Penetration and Prevalence of Strategic Management in Higher Education Institutions in India

Strategic Management (SM) is an established global practice for deriving competitive advantage, driving organizational excellence, building business resilience and continuity besides ensuring long-term sustenance. SM has found widespread adoption in Higher Education Institutions in the western world with leading institutions implementing SM to create unique value propositions and strengthening their positions at the top of the global rankings. The Indian Higher Education system which is one of the largest in the world is at an inflection point. The focus has clearly shifted from increasing Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) to improving quality and aspiring for excellence in all spheres despite the numerous challenges. The premise of this paper is to examine the extent of adoption of Strategic Management as a tool for achieving institutional excellence and sustenance within IHE through a survey of 368 leaders from higher education institutions across India. The survey uncovers interesting insights into awareness, prevalence and penetration levels across different categories of institutions.SM Maturity in the SM practicing institutions is assessed while leadership and institutional readiness with respect to SM adoption is evaluated. Finally, the institutional challenges in broad-basing adoption of strategic management and improving its effectiveness are discussed.