This blog is the fourth in a five-part series, expanding on our recent post, Collaborative Intelligence: Transformation of Planning and the Roles of Planners in Higher Education. It builds on insights from the previous blogs (see links below) to describe new roles that will emerge for planners and their impact on traditional planning methodologies and practices.
Transformed Planning and New Roles for Planners.
By 2030, planners at leading-edge institutions are expected to collaborate closely with institutional leaders to redefine their roles. This transformation, driven by GenAI and Collaborative Intelligence, introduces new responsibilities, as portrayed in the figure below. This is a fantastic opportunity for current higher education planners and other executives, staff, and faculty who may rise to fulfill the new roles that evolve.
CI Enables New Roles for Planners
New responsibilities will include:
Co-Designer: Planners will collaborate with senior leadership to design new, institution-wide processes for planning, implementation, and decision-making, all enabled and enhanced by GenAI and CI. Co-designers will need to incorporate insights from collaborations with leading-edge practitioners at other institutions and enterprises.
Translator and Advocate: As content and practice experts, planners will champion GenAI and CI initiatives, emphasizing the integration of creativity, human insight, and emotional intelligence into all planning, decision-making, and change management activities.
Facilitator, Leader, and Trainer: Planners will guide others in adopting GenAI and CI practices, fostering new virtualized and scenario-based planning. Planners will actively facilitate highly participatory planning experiences engaging broad cross-sections of their institutional communities,
Transformation Architect: Planners will assist institutional leaders in designing and driving organizational transformations to adapt and thrive in turbulent times and rapidly changing conditions. One of the most promising new tools in the transformation architect’s arsenal will be mapping and intervening in enterprise ecosystems to guide and accelerate transformation efforts that reach beyond traditional institutional boundaries, requiring breakthrough innovations.
To support these emerging roles, institutions and their leaders will need to:
Transform organizational culture, structures, roles, and job descriptions.
Develop new mindsets, behaviors, and skills,
Enhance tools, practices, and processes to support these new roles and transformed activities.
By 2030, many existing planners will evolve into transformation architects. They will become critical players in the transformation and survival of their institutions. Existing planners who do not make this transition will likely find the standing of their roles and offices diminished. Intelligent agents will automate many traditional data curation and planning support tasks.
In the future, organizations such as the Society for College and University Planning are likely to find most of their membership coming from the new breed of transformation architect, often drawn from other disciplines and job titles/roles.
Transformation of Traditional Planning Processes by Transformation Architects
Traditional Planning Processes
| Transformed Activities Performed by Transformation Architects |
Strategic/Integrated Planning (Integrated Planner) | Expand the Practice of Strategic, Integrated Planning. Facilitate virtualized planning activities, enabling democratized decision-making and continuous engagement. Utilize CI-enabled agents for strategic analysis and decision-making. Integrate all domains of planning. |
Curricular/Program Design (Academic Planner)
| Employ CI-managed design tools to develop the latest programs, rapidly prototype academic offerings, and expand lifelong learning opportunities. |
Facilities Planning and Management (Facilities Planner/Architect)
| Implement AI for preventive maintenance, energy efficiency, and sustainability planning. Guide major right-sizing initiatives and address local shortages of affordable housing. |
Data Curation and Planning Support (Planning Support)
| Lead in the creation of new data infrastructures that utilize real-time data for personal learning and adaptive teaching. |
Planning and Intervening for Student Success (Student Success Planner)
| Develop AI applications for adaptive teaching and customization of learning experienced, support real-time tracking of student progress. Enable interventions with students by humans and AI agents. |
Commercialization of Intellectual Property (Tech Transfer Planner)
| Leverage AI to enhance research activities and IP searches and foster the creation of new enterprises and job opportunities. Use AI to create IP/Tech Transfer Curricula for faculty and students. |
Full Blog Series:
Blog 4: Redefining the Roles of Planners
Additional Resources
Donald Norris, Tim Gilmour, Linda Baer, “A New Role for Planners: Transformation Architect” Link to SCUP.
Joseph (Tim) Gilmour, “The Role of College and University Boards in Turbulent Times,” Trusteeship, Nov/Dec 2024.
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