How to lead a successful university transformation: The case of École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)

2020 ◽  
pp. 174114322095360
Author(s):  
Xiaohua Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Change Management ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Transformational Change ◽  
Change Model ◽  
University Administrators ◽  
University Leadership ◽  
Education Market ◽  
University Leaders ◽  
École Polytechnique

Research universities worldwide have been taking reform actions to enhance their competitiveness in the global higher education market; however, the implementation of new initiatives may lead to challenges for university leadership. Faculty resistance is regarded as one of the most common obstacles faced by university leaders. Taking a qualitative approach based on Kotter’s leading change model, this study adopts École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne as a case study to explore change management strategies adopted by university leadership in an attempt to ensure a planned transformational change. By analysing 22 interviews with university administrators and faculty members, this study reveals that the president of École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne managed changes through approaches that included vision creation, coalition formation, communication, faculty empowerment and culture consolidation. Additionally, the study shows that Kotter’s change model, which was designed for business organizations, could not be applied to the analysis of the change management process in the context of higher education without modifications due to institutional and cultural differences.

scholarly journals Developing generic skills for students via extra-curricular activities in Vietnamese universities: Practices and influential factors

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tran Le Huu Nghia
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
Skills Development ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
University Leadership ◽  
Generic Skills ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Extra Curricular Activities ◽  
External Stakeholders ◽  
University Leaders

Developing generic skills (GS) for students has become central in many higher education curricula lately. However, there is still a lack of studies regarding how these skills are developed for students, especially those in developing countries. Drawing from a PhD study, this article reports the contribution of extra-curricular activities in developing GS for students in Vietnamese universities and analyses factors influencing the effectiveness of developing GS for students via these activities. A content analysis of relevant documents and 69 interviews with university leaders, academics and organisers of the Youth union and its associates (YUA) showed that extra-curricular activities were involved as an integral component of a university’s strategy for training students in GS. This was due to a lack of curriculum autonomy, which restricted most Vietnamese universities from adding skills subjects into the curriculum, and the YUA also had a long-standing tradition of developing non-discipline-specific skills for students. The YUA were found to successfully develop GS for students via extra-curricular activities; however, their operation was influenced by university leadership, student participation, external stakeholders’ support, and the leadership of the YUA. The article argues that extra-curricular activities were conducive to developing GS for students; therefore, they should be included in student skills development programs in higher education. 

scholarly journals Stakeholder Management Strategies: The Special Case of Universities

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Germaine Chan
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Theoretical Model ◽  
Peer Influence ◽  
Stakeholder Management ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Management Model ◽  
Organizational Response ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Stakeholder Support ◽  
University Leaders

Universities must secure stakeholder support to ensure the successful implementation of most initiatives. However, given the shared governance structures and collegial cultures of many universities, what strategies do university leaders enact to obtain stakeholder support? Although several stakeholder management and organizational response models have been proposed, there is limited empirical research on the actual strategies university leaders use to secure stakeholder support. This study focuses mainly on university academics - a powerful, autonomous, and intelligent stakeholder group whose support for most higher education initiatives is essential. Guided by a theoretical stakeholder management model, this research examines the strategies university leaders employ to manage this salient and sometimes adversarial group with respect to a major organizational change initiative. The evidence shows that university leaders use strategies that centre mostly on themes of shared goals, consensus, partnerships and engagement, which align with the strategies proposed by the theoretical model. However, to manage non-supportive stakeholders peer influence is enacted rather than the defend strategy recommended by the theoretical model. As a result, this study contributes to stakeholder management theory and proposes a revised stakeholder management model that is particularly applicable to the higher education sector.

