
resistance that can appear in a
variety of different forms from
bureaucratic inertia to subtle
political maneuvers.
Resistance arises from an
inadequate understanding of how
loosely coupled networks
transform. In other words, as
Kezar notes, resistance to change
is often a product of a poor
approach to change (Kezar, 2013).
6
Transformative
initiatives
can
quickly
encounter
significant
resistance
from
power
bases
within
the
organization.

7. |
Innovationdiffusion
withintheCollege
Diffusion theory explains how transformation in open, loosely connected
networks takes place. Transformation occurs when the entrepreneurs
promoting the transformation engage "willing volunteers.”
As one former dean of the College at Purdue commented to us, "When
changing the college, I focused on the one-third of the faculty most receptive
to change. I found that that one-third would bring along a second third. I didn’t
worry much about the third third.”
7
Change
efforts
become
stuck
when
entrepreneurs
spend
too
much
time
trying
to
overcome
the
objections
of
vocal
skeptics.
Transformation
Entrepreneurs
Core Team
Initiative
Team Leaders
Willing
Volunteers,
Pragmatists
Passive
skeptics
The "Chasm"
Vocal
resistors
Percent of
college faculty

8. |
Distributed
leadershipin
innovatingnetworks
Effective networks combine a tight
core of trusted leadership, combined
with porous boundaries that enable
continuous learning and growth.
Designing and guiding open,
innovative networks is neither a top-
down nor a bottom-up process.
Networks operate without tops or
bottoms.
Innovating networks operate with
trust built over time. Rather than a
single leader, transformation
leadership falls to a core team.
8
Innovating
networks,
the
type
of
networks
capable
of
transforming
the
College,
operate
off
of
trust
built
over
time.
Innovating networks are tighter and more focused
than other types of networks, such as an interested
community or a community of practice. Innovating
networks take time to emerge.

9. |
Transforming
undergraduate
engineering
education
Designing and guiding these innovating networks calls for a new approach to
strategy. Traditional strategy disciplines, called “strategic planning,” emerged
in the 1960s to address the challenges of managing large, hierarchical
organizations.
Strategic Doing is designed to address the strategy issues of open, loosely
connected networks. It is similar to applying the disciplines of agile product
development or “Lean Launchpad” to the challenges of strategy.
Stanford’s Epicenter and VentureWell are applying Strategic Doing to
transform the undergraduate engineering curriculum at universities across the
country. In the first year the program, we deployed Strategic Doing with 12
universities. In 2015, a new cohort of 24 universities will apply the discipline.
Strategic Doing addresses the core issues of network strategy in a lean, low-
cost and agile way. Because the disciplines are teachable, the practice of
Strategic Doing is scalable.
9
Strategic
Doing
works
by
focusing
intensively
and
relentlessly
on
the
critical
questions
of
strategy
for
collaborations.
In February 2014, 12 universities developed their
strategy for transforming undergraduate
engineering education by using the disciplines of
Strategic Doing.

10. |
ApplyingStrategic
DoingtoPPI’s
deployment
The next three sections of this paper outline how Strategic Doing could
assist in the deployment of the PPI.
• The first section provides a visual interpretation of the PPI as a
platform for transformation within the College.
• In the second, I introduce a basic explanation of Strategic Doing
and how it works.
• In the third section, I propose a process for applying Strategic
Doing to the deployment of the PPI.
Finally, I introduce training options for faculty and staff to become
certified in Strategic Doing. Although this step is not essential for
moving forward, adding College of Technology faculty into the pool of
professionals skilled in the practice of Strategic Doing will accelerate
the adoption of the discipline across the College.
10
Teams
charged
with
implementing
PPI
will
need
1)
a
common
strategy
vocabulary;
2)
a
shared
process
for
moving
ideas
into
action;
and
3)
a
continuing
commitment
to
design
shared
experiments
and
learn
“what
works.”

11. PPI: A Visual
Interpretation
PPI:
The
Basic
Design
Migration
of
College
assets
The
Engagement
Threshold
The
Migration
Roadmap
The
PPI
Deployed

12. |
PPI: The basic
design
12
1. The Core Team guides implementation
2. The Learning Innovation Institute
designs and pilots new ideas
3. Curriculum Transformation
accelerates deployment of new models
4. Innovation Labs engage industry in
applied research
5. Workforce Educator focuses on
expanding the pipeline of STEM
students within Indiana
The
PPI
represents
a
transformational
platform
consisting
of
five
components.
Implementation began in 2014 with the
Learning Innovation Institute. Other
components will be designed and
launched in 2015.
Innovation Labs
Curriculum
Transformation
Core
Team
Learning Innovation
Institute
Workforce
Educator

13. |
Migration of College
assets to the new
platform
13
Over
a
period
of
3-­‐5
years,
assets
that
are
embedded
in
the
College’s
current
hierarchical
organization
will
migrate
to
a
more
open,
agile
and
networked
structure
built
on
the
PPI
platform.

