The World Academy in the 21st Century: Opportunities & Challenges
On the occasion of the Academy’s 50th Anniversary
April 24, 2010
Second Report of the Strategic Planning Committee
World Academy of Art & Science
CONTENTS
I. WAAS Strategic Planning Process I-1
1. Mandate & Methodology I-1
2. Planning Framework & Structure of the Report I-1
II. Strategic Positioning of the Academy II-4
1. Context for this Strategic Plan II-4
2. WAAS Vision II-6
3. WAAS Mission II-7
4. WAAS Capabilities & Resources II-7
5. Essential Conditions to Fulfill WAAS Mission II-7
6. Strategic Goals 2010-2015 II-8
7. Objectives for 2010-12 II-8
8. Key Result Areas II-8
9. Strategies Required to Achieve the Mission, Goals & Objectives II-8
III. Program Strategy & Objectives III-9
1. Characteristics of Reliable Knowing III-10
2. Perspectives on the Emerging Global Context III-11
3. Program Framework III-13
4. Program Thrust Areas III-14
5. Real Ideas to Change the World III-16
6. Program Development Process III-18
7. Steps in Formulation of Project Proposals III-20
8. Program Committee III-21
9. Program Strategies III-21
10. Project Checklist III-21
11. E-Conferencing III-22
12. E-Project Coordination III-22
IV. Membership Strategy and Objectives IV-23
1. Creating 400 Actively Committed Fellows IV-23
2. Graded Membership Strategy IV-24
3. Significance of Fellowship IV-25
4. Admissions Committee IV-26
5. Election of Fellows IV-26
6. Special Election Process IV-27
7. Membership Participation Committee IV-28
8. Mode of Communication with Members IV-28
9. Membership Communication Plan IV-29
10. Membership Participation & Involvement IV-29
11. Associate & Junior Fellows IV-31
V. Partnership Strategy and Objectives V-32
1. Importance of Partnerships V-32
2. Definitions V-32
3. Working with Partners V-33
4. Working with Sponsors V-33
5. Background Considerations V-33
6. Strategy for Managing Evolution as a Relevant and Effective Body V-34
7. Guidelines V-34
8. Organizational Responsibility V-35
9. Partnership Plan V-35
VI. Finance Strategy and Objectives VI-35
1. Need for Financial Resources VI-35
2. Finance Committee VI-36
3. Financial Plan VI-36
4. Sources of Funding for the Academy VI-36
5. Project-based Funding VI-36
VII. Leadership, Management and Organizational Development Strategies VII-37
1. Leadership and Management Principles VII-37
2. Organizational Structures VII-38
3. Regional Divisions VII-41
4. Communications Plans VII-42
VIII. Next Steps VIII-42
1. Finalization and Approval of the 2010 Plan VIII-42
2. Develop Operational Plans VIII-43
3. Build consensus on Strategic Plan VIII-43
4. Publication of the plan VIII-44
5. Develop commitment VIII-44
6. Monitoring of Plan Implementation VIII-44
7. Further Development of the Strategic Plan VIII-44
Annexures
A. Strategic Planning Committee Terms of Reference / Scope of Work A-2
B. WAAS Strategic Planning Process B-9
C. Foresight Onion Planning Model C-13
D. Manifesto of the World Academy of Art & Science D-20
E. Perspectives on the Emerging Global Context E-23
F. Program Committee (PC) – Terms of Reference F-29
G. E-Project Coordinating Committee (EPC) – Terms of Reference G-34
H. E-conferencing Project Methodology H-39
I. e-Project Proposals Approved by BOT on August 1, 2009 I-41
J. Criteria for Approval of Projects J-66
K. Report of e-Project Coordinating Committee Sept 2009 – Apr 2010 K-70
L. Purpose & Definition of a Mission Statement L-82
M. Digest of Forum Discussion on Mission M-84
N. Proposal: Black Sea & Caucasus Division N-93
O. List of all project ideas O-95
P. SPC evaluation of each project idea P-97
A. Strategic Planning Committee Terms of Reference / Scope of Work….. A-2
B. WAAS Strategic Planning Process B-9
C. Foresight Onion Planning Model C-13
D. Manifesto of the World Academy of Art & Science D-20
E. Perspectives on the Emerging Global Context E-23
F. Program Committee (PC) – Terms of Reference F-28
G. E-Project Coordinating Committee (EPC) – Terms of Reference G-32
H. E-conferencing Project Methodology…………………………………………………H-37
I. e-Project Proposals approved by BOT on August 1, 2009 I-39
iv
I. WAAS Strategic Planning Process
1. Mandate & Methodology
Recognizing the need for an initiative to revitalize, focus and intensify the activities of the Academy, in October 2008 the Board of Trustees authorized the initiation of a strategic planning process involving the active participation of Fellows and to be coordinated by a Strategic Planning Committee.
