Value creation in Globalised Higher Education

By Ann Brewer
Reading Mark Leach’s “Assertive Relevance 101” in the AFR (27 Apr 2018) undoubtedly would strike a chord with many of us working in universities. What stood out was his call to arms, namely that Australian universities should not “delay in owning and promoting a more compelling narrative”.1
What universities are doing in, for and with their regions is a potentially compelling narrative if only universities could tell it effectively. Many of us have participated in numerous workshops, locally and internationally, discussing university linkages with cities and industries, including the NSW Business Chamber’s recent event on Innovation Precincts with Julie Wagner et al. Some of us may come away feeling somewhat frustrated due to the lack of time to delve into the issues which inhibit industries “leaning in” to their nearby universities and similarly, for universities to “reach out” to their cities and regions. Perhaps a debate based on all or some of the following questions might help to progress the narrative based on current and future projects?
The following is a brief ‘reflection and questions’ arising from the paper "Initiatives for University-Industry Transitions". Where to from here?
Regional strategy – a viable strategic response
A ‘regional’ strategy may be the ‘best available’ response:
- for universities as they balance becoming global institutions and attracting high quality international students
- as it enhances a university’s response to the pressures of becoming global while remaining local.
Universities as part of a global value chain of supply & demand, face disruption, primarily from Amazon2.
- There is now a greater need for a more energetic connection between universities and their local and regional communities.
- Regional initiatives create genuine strategic value, although this may not resonate with the global valuation process of rankings & global recognition that all universities seek.
Key Questions
- What is the role of universities in their own regions?
- Are they primary producers of innovation in the regions?
- Are they transmitters of innovation in the regions?
- Is a regional strategy an opportunity for university leaders to bolster:-
- their position, and co-discover and co-create value beyond the accepted parameters of a university; as well as
- capitalising on the benefits around them in their own regions with a focus on deriving local value.
- Do the ‘regions’, where universities are in situ, see universities as central or at least, relevant to their development strategies?
- Do industry and business leaders/managers in the public and private sectors in the regions see their university as a regional asset? If not, why not? Is it because, with some exceptions, research and knowledge development activities by universities in their regions are not central or worse, detached from regional development objectives, driven by the pursuit of peer-reviewed academic outputs?
- Does the teaching and learning of universities in the region reflect regional priorities, their industrial ambitions for the region, etc.? Regions depend on their local economies and businesses for continual growth and skills development. Often this is in decline due to lack of critical mass.
Engagement
- Have universities invested in ‘boundary spanning’ skills for its regional campuses?
- Lack of valuable ‘spanning’ regional boundaries means that businesses find it difficult if not impossible to 'lean-in" to universities and by the same token, universities “to reach out” to them.
- Have universities provided suitable regional leadership and where they have, endorsed leaders to drive change?
- This type of leadership is necessary as there is limited capacity within local businesses; lack of process to aggregate demand; lack of consensus on what the issues are and how to overcome them. There needs to be an active attempt to a shift from ‘transactional’ to ‘transformational’ programs, interventions and partnerships.
Funding
- Do universities concentrate their research in areas where research grants are easier to gain rather than in their regional priorities? If so, what can be done to capture this research potential?
- There is a lack of capital for businesses to invest in R&D activities; short term funding cycles or no funding limits a university’s capacity to invest in ‘translational’ research in most disciplines other than health and science.
Remember to click on the article "Initiatives for University-Industry Transitions".
Footnotes
First published 30/04/2018. Last updated 30/04/2018. Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the University of Newcastle and its employees.
About Ann Brewer
Professor Ann Brewer is the Dean, University of Newcastle, Sydney. Her career has spanned organisational behaviour, psychology, education and business as a researcher, lecturer, and author. Her research expertise is people at work including conflict, change, leadership, commitment, stress as well as gender.
Ann is an accredited executive coach with more than 20 years of experience enhancing the performance of individuals, teams and organisations. In that capacity she designs and develops coaching programs for whole-of-organisations as well as 1:1 coaching consultations. She begins with establishing a foundation for each client to clarify their professional aims and values for developing and sustaining leadership resilience. Her coaching strategy is focused on leadership, relationship and culture building as well as dealing with thorny issues and conducting difficult conversations.
Ann’s professional background incorporates diverse programs and initiatives for individual development, team building, organisation design, and facilitation. Her practical approach to leadership and organisation development is derived from her own senior leadership positions.
Her work has been applied in diverse industry sectors such as business, education, industrial relations, human resource management, health administration, public policy, transport and logistics; banking and mining. She has led commercial facing entities including a start-up to success.
Connect with Ann
What our participants say about Ann’s short courses...
The short course was was invaluable, insightful and thought provoking.
I really enjoyed the course. The instructor has been a passionate and thoughtful lecturer and I really appreciate having the notes and exercises to keep working on. It was very daunting to share first drafts but I still learnt plenty about structure and a good foundation to write more now and be more confident to write.
The instructor was brilliant. I feel very inspired and motivated to make some positive changes within my workplace. I look forward to completing more short courses.
I feel I benefited immensely from information that was targeting what we wanted to get out of the course.
A lot of content delivered very well.
The instructor’s methodology has far exceeded my expectations.
I was in your Leadership for Women training and really learnt a lot about leadership and myself – in fact it has radically changed how I want to approach my role and my leadership brand moving forward – so a huge thank you. I was so impressed, I have recommended the training to 3 female colleagues who will be enrolling.
The instructor was fantastic in that they used real life situations and group case study discussion was a fantastic idea.
An exceptional lecturer. All business writers should do this course.
It was an excellent starting point to continue my journey in thinking about leadership and my future direction in my workplace. It is a taster of the tools I need to develop good leadership skills.
Enjoyed the small classes. Effective learning experience. Highly recommend.
The course was very informative and the instructor pointed out general errors we made during practice writing in business correspondence. The correct grammar and punctuation was taught and I learned various nuances in writing.
I am extremely grateful to the university for accommodating my learning needs. I have thoroughly enjoyed the course.
I learnt more about myself. I have a clearer picture of a coach v coachee and what directions to take, how to present to managers and staff.
It was a great course. The instructor was really responsive to our needs and facilitated the small group really well. Thanks for a valuable learning experience.
The instructor is very experienced and knowledgeable on the topic. You can tell they are a great leader, great to listen to and learn from.
I loved the small class size. I felt it allowed us to get some real individual takeouts from the course and the instructor’s knowledge and experience.
The instructor was wonderful and very patient.
The instructor was very helpful and insightful.
Gave me lots of helpful writing techniques.
It was a very useful course and since then I have been trying to put into practice the things we discussed which has been working spectacularly. It has been nerve wracking but it is working and I feel more confident.
Our teacher was excellent. The course was thought provoking, very informative, promoted interaction and a great introduction to psychology. Exceeded my expectations.
The instructor was great and was able to provide insights whilst remaining flexible between focusing on the course and providing insights for the students.
I really enjoyed how practical and challenging the course was. Since then I have taken the advice that was given to me and also received more assistance from my boss as we both gained a greater understanding of the challenges we are facing in our current roles.
The instructor was extremely knowledgeable and tailored this course to each individual’s specific needs. I would highly recommend this course to anyone. I will also be looking to attend other courses in the future.