14. |
The Engagement
Threshold
14
External
Partners
Innovation Labs
Workforce
Educator
Accelerator Core
Team
Incubator
Engagement
Threshold
Existing
College of
Technology
Departments
As
existing
departments
and
external
partners
cross
an
“Engagement
Threshold,”
they
will
invest
resources
in
developing
the
platform.

15. |
The Engagement
Threshold
15
The
Engagement
Threshold
is
defined
by
a
commitment
to
a
new
way
of
teaching,
research
and
engagement.
The Engagement Threshold is articulated by the
Polymeter document and the following
components:
• The PPI Values;
• The PPI Assumptions;
• The PPI’s commitment to provide students with a
marketable skills portfolio, focused knowledge,
and diverse experiences (the T-shaped
professional);
• Overarching philosophical ideals; and
• Dimensions of technology experience.
When partners commit to consistent actions in
alignment with these values and beliefs, they cross
the Engagement Threshold.
Reference: ”Polymeter: Criteria and Guidelines for the Polytechnic Curricula
in the College of Technology at Purdue University.”

16. |
The Migration
Roadmap
16
Colleges
and
faculty
within
each
college
will
engage
with
the
new
platform
at
different
rates.
External
partners
will
engage
as
more
College
resources
migrate
to
the
new
platform.
Aviation Technolgy
External
Partners
Innovation Labs
Workforce
Educator
Accelerator Core
Team
Incubator
Building Construction
Management
Computer Information
Technology
Computer Graphics
Technology
Engineering
Technology
Statewide
Technology
Technology
Leadership & Innovation
Engagement
Threshold

17. | 17
The PPI Deployed Over
time,
the
College
will
be
transformed
in
alignment
with
the
core
values
and
beliefs
of
the
PPI.
The
resulting
structure
will
be
far
more
agile,
networked
and
innovative.

18. Strategic
Doing
Explained
What
is
Strategic
Doing?
How
does
it
work?
Why
does
it
work?
Who
uses
Strategic
Doing?

19. |
Whatis
StrategicDoing?
Strategic
Doing
enables
people
to
form
action-­‐oriented
collaborations
quickly,
guide
them
toward
measurable
outcomes,
and
make
adjustments
along
the
way.
Nearly everywhere we turn these
days, people talk about the
importance of collaboration. But how
do we design these collaborations?
How do we manage them? Strategic
Doing provides a simple set of rules
to answer these questions.
With Strategic Doing, people:
• “link and leverage” their assets to
create new opportunities;
• convert high-priority opportunities
into measurable outcomes; and
• define “Pathfinder Projects” that
move toward these outcomes.
19
Strategic Doing is designed for
open, loosely connected
networks.
Managing complexity within these
networks requires simple rules.
We have designed Strategic
Doing to be intuitive and concise.
In a matter of hours, a loosely-
organized network of people can
generate a sophisticated strategic
action plan and begin
implementing their ideas.
In today’s world, we need
strategic thinking more than ever.
But we cannot rely on slow,
cumbersome traditional
approaches. Strategic Doing is
designed for today’s world.
Watch a video introduction.
Managing
complexity
requires
simple
rules.
The work Strategic Doing takes place in short
bursts. We organize the process around
workshops that last between 2 to 3 hours to full
days. In between these workshops, we start
implementation with Pathfinder Projects.

20. |
Howdoesitwork?
Collaborations are born and live in
conversation. Strategic Doing
focuses conversations on the two
critical questions of strategy:
• Where we going? and
• How will we get there?
By keeping our conversations
focused on these critical questions,
Strategic Doing generates all the
components we need for practical
strategic action plans. Over time, we
make continuous adjustments to
these plans, as we learn by doing.
20
Strategic
Doing
works
by
focusing
intensively
and
relentlessly
on
the
critical
questions
of
strategy
for
collaborations.
What could
we do
together?
What will
we do
together?
What
should we
do together?
What is
your 30/30?
The
Strategic Doing
Cycle
Where are we going?
How will we get there?
By keeping conversations tightly focused on answering simple but not easy
questions of strategy, Strategic Doing generates all the components of a strategy
within a matter of hours.

21. |
Whydoesitwork?
Strategic
Doing
works
because
it
is
intuitive
and
stimulates
learning
by
doing.
Strategic Doing works because it
is:
• Intuitive
• Inductive and data-driven
• Enjoyable
Intuitive. Each of us is experienced
in making strategic decisions in our
personal lives. Yet, we rarely bring
this experience into our
collaborations. Strategic Doing builds
off these personal experiences.
Strategic Doing connects with how
we personally make complex
decisions.
21
Inductive and data-driven. At the
same time, most of us recognize that we
cannot forecast the future. We often do
not know what will work. By stimulating
a spirit of experimentation, Strategic
Doing encourages us to learn
continuously.
Enjoyable. Finally, Strategic Doing
promotes the deeper conversations, as
well as the collaborative action, that
most of us find engaging. Strategy
sessions are focused, short and
pragmatic.
Strategic
Doing
focuses
on
translating
ideas
and
action
quickly,
so
we
can
figure
out
what
works.

