Discussion and two peer replies

How does your organization seek input from key stakeholders to help select goals and objectives?
– Two in-text citations required 
– Two Scholarly reference
– Two Peer Reply
– Be thoughtful/analytical
Please include at least 3 paragraphs and respond to 2 peers.
(Jon) reply 1 need
We have known for decades that people who participate in decision-making that affects their work feel a higher degree of ownership and commitment to that work. We also know that where more people are involved in a joint process of common interest, the quality of output is higher. This doesn’t just go for my professional field in education, but any profession.  The same is true of strategic planning. Applegate says, “High involvement in the process by a variety of stakeholders tends to generate better outcomes and a greater sense of ownership”.  Many organizations are using broad engagement strategies to increase participation in and commitment to strategic planning.
Key stakeholders to be involved in strategic planning are those having a vested interest in the success of the institution. These include in professional workplace students, faculty, staff, and administration. Each has a unique perspective about what it will take the organization to succeed. Employees know the strengths and weaknesses of the organization, often understand what gets in the way of success, and have first-hand knowledge of what it takes to deliver.
I believe there three ways to engage stakeholders:
1. Communication 
2. Actively involve stakeholders in the process
3. Make sure people know that the strategic plan is and where they fit in it
It’s nearly impossible to get where you want to go without a goal, a roadmap, and organizational commitment to get you there.  Without a goal, you can’t align the institution/organization to a common desired outcome.  Without a roadmap, you have no idea of the options available to get there.  In addition, without commitment, you cannot ensure that your stakeholders will move in the direction you need to go.  Building commitment through broad stakeholder engagement is an increasingly important element of the strategic planning process.
Brun, C. (2014). A practical guide to evaluation (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Applegate, Lynda M. “Stakeholder Analysis Tool.” Harvard Business School Note 803-171.
Reply 2 need
It is important for organizations to seek input from key stakeholders when selecting goals and objectives for their programs. By doing this, you will bring about better policy directions, improve services, find new ways to initiate or plan for a particular situation, and have a better understanding of situations by experts (Shaltz, 2016). You can include stakeholders in many ways; asking input in your strategic meetings, through surveys, workshops, suggestion boxes, etc. The overall objective to including stakeholders in the process is to achieve a transparent decision-making process with greater input from stakeholders and their support of the decisions taken (Shaltz, 2016). 
When looking at higher education, there will be times where you will need to do a systematic review of the requirements for your degree program. When doing so, it is important to engage key stakeholders to help determine the goals and objectives for the program. Key stakeholders could include, current students, faculty, staff, and employers. This will ensure your ability to gather information from people who are most invested in the training enterprise, have recent experience with the particular program, and have insight into the degree to which training matches available job opportunities (Linnan, L., Steckler, A., Maman, S., Ellenson, M., French, E., Blanchard, L., Moracco, B., 2010). 
I was once a part of a planning workshop where stakeholders were included in the development of the goals and objectives for a university’s public health program. Here, stakeholders were able to provide a substantial amount of input for the future of the program. When developing the goals and objectives, stakeholders were split into groups where several goals and objectives were developed. Later that day, stakeholders were split into groups once more where there were tabletop discussions around the goals and objectives developed earlier that day. In the end, Stakeholders were able to come to an agreement on which goals and objectives to be used in the development of the program. This of course was just a small part of the entire program development process, and several other workshops took place over an extended period of time. However, that was my first time as a key stakeholder and I remember it being an effective process. 
In summary, it is important to remember, stakeholder’s engagement must be taken into account from the beginning to the end of program development, to encompass the whole planning and design process (Shaltz, 2016). By doing this, you will bring about better policy directions, improve services, find new ways to initiate or plan for a particular situation, and have a better understanding of situations by experts (Shaltz, 2016).
Reference
Linnan, L., Steckler, A., Maman, S., Ellenson, M., French, E., Blanchard, L., Moracco, B. (2010). Engaging Key Stakeholders to Assess and Improve the Professional Preperation of MPH Health Educators. American Journal of Public Health, 100(10), 1993-1999. Retrieved from https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=s3h&AN=53725395&site=ehost-live&custid=s8501869
Shaltz, T. (2016). Engaging Airport Stakeholders. National Academy of Sciences. 150(2)