A four month, web-based planning process was carried out in early 2009 involving more than 50 Fellows of the Academy and five meetings of the SPC. On August 1, 2009 the SPC presented a preliminary report including recommendations for a new mission, values, goals and objectives for the Academy as well as five projects for implementation during the following one year, which the Board accepted with minor modifications. This report focused on the near term and left many important strategic issues unaddressed. Therefore, the Board mandated the SPC to continue its work and prepare a more complete strategic plan before the next Board meeting.
Annexure A contains the SPC’s revised Terms of Reference. An overview of the steps taken in phase I and II of the strategic planning process is presented in Annexure B.
2. Planning Framework & Structure of the Report
a. This document, with its detailed explanations and background material, is intended primarily for officers of the Academy. Once finalized and approved, edited and abridged versions need to be prepared for circulation to Fellows and use with the general public.
b. Planning Pyramid: The conceptual framework that underlies this report is explicitly set out here because it differs from the typical approach often used for strategic planning. Figure 1 below depicts a typical pyramid-type planning process which includes Vision, Mission, Values, Goals, Strategy, Key Result Areas, and Action Plans. Most pyramid models also include some type of environmental scan, but it is usually confined to a narrow range of issues perceived relevant to the organization, on the assumption that the global context is either known, unchanging or irrelevant. In the pyramid model, there is no universally agreed upon way in which the various elements relate to one another.
c. Need for a different planning model: As a global organization of individuals who firmly believe in the power of original ideas and integral knowledge to create a better world, the Academy’s Strategic Planning Process must necessarily focus on the emerging issues challenging humanity today and the type of knowledge humanity requires to address them effectively. Since the scope of issues and the potential range of Academy programs are very wide, the SPC realized that its primary responsibility was not to delineate or analyze a specific set of global issues to be addressed or actions to be taken, but rather to focus on that which should distinguish the programs of the Academy from those of other institutions, namely a global, integrated, trans-disciplinary perspective focusing on the social consequences and policy implications of knowledge. In other words, the SPC concluded that the type of knowledge and perspective WAAS brings to addressing issues is even more strategically important than the specific issues it decides to address. This diagram is intended to structure discussion and decision-making within the Academy and serve as a guideline for practical actions.
Figure 1: Typical Planning Pyramid
d. Foresight Onion: Therefore, after examining a number of planning models, the SPC decided to adopt the Canadian Foresight Onion (CFO) model depicted in Figure 2 below. This model is especially suited for taking into consideration the type of knowledge applied for the analysis and resolution of problems. It incorporates all the elements of a typical planning process, but imbeds them in a wider conceptual framework and a perspective on emerging challenges and opportunities that is derived from that conceptual framework. The vision, mission and values are based on and integrated with the conceptual framework and perspective. Goals, objectives, strategies and action plans are then derived as in traditional planning models. The steps in the process are described briefly in this section and elaborated in Annexure C.
e. Reliable Knowledge: The value of all strategic planning depends on the validity of the ways in which we understand and evaluate the world around us. CFO begins by asking two fundamental questions. How reliable is our knowing? What can be done to increase its reliability? The answers to these two questions led to a conception of what we mean by reliable knowing. Since the mission of the Academy focuses on social consequences and policy implications of knowledge, it became evident that reliable knowing for WAAS must mean human-centered knowledge relating to human welfare and well-being. This plan is based on seven characteristics of reliable knowing relevant to the Academy’s view of global issues. These factors are discussed in the context of the Program Framework in section III.1 below.
