Future Proofing Higher Education
Leading Transformational Change
Royal College of Physicians
25/1/12

I was asked to attend this event to hear about the LFHE / HEFCE Innovation and Transformations Fund. Specifically the programme design; it’s aims and objectives, scope, process, eligibility and importantly for JISC to reflect these on the vision for the Efficiencies and Effectiveness Hub as highlighted in the Diamond Report (http://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/Publications/Pages/EfficiencyinHigherEducation.aspx) Recommendation 6;

Recommendation 6: The Task Group notes that there are a wide range of services already available that can support institutions to develop more efficient working practices. There needs to be a mechanism for identifying and locating these, an ‘efficiency hub’ web space to promote services available within the sector that can signpost good practice and highlight innovative developments. To ensure that this space remains dynamic and up to date there will need to be buy-in from institutional leaders, who can promote the service within their institutions. The Task Group recommends that UUK, HEFCE, the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) and the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education (LFHE) work together to discuss how such a facility should be developed and funded. The development of this could be overseen by the proposed UUK efficiency panel.

But prior to that LFHE have laid on a programme of speakers and sessions around the theme Future Proofing Higher Education, Leading Transformational Change.

Here are my notes on the Key Note.

Summary
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A refreshingly inspirational talk provoking thought and discussion at a genuinely strategic level. Universities must change for all sorts of reasons. Let’s try to engineer that change so it meets the needs of society, helping to ensure our value is fully recognized.

Innovation, Creativity and Agility
Matthew Taylor (@RSAMatthew)
Chief Executive, RSA (http://www.thersa.org/)

‘The social aspiration gap; how do we enable people to become the people they need to be in order to create the society that we want?’

Taylor suggests we need citizens that are more engaged, resourceful and altruistic. Universities have an obligation to release ‘hidden wealth’ in society; social innovation. Empowering the citizen to choose what works best for them to achieve their aspirations is one example. People are drawn to achieve personal values. These are the ‘hidden wealth’.

Innovation starts with the recognition that ‘we cannot go on like this’. One facet of Leadership is to make that recognition.

Taylor proposes four areas for Universities to achieve social innovation;

1. Core business model must change
The University should become a social enterprise. The key business functions of Knowledge, Service Delivery and Public value involve ever increasing costs. Shared services are prolific in local Government but not HE. We’re offered the model of refuse collection where, 20 years ago we took no responsibility for recycling. The service has changed completely. Costs have shifted from Service supplier to service consumer. Is the traditional core business model capable of achieving this? Indeed, is the core business model capable of achieving other aspirations such as collaboration? Collaborations tend to be approached at University level, but the diverse structure of Universities (faculty, library, service functions) is itself is a barrier to participation. Innovation occurs across disciplines and roles but a University structure to do that does not exist.

2. The student offer
Taylor proposes three fault lines;
a. The paradigm of the learner and the consumer
Learners are dependent, consumers are in charge so we need to develop a new relationship
b. Importance is shifting. Lecture provision through top staff was a priority. Now that we have open content Universities are no longer ubiquitous. They add value in other ways (facilitation, access to facilities and ultimately employability)
c. We think of students as individuals. Yet the workforce requires collaboration and team work.

3. The Civic University; Universities and their community
How many Universities can say they are using their resources to meet the needs of the local community and cities? Taylor argues for creative alliances as BCE nature. What are Universities doing to exploit the needs of the citizens surrounding them. Newcastle has an aging population and the University is highlighted as a beacon for its services to older people

Universities as the driver of creative alliances, they are good at doing innovation but not at being innovative. This needs to change. A new core mission needs to embrace innovation in what they do, to be credible as centers of knowledge innovation expertise.

The VC of UWE (Chair of the Transformations Fund) bought into the Taylor vision, stating that the fund should help the sector to explore these issues and tell the wider sector how to achieve. Taylor commented that we need to stop thinking about innovation within the boundaries for the Institution. The students need to become responsible for their learning, the institution assists this.

Taylor highlights ‘human engagement and well being’ as facets of collaborative learning that could be played up, in particular in helping society address issues of older people and health care.

Taylor offered a potential parallel for consideration; the old failing IBM business model of a supplier of hardware, evolving into a successful model of a supplier of services.

He concludes that Universities need to distinguish their strategic missions and therefore their offers and strengths. Only then will collaboration at institutional level occur.