Implementing transformational change: How universities can remain alert to key warning signs
In the early paragraphs of almost every article we read about the contemporary operating environment for universities, we are warned of the unprecedented challenges that managers must contend with. We are told that the pace of change has never been as swift and that we must adapt at a faster rate than ever before; that technology is transforming the ways that teachers should teach, learners should learn and that universities should monitor their operations. We are told that we need to reimagine students as clients whose individual needs, learning requirements and aspirations should be catered to with a level of service not provided by universities before. We are also told that our researchers need to be more innovative, commercial, collaborative and demonstrate greater ‘impact’.
We have read these warnings so many times now that it would be easy to dismiss them as hollow rhetoric.
Except these claims aren't empty. They aren't about the future either. They are the very real and everyday challenges facing every university in this country. And the common element central to all of these challenges? They require transformational change to meet them.
Leading business commentators agree that around 70 per cent of transformative change programs fail. Organisations often design slick strategies built on extensive information and environmental scanning. These strategies can represent the culmination of months- if not years- of work by senior managers. And yet about two in three of them are destined to fail – most of them falling down in the vital implementation phase.
By the time organisations hit the implementation phase for a major change strategy, such as the introduction of a new approach to blended learning or a new workload model, management is often distracted by formulating the ‘next big thing’. However, to ensure success, it is important for the organisation to remain fully engaged in the roll-out of the strategies – whether you are at the front-line or sitting around the executive table.
Earlier this year, PhillipsKPA Director, Dr Craig McInnis spoke as part of an expert panel at the LH Martin Institute Service Improvement and Innovation in Universities Conference in Brisbane. As an expert on university change management and policy implementation, Craig shared with the group some of the key ‘warning signs’ for university leaders to be aware of when implementing transformational change. Craig also offered some tips for how university managers can respond to keep change implementation on track:
Implementing transformational change is tough, especially when you are introducing it to large organisations rich in tradition like universities.
Smart operators will invest significant time and energy to ensure they implement transformational change successfully the first time. Less savvy operators will expend resources on a major change initiative only for it to fall over in a year or two, which will only contribute to organisational cynicism and reinforce the status-quo.
PhillipsKPA’s experienced consultants offer a range of institutional strategy and implementation services to support successful transformational change. We have helped many universities to achieve successful outcomes, often against the odds, across a broad range of portfolios. If you would like to discuss how we can support success at your university, contact our team to have a preliminary discussion.