Figure 2: Core Conceptual Elements of the Foresight Onion
f. Perspective on Emerging Challenges & Opportunities: This conception of reliable knowledge was then applied to develop six perspectives that could be used for analyzing and addressing emerging global challenges and opportunities. This process involved re-examining contributions by WAAS Fellows regarding the most significant emerging trends and the most critical challenges to human progress over the next few decades. We then asked how our conception of reliable knowledge would impact our perception and perspective on these issues by asking questions such as: What are likely to be the most significant emerging global conditions within which the world will find itself over the next 10-25 years? Which of these factors are truly strategic (trajectory-altering)? What future conditions do we normally assume? Are these assumptions still warranted? The six perspectives developed by this process form the basis for the Program Framework and are discussed in section III.2 below and illustrated by application to some representative major global issues in Annexure E.
g. Context of the Plan: The conceptual framework and perspective on global issues was then applied to answer more traditional planning questions directly pertaining to the Academy. What is the context in which this planning process is taking place? What is the original conception on which the Academy was founded? How far is that conception still valid in today’s context? How far has the original intention of the founders been realized? What factors have limited that realization? What changes have occurred that may justify or necessitate a change in that intention? What will be the impact of emerging conditions on the future of the Academy? How do the strengths and weaknesses of the Academy impact on its potential for effectiveness in the future? This context is summarized in section II.1 below.
h. Vision & Mission: In this context, the SPC considered how the original conditions, founding intentions, strengths and weaknesses, and emerging trends can be creatively recombined to generate a fully relevant vision and mission for the Academy’s future role. The vision sought to link social context of the plan to the new Mission approved by the Board in August 2010 in a manner that would highlight the Academy’s unrealized potential for making a significant contribution to addressing global issues. The Vision is presented in section II.2.
i. Capabilities & Resources: Previously approved by the Board.
j. Essential Conditions to Fulfill WAAS Mission: This brief section was inserted to make evident the logical continuity of the plan from context, vision and mission through to goals, objectives and strategies.
k. Goals & Objectives: These include all those previously approved by the Board, in addition to one new goal and a few operational objectives.
l. Key Result Areas: This brief section was inserted to identify the most critical results that need to be achieved in order to address the essential conditions to fulfill the vision, mission, goals and objectives.
m. Program Framework: Programming constitutes a central element in the Academy’s functioning. Section III outlines an inclusive framework for WAAS programming based on the conceptual framework and integrated perspectives described above. As in the planning framework, emphasis is placed on the mode of conceptualizing problems and solutions, rather than on specific topics. Thrust Areas have been developed from member contributions to the planning forums. It also includes a more focused strategy to develop ideas for application in specific areas in which the Academy can make an original contribution.
n. Other Strategies: Strategies for each of the other key result areas – leadership & management, membership, partnership and finance – are discussed in sections IV to VII of the report.
o. Next Steps: In addition to implementation plans, a series of other actions are recommended for evaluation and finalization of the plan, preparation of a publishable version, presentation to members. These actions include the articulation of Implementation Plans by each of the committee and working units within WAAS and of personal plans by individual officers, trustees, committee members, division heads, project leaders and other fellows willing to contribute to the renewal of WAAS.
II. Strategic Positioning of the Academy
1. Context for this Strategic Plan
This year marks the fiftieth anniversary since the establishment of the World Academy. By 1960 a decade of very rapid economic growth in OECD countries had strongly reinforced faith in the positive powers of modern science and technology. Yet at the same time, memories of the devastating impact of modern military technology during two world wars were still fresh in the minds of our founders. Cold War tensions were at their height and the proliferation of nuclear weapons was accelerating. International scientific collaboration and intellectual exchange were severely constrained by the Iron Curtain and limitations in international transport and communication. The population explosion had begun, but awareness of environmental threats was in its infancy and had not yet become a subject of serious research. Multidisciplinary studies were yet to gain respectability. Intellectual exchange between the arts, sciences and humanities was rare. In this environment the Academy’s founders saw a pressing need and a precious opportunity to expand peaceful, transnational interchange of ideas among intellectuals of all fields to arrest the dangerous momentum arising from the application of science and technology for destructive purposes and to address the unmet social needs and rising aspirations of the rapidly awakening nascent global society.