22. |
Whydoesitwork?
Strategic
Doing
also
promotes
transparency
to
form
trust
more
quickly.
Because Strategic Doing
promotes transparency to
accelerate learning and
network expansion, it also
discourages behavior that
slows innovation and erodes
trust.
22

23. |
Who uses
StrategicDoing?
Strategic
Doing
is
designed
for
strategy
and
open,
loosely
connected
networks.
We
see
applications
both
within
organizations
and
across
organizational
and
political
boundaries.
As a lean, agile strategy discipline,
Strategic Doing has applications in a
wide range of situations.
Dealing with messy challenges in
communities and regions. We are
increasingly confronting complex,
messy problems. In these situations,
multiple organizations, each with a
unique set of assets, need a practical
approach to designing and guiding
collaborations.
Focusing an organization. As
organizations become flatter and
more networked, traditional
approaches to strategy no longer
work as well. Strategic Doing fills a
void.
23
University engagement. Along side
teaching and research, university
engagement represents the Third
Mission of higher education.
Increasingly, universities are being
called on to improve engagement
with their regional economy. Strategic
Doing delivers a lean and scalable
solution to leveraging university
assets in new and different ways.
University transformations. An
increasing number of universities are
turning to Strategic Doing to guide
the complex moves needed to
transform the student experience.
Strategic Doing provides a simple
discipline that can guide these
transformation.
Moving a profession association
forward. Guiding an association
forward can be difficult without a
simple process to engage and align
members.
Building clusters. Clusters are an
important feature of dynamic regional
economies, and Strategic Doing is a
fast way to build these networks.
Strategic
Doing
can
be
applied
to
any
complex
situation
in
which
collaboration
represents
the
only
practical
alternative.
Purdue has been conducting Strategic Doing
workshops both nationally and internationally since
2005.

24. Proposed
Strategy
Process
Proposed
Strategy
Process
for
PPI
2015
Schedule
Strategic
Doing:
The
Game
Strategic
Doing
Workshops

25. |
ProposedStrategy
ProcessforPPI
25
When What Who Outcomes Comment
January Strategic
Doing Game
Open
invitation
Get an
overview of
Strategic
Doing
3 hour time block. Participants will play a Strategic
Doing Game designed for Stanford’s Epicenter.
Representatives from 24 universities will be playing
this game in Palo Alto on January 15.
January
———
Follow up
workshops
every 90 days
PPI Strategy
Workshop
PPI Core
Team (open
definition*)
Strategic
action plan
for PPI
This workshop of 3-6 hours will design first version
of the strategic action plan of the PPI for 2015. This
initial version (the alpha version) will focus on two
already defined initiatives: recasting the Year 1
experience and the Year 4 capstone. The session will
design strategies for all four components of the PPI.
February
———
Follow up
workshops
every 90 days
Department
Workshops
College
teams
committed
to PPI
Strategic
action plan
for each
college
This 2-3 hour workshop will focus on departmental
teams as they migrate resources to the PPI platform.
Follow-up workshops every 90 days will revise their
strategic action plan.
Every 30
days
30/30 check-
ins
Everyone
engaged on
a team
Revision of
strategic
action plans
The 30/30 check-in meetings are critical to keeping
strategies on track. These meetings, which can be
held virtually, are short: 20-30 minutes, normally.
They enable the team to shape implementation plans
in 30 day time buckets and make adjustments.
*At the initial workshop, the core team should be defined broadly to include any faculty, administrator or student who has
been engaged in the implementation of the PPI in 2014, as well as others who are willing to commit time in 2015.

26. |
2015Scheduleof
Workshops
26
Strategic
Doing
is
an
iterative
process
of
continuous
commitment
and
refinement.
The
graphic
outlines
a
process
that
includes
the
overall
PPI
and
2
departments,
a
total
of
12
workshops
in
2015.
Workshops
30/30
Check-in
Meetings
PPI Core Team 4 11
Department 1 4 10
Department 2 4 10
Total 12 31

27. |
StrategicDoing:
TheGame
Strategic Doing: The Game introduces the skills of designing and guiding
collaborations through a simulation. Participants gain some valuable insights
by focusing on the challenges of transforming engineering education in a
smaller university. Participants play different roles in the university.
27
Participants
in
the
game
learn
that
they
can
develop
sophisticated
strategic
quickly,
if
they
keep
their
conversation
focused
on
answering
strategic
questions.
The University:
Student size: 10,000 undergraduates
Population of community: 200,000
Engineering: 2,500 students
Departments of : Mechanical, Chemical,
Civil, Electrical
Other Departments: Business School,
Biology, Physics, and Chemistry
The Situation:
School of Engineering has been given a
building downtown (100,000 SF).
New university president wants to see
more innovation and dean of Engineering
suggests that we should meet to talk about
use of building. Dean just came back from
meeting where he met a Pathways School
and wants this group to explore using the
Strategic Doing process.
The new building is coming on line in
2016…..The strategy challenge: What kind
of programming, space and use of the
building makes sense?

