Higher education institutions have an important role to play in the transition towards a more sustainable global society. In this context, many universities have embarked on a journey towards ‘sustainability’, and there has been increasing research on related processes of organisational change. There is evidence that ‘human’ factors have an important role to play in change processes and numerous case studies capture how these occur, but there is little synthesis of qualitative research in this area.
Using a grounded approach, we identified nine themes which we then synthesised in order to develop an in-depth understanding of organisational change processes for sustainability. This led to the identification of a number of hidden contradictions and tensions that seem to characterise such processes. These contradictions and tensions lead to recurring barriers to change and issues that can undermine the very sustainability of change processes. These issues are also influenced by the perception of who has power to affect change, networks and institutional structures
Simple schematic of the relationships between dialogue, networks and relationships.
We identified that both collaboration and competition (inherent in university ‘cultures’ and within sustainability initiatives) are important for Sustainability in Higher Education (SHE) and can be used to initiate and sustain change processes. However, this simultaneous emphasis can create challenges: for instance, sustainability initiatives often involve working across existing boundaries which can lead to increasing territoriality as people become protective over their own ‘turf’, or competition for who ‘does sustainability best’.
The study revealed the complexity that lies ‘beneath the surface’, with key findings as follows:
If we want to move towards real transformation for sustainability and practicing what we preach, then we have to bring such challenges to light and address them more openly. Being more transparent also helps us to be less politically naïve about change processes, which are imbued with power and politics. First, we need for more individual and collective reflexivity in our institutions and research – through genuine dialogue – reflecting on who is engaged with change processes and why, and acknowledging the multiple sustainability ‘cultures’ within a university. In addition to supporting individuals, it would be useful to start to address hidden contradictions and tensions that impact on individual and collective involvement. The ‘human’ dimensions of organisational change processes must also be accompanied by flexible and human-centred structures and management approaches, and a move towards ‘double loop’ organisational learning.
Research team
Professor Marie Harder
Elona Hoover
Output
This research was published in 2014 in the
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