Hidden in Plain Sight: The Black Women's Blueprint for Institutional Transformation in Higher Education

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (14) ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Lori D. Patton ◽  
Chayla Haynes
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Black Women ◽  
Institutional Change ◽  
Identity Politics ◽  
Transformational Change ◽  
Institutional Transformation ◽  
Racial Equity ◽  
Change Models ◽  
College And University ◽  
University Leaders

Many institutional leaders find themselves struggling to achieve racial equity in a sociopolitical context where hatemongering, misogyny, xenophobia, heterosexism, and racism have been normalized and minoritized students, staff, and faculty have been relegated to the margins. Few institutional leaders (e.g., presidents, provosts, chancellors, boards of trustees, deans) understand how, why, and the extent to which minoritized peoples are affected by multiple and overlapping forms of oppression. As a result, institutional change efforts to transform campuses into identity-affirming and socially just learning environments often prove ineffective because college and university leaders typically engage in single-axis identity politics to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. In this article, the authors challenge institutional leaders to take up intersectionality as a method of engaging in lasting transformational change that promises to advance racial equity in higher education. The authors also expose the limitations of existing institutional change models by highlighting their intersectional failures and prompt readers to imagine Black women as possibility models for institutional change that transforms higher education and advances racial equity.

Change management at a Danish university: The introduction of a common market for education

2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 5-26
Author(s):  
Helle Bundgaard
Keyword(s):  
Change Management ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Common Market ◽  
Management Model ◽  
Social Technology ◽  
Management Of Change ◽  
Education Market ◽  
Anthropological Approach ◽  
University Leaders

This article discusses the approach to the management of change taken by a Danish university when introducing a university-wide market for education and it explores the different positions taken by some of the central stakeholders in one of the faculties involved. I argue that neither the inadequacies of a popular management model nor insufficient communication fully explain the problems with the change project. Based on strategy papers, memorandums and detailed observations of meetings, I discuss the introduction of the education market and analyse the reception given by directors of studies to a specific social technology, a common year and timetable structure. I offer an explanation of their reactions that draws on an anthropological approach to organisations. I call for university leaders to take what I call an 'improvisational' approach to leadership, which takes account of local ways of interpreting the meaning and significance of large-scale changes and works through professional motivation.

scholarly journals Sexual Violence and Crisis Communication in Higher Education

1969 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 68
Author(s):  
Alexandra Shea Paleka
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Crisis Communication ◽  
Communication Theory ◽  
Sexual Misconduct ◽  
Rape Culture ◽  
University Leadership ◽  
Unique Approach ◽  
University Leaders ◽  
Modern Landscape

In the modern landscape of higher education, Title IX and sexual violence prevention and response are increasingly important to universities. Unfortunately, too often university leaders respond retroactively and poorly to sexual violence on their campuses. Harris (2019) utilizes a unique approach to organizational communication theory to argue that institutions create a rape culture in a society that blames individuals, rather than organizations, for sexual misconduct. Bataille and Cordova (2014) complement this research with a collection of essays advising university leaders how to practice effective crisis communication. Together, these books create discourse around how sexual violence and communication are related to the responses of university leadership and the system of shared governance within higher education. University leaders need to confront their institutions’ participation in producing rape culture and educate themselves on how to perform effective crisis communication around sexual violence.  

scholarly journals A content analysis of change management strategies used in technological transitions in higher education institutions from the lens of a strategic alignment framework

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingrid Guerra-López ◽  
Siba EL Dallal
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Change Management ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Strategic Alignment ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Educational Mission ◽  
Technology Innovations ◽  
Efficiency And Effectiveness

Technology innovations have the potential to significantly strengthen the ability of higher education institutions to deliver on their core educational mission with greater quality, efficiency, and effectiveness.  Not surprisingly, managing technological changes is among the chief concerns for institutional leaders, and yet there is a dearth of research that provides concrete frameworks for managing this type of change in a higher education context.  Using Guerra-López and Hicks’s Learning and Development Strategic Alignment (LDSA) framework, this qualitative study used a directed content analysis approach to develop a contextualized framework for planning and managing technology change in higher education institutions.  The findings suggest that there is a meaningful fit between specific change management strategies found in the learning management systems (LMS) transition research literature and the LDSA framework.  The various strategies were synthesized and grouped around LDSA dimensions and core functions, resulting in a technological change management framework contextualized for higher education.

scholarly journals Change management in Higher Education by Kotter's Model: A Case Study in Vietnam Private University

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Change Management ◽  
Educational Administration ◽  
Change Process ◽  
Private Universities ◽  
Private University ◽  
Teaching Profession ◽  
Suitable Model ◽  
Change Model ◽  
Effective Change

