This resistance surprised me, because I started at Radboud University seven years ago as corporate controller and in that role I made a stricter design for the planning & control cycle. I implemented the OGSM model1 university-wide, and yet something was gnawing at me this week.
What is really important in the upcoming year, where are the opportunities, where are the risks and how do we handle this in the best possible way? Looking back, we see that we have initiated various changes in the past few years in order to respond in a timely manner to the changing circumstances, such as the budget cuts, and to realise our strategy. These changes require time and attention, meaning that the workload increases. In 2026, we have decided not to start new projects, but to consolidate initiatives that have already been set in motion.
In 2026, we will be completing a number of things, focusing on four areas:
- Recognition and Rewards, including leadership
- Knowledge sharing and best practices
- Drafting the FSS strategy for 2027-2032
- Cost-saving programme ‘a future-proof FSS’
What you will notice in 2026 is the roll-out of a more transparent promotion policy, the appointment of department chairs and an FSS impact festival where we will inspire each other and share best practices. We are committed to a pilot with a realistic faculty workload model in order to make the workload manageable, and we are writing a faculty strategy for 2027-2032 that will provide direction for the future. In 2026, we will focus on completing a movement that we have already set in motion; a movement that puts staff and students at the centre.
After writing this column, I realise that the resistance I feel is probably connected to a feeling of inability to capture the human side of this movement we started in simple KPIs. With this insight, I will spend the coming week looking at how we can further specify the objectives in our 2026 annual plan. Because if I have learned something from the past year, it is that when we work together, we can achieve much more than we could alone. Are you curious about the complete FSS annual plan? Via the following link, you can find more examples of what we will be completing in 2026. We will keep you posted on the progress of this process…
1OGSM model (Objectives, Goals, Strategies & Measures). A strategic framework that translates a vision or mission into concrete, measurable actions on one A4.