28. |
StrategicDoing
Workshops
28
Strategic
Doing
workshops
focus
on
answering
simple,
but
not
easy,
strategy
questions.
Collaborations
emerge
when
participants
link
and
leverage
assets
within
their
networks.

29. |
StrategicDoing
Workshops
29
Participants
in
workshops
learn
how
to
communicate
their
strategies
in
simple,
concise
terms.
Strategy
maps
keep
the
process
focused.
Here a participant in the 2014
Stanford Epicenter initiative is
presenting his team’s strategy to
the other universities.

30. Additional
Training
Options
Professional
Training
Options
3-­‐Day
Practitioner
Deep
Dive
Certification
Strategic
Doing
Faculty

31. |
Training Options
31
Face to Face Online
Introduction to Strategic Doing 1 day $275 5 weeks $395
Strategic Doing:
The Game
3 hours
$100/player
Minimum 20 people
X X
Strategic Doing:
The Game + Briefing
1 day
$275/player
Minimum 20 people
X X
Strategic Doing Table Guide 1 hour
Included in a Strategic
Doing workshop
1 hour
Included in a
workshop
Practitioner
Training
3 days $1,275 X X
Practitioner
Training + Capstone
Course
3 days
+
Capstone
$1,575 X X
Certification + Purdue Residency
3 day
Residency at
Purdue
$1,200 X X
IntroductoryCertificationPractitionerFaculty The
Purdue
Center
for
Regional
Development
offers
training
in
Strategic
Doing.
The
table
below
outlines
our
current
offerings.

32. |
PractitionerTraining:
3-daydeepdive
Practitioner training is geared for
professionals who need a deeper
grounding in the theory and practice
of collaboration in open networks.
In this training, practitioners learn
how to design and guide a Strategic
Doing workshop, draft Strategic
Doing packs of workshop exercises,
and translate packs into strategic
action plans.
32
With
this
training,
professionals
will
be
able
to
design
and
guide
collaboration
using
Strategic
Doing
workshops.

33. |
Certification:
PractitionerTraining+
CapstoneExperience
Some professionals want to teach
Strategic Doing.
Strategic Doing certification enables
professionals to teach Strategic
Doing workshops and conduct
Strategic Doing: The Game.
The capstone experience includes
field work that is supervised by a
member of the Strategic Doing
faculty. During this fieldwork,
professionals learn to design and
guide Strategic Doing workshops.
33
Strategic
Doing
certification
enables
professionals
to
teach
Strategic
Doing
workshops
and
Strategic
Doing:
The
Game.

34. |
Faculty:
Certification+Purdue
Residency
Certified professionals are eligible to
join the Strategic Doing faculty. In
order to take that step, the
professional participates in a
residency at Purdue. During this
residency, participants learn the
latest approaches to teaching this
new discipline.
The professional also develops a
plan for contributing to the Strategic
Doing curriculum. In addition, the
existing faculty provide suggestions
for improving presentations and
teaching styles.
34
Strategic
Doing
faculty
design
new
curriculum,
and
they
lead
the
development
of
Strategic
Doing
in
anchor
universities.

35. References
Contact

36. |
References
Hammond, Thomas H. "Herding cats in university hierarchies: Formal
structure and policy choice in American research universities."
Governing academia (2004): 91-138.
Hechinger, G. "Clark Kerr, Leading Public Educator, Dies at 92”, New
York Times, December 3, 2003.
Henderson, C., and M. Dancy. Increasing the Impact and Diffusion of
STEM Education Innovations, White Paper commissioned for the
Characterizing the Impact and Diffusion of Engineering Education
Forum, Feb 7-8, 2011.
Kezar, A., How Colleges Change: Understanding, Leading and Enacting
Change. Routledge, 2013.
Klein, K., and Knight. A., "Innovation Implementation. Overcoming the
Challenge." Current Directions in Psychological Science 14.5 (2005):
243-6.
Miller, R. From the Ground Up: Rethinking Engineering Education for
the 21st Century, Symposium on Engineering andLiberal Education ,
Union College, Schenectady, NY, June 4-5, 2010.
36
Contact: edmorrison@purdue.edu