Faced with the changing demands of the higher quality teaching profession, especially the increasing trend of studying at private universities leading to many initiatives on the issue of change and reforming the educational management model brings the effect so the university needs a planned sequential path. The purpose of this study is to examine the evolutionary changes and challenges facing the educational administration of private universities. From there, establish and propose a suitable model based on the apply Kotter's eight-step model of change to enhance effective change management in private universities in Ho Chi Minh City, and at the same time propose a model towards effective change management results across all private universities in Vietnam. Change efforts focus on enhancing faculty capacity to support diverse student success. The change process is planned using Kotter's (1996) eight-step change model and is, therefore, a regulated, linear, sequential change process. The initial steps were reviewed, and the strategies were considered workable. This approach enhances faculty acquisition and project success. Characterization of each step provides insight into ways to apply Kotter's model of change in higher education settings. Keywords: Change Management, Higher education, Kotter’s change model, Private University, Vietnam

Validating the Resource-Management Inventory (ReMI)

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 777-786 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Waldeyer ◽  
Jens Fleischer ◽  
Joachim Wirth ◽  
Detlev Leutner
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Measurement Invariance ◽  
Factor Structure ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Group Analysis ◽  
Management Skills ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Management Competency

Abstract. There is substantial evidence that students in higher education who have sophisticated resource-management skills are more successful in their studies. Nevertheless, research shows that students are often not adequately prepared to use resource-management strategies effectively. It is thus crucial to screen and identify students who are at risk of poor resource management (and consequently, reduced academic achievement) to provide them with appropriate support. For this purpose, we extend the validation of a situational-judgment-based instrument called Resource-Management Inventory (ReMI), which assesses resource-management competency (including knowledge of resource-management strategies and the self-reported ability to use this knowledge in learning situations). We evaluated the ReMI regarding factor structure, measurement invariance, and its impact on academic achievement in different study domains in a sample of German first-year students ( N = 380). The results confirm the five-factor structure that has been found in a previous study and indicate strong measurement invariance. Furthermore, taking cognitive covariates into account, the results confirm that the ReMI can predict students’ grades incrementally. Finally, a multi-group analysis shows that the findings can be generalized across different study domains. Overall, we provide evidence for a valid and efficient instrument for the assessment of resource-management competency in higher education.

Regional Development through Continual Improvement of Higher Education in Latín American Countries Case Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-101
Author(s):  
Jaime Rodrigo Moreno Vallejo ◽  
Fajardo Romo ◽  
Gabriel Frank
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Regional Development ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Process Management ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Balanced Score Card ◽  
University Management ◽  
Social Mission ◽  
Quality Of Higher Education ◽  
Latin American Countries

Abstract Aiming to promote the social mission of higher education and their integration in Latin American countries, this research has a qualitative focus and it has the objective to study the normative context and the main theoretical references for the assurance of the quality of higher education for Colombia and Ecuador, examines how the continuous improvement of higher education contributes to regional development; and proposes methodological strategies that contribute to the purpose for the regional development, in a systemic, objective, measurable and achievable in time way, like are the process management and the balanced score card for University Management Strategies and to built a public policy for Latin American Universities.

scholarly journals Organizational Change Management in Higher Education through the Lens of Executive Coaches

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 269
Author(s):  
Dimitrios Vlachopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Organizational Change ◽  
Change Management ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Organizational Change Management ◽  
Executive Coaches ◽  
Leadership In Higher Education ◽  
Education Leaders ◽  
Higher Education Leaders

This study investigated perceptions of organizational change management among executive coaches working with British higher-education leaders and factors that make leaders effective when managing change. This basic qualitative research used semi-structured interviews with eight executive coaches selected through purposeful sampling. As main challenges to efficient, inclusive change management, participants mentioned leaders’ lack of a strategic vision or plan, lack of leadership and future leader development programs, and lack of clarity in decision-making. They recognized that leaders’ academic and professional profiles are positively viewed and said that, with coaching and support in leadership and strategic planning, these people can inspire the academic community and promote positive change. Additional emphasis was given to the role of coaching in the development of key soft skills (honesty, responsibility, resiliency, creativity, proactivity, and empathy, among others), which are necessary for effective change management and leadership in higher education. The paper’s implications have two aspects. First, the lessons of the actual explicit content of the coaches’ observations (challenges to efficient change management and views of leaders); second, the implications of these observations (how coaching can help and what leaders need).

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