Dr. David Carter, Director of Strategy, University of Sharjah, says, “…a persistent and uncomfortable truth remains – strategy too often fails at the point of execution.”
Higher education does not suffer from a shortage of strategy. Across the sector, institutions produce increasingly sophisticated strategic plans rich in ambition, aligned to global trends, and responsive to stakeholder expectations. Yet a persistent and uncomfortable truth remains ‘strategy too often fails at the point of execution’.
The issue is not vision. It is not intent. It is alignment. At the University of Sharjah, this realisation prompted a fundamental shift in how we approach strategy, not as a document to be communicated, but as a system to be operationalised. Our response has been to embed a fully integrated performance model through our EDGE 2030 Strategy, underpinned by the Hoshin Kanri X-Matrix and supported by an online integrated digital performance infrastructure.
From a Principal Fellow perspective, this work reflects a broader question for the sector: how do we move from strategic aspiration to demonstrable institutional impact for students, faculty, and society?
The Execution Problem in Complex Institutions
Universities are, by design, bureaucratic, complex organisations. They operate across multiple dimensions: teaching, research, and community engagement, while balancing internal priorities with broad accountability.
This complexity often results in familiar challenges:
- Strategic priorities interpreted differently across faculties and departments.
- Limited visibility of progress until issues become systemic.
- Performance discussions grounded in retrospective reporting rather than forward-looking action.
In this context, strategy becomes diffuse. It exists everywhere yet drives little with precision.
The consequence is a disconnect between institutional ambition and lived reality, particularly in areas that matter most, such as student outcomes, research impact, and employability.
Learning from Practice (Beyond the Balanced Scorecard)
In developing our earlier SPIRIT 2024 Strategy, we adopted the Balanced Scorecard, developed by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton, as a core performance framework.
This provided important structure. It enabled clearer categorisation of performance, strengthened KPI discipline, and encouraged a more outcomes-focused mindset.
However, implementation revealed a critical limitation: while the Balanced Scorecard is effective in measuring performance, it is less effective in driving coordinated action across a complex system.
We observed:
- A persistent gap between strategic objectives and operational delivery.
- KPIs that described performance but did not sufficiently influence it.
- Limited integration between initiatives, objectives, and institutional priorities.
In short, performance was being monitored, but not fully orchestrated.
Towards a Blended Performance Model
The development of the EDGE 2030 Strategy provided an opportunity to rethink this approach. Rather than replacing one framework with another, we adopted a blended performance management model, designed to align the full strategic ecosystem:
- Vision and strategic goals (pillars) define long-term direction
- Objectives translate ambition into institutional priorities
- Initiatives and Action Plans define delivery
KPIs and metrics measure progress and impact
University of Sharjah 2030 Edge Strategy
Crucially, these elements are not developed independently. They are explicitly connected through the Hoshin Kanri X-Matrix, ensuring that strategy operates as an integrated system rather than a collection of components.
Example of an X-Matrix
This creates a closed loop:
- Every initiative is anchored to a strategic objective.
- Every objective is measured through defined KPIs.
- Every KPI contributes to institutional goals and vision.
The result is coherence, something often assumed in strategy, but rarely achieved in practice.
University of Sharjah 2030 EDGE Strategic Goals (Pillars)
From Framework to System (Embedding Execution)
A framework alone is insufficient. Execution requires infrastructure. To operationalise this model, we implemented a digital performance platform SPIDER to support:
- Integrated Real-time tracking of strategic actions.
- Evidence-based performance reporting.
- Clear accountability across all organisational levels.
Integrated Real-time X-Matrix tracking of strategic actions
This has fundamentally shifted how performance is discussed. Conversations are no longer retrospective summaries, but live, data-informed dialogues focused on action plan delivery, challenge identification and intervention.
Importantly, this approach also reinforces a culture of shared ownership. Strategy is no longer the sole responsibility of the strategy office; it is distributed across the institution, with clarity on contribution and accountability.
University of Sharjah Bi-Annual Leadership Forum (Strategic Performance)
Impact (From Visibility to Value)
While still evolving, this integrated approach has delivered early, measurable benefits:
- Clarity of Contribution
Academic and professional services staff have greater visibility of how their work aligns with institutional priorities.
- Improved Accountability
Defined ownership of actions and KPIs has strengthened delivery discipline.
- Faster Decision-Making
Leadership is increasingly able to identify and respond to performance issues in real time.
- Stronger Focus on Outcomes
Enhanced alignment with key priorities, including employability, research impact, and student experience.
For students and educators, the impact is indirect but significant: a more coordinated institution is better positioned to deliver meaningful outcomes.
A Principal Fellow Perspective (Leadership Beyond the Individual)
From a Principal Fellow perspective, the challenge is not simply to lead within systems, but to shape them.
This required:
- Designing structures that enable alignment rather than fragmentation.
- Embedding data-informed decision-making at all levels (Critical).
- Supporting (and teaching) colleagues to engage with strategy as a practical tool, not an abstract concept.
It also requires a shift in mindset from control to coherence. Effective strategy execution is not achieved through increased oversight, but through creating the conditions in which aligned action becomes the norm.
Implications for Higher Education
If there is a single lesson from this work, it is this: ‘strategy cannot remain a document’.
For institutions seeking to strengthen execution, several considerations emerge:
- Strategy must be operational by design, with clear links between objectives, actions, and metrics.
- Performance frameworks should drive behaviour, not simply measure outcomes.
- Digital systems are essential to enable timely, transparent, and actionable data.
- Engagement across academic and professional communities is critical to sustained success.
Above all, institutions must recognise that alignment is not automatic; it must be intentionally designed and continuously managed.
Conclusion (Strategy as a Living System)
Higher education is entering a period of sustained disruption, driven by technological change, shifting workforce demands, and evolving societal expectations. In this context, the ability to execute strategy effectively will define institutional success.
At the University of Sharjah, our transition from the Balanced Scorecard to a blended, Hoshin Kanri-led model reflects a broader ambition: to move from strategy as intention to strategy as action.
Because ultimately, strategy only matters if it works.
