Post-OPM Strategy: Embrace an Entrepreneurial Mindset

Preface: The OPM landscape is shifting, and it is not my intention to cast OPMs or the decision to partner with them as good or bad. The purpose of this article is to present neutral information senior-level leaders may want to consider when making decisions regarding their online strategy.

My first article provided an overview of 7 Key Elements to Guide a Post-OPM Strategy. This is the fourth part in the series where we discuss the importance of embracing an entrepreneurial, start-up mindset.

When we began the process of insourcing our online program services after ending the OPM partnership, we found ourselves in unfamiliar territory. Almost overnight, our newly formed internal team had become a "start-up" – tasked with building an entire operational infrastructure from scratch.

Early on we realized that if we were going to meet our online growth goals we would need to develop an entrepreneurial, adaptable mindset. We were building the plane as it was flying and needed to embrace the chaos and constant unknown. This perspective was our North Star as we charted the path forward.

Instead of viewing the situation as a glass half empty, we chose the half full approach. With a small but dedicated team and very few legacy processes weighing us down, we had a rare opportunity: a clean slate. It is not often you are able to create new systems and workflows tailored to your institution's unique culture and priorities. We embraced this unique situation.

We viewed this as our “start-up” advantage – the ability to be nimble, creative and free from legacy constraints. Our team embraced an innovative problem-solving approach focused on andragogy and the needs of non-traditional adult learners. 

This entrepreneurial spirit began to permeate all areas as we rolled up our sleeves:

Admissions: Instead of retrofitting existing processes, we mapped out entirely new communication flows within our CRM. We focused on speed-to-contact and personalized outreach to stand out.

Marketing: While our new vendor supplied digital advertising expertise, we ensured all our new content aligned with the university brand and spoke to the needs of adult learners. 

Instructional Design: We interviewed our faculty to better understand their needs and paired those with Quality Matters standards. This led to rebuilding our course development methodologies from the ground up and establishing new standard operating procedures.

Systems & Integrations: Inheriting a patchwork quilt of technologies, our team found innovative ways to stitch together disparate tools through APIs and creative workarounds.

Perhaps most importantly, we fostered a true start-up culture across the team: open communication, collective problem-solving, celebrating small wins, and maintaining a united vision for success.

Our weekly team meetings became collaborative ideation sessions where roles took a backseat and we focused on collectively achieving our quarterly goals. We shared constructive feedback openly and embraced the ambiguity of building a new operation.

This entrepreneurial, risk-positive mindset empowered our team to make strategic decisions faster, without excessive red tape. We were not married to anything, if a process wasn't working, we adapted quickly. 

The results spoke for themselves. Within two years of insourcing and embracing our "start-up" mentality, we grew to 16 online programs tailored to in-demand fields like nursing, pharmacy and healthcare management.

More importantly, we crafted each component of our new online service model through a student-centric lens – aligning marketing, recruitment, course development and support procedures to provide them a premier online learning experience.

For any institution considering large scale changes like insourcing online services or implementing new operational models, I can't emphasize enough the value of nurturing an entrepreneurial, start-up mindset with your team.

We found that our entrepreneurial culture embraced ambiguity as an opportunity for growth. It gives the team a shared language to persevere through the peaks and valleys. And it ensured we remained adaptable and proactive in the face of constant change. To be honest, the start-up mindset was probably our greatest asset in building our online learning operation from the ground up.

So where are you on your OPM-journey? I would love to hear from similar institutions.

Let’s connect, I promise I’ll pick up the phone (or zoom call).