What factors can facilitate and bother innovation in academic institutes and how leaders in universities can sustain and foster innovation ?
Hi there.
Your question is interesting. I just conducted an extensive audit on the largest of the 3 sectors of the UCLouvain (i.e. Human Sciences) and I can share the following elements:
Like for any organisation, all the elements listed bellow can be either a lever or a barrier depending on the context and the way there are applied/used.
Cheers,
GB
Most of universities and higher learning institution lacks innovation policy, hence the approach in innovation issue is haphazard. This may emancipate from the national level lack of policies in innovation. Poor link between university, government and industrial net work is so evident. for example the universities are not considered as center of excellence where industries can harness students and professors reach work achievement. Actually this qn need a paper.
A separate department for pedagogical development of teachers should take care of the innovation policies.
Tahseen Ahmed Bhutto , I'd recommend that you start by asking the question of "What factors influence organizational innovation?" for organizations in general, before setting out to identify specific factors that influence organizational innovation in academic institutions.
There is much research that you can find on the former topic before getting into academic-specific literature (e.g. corporate entrepreneurship & intrapreneurship; design thinking; creativity; employee motivation; incentives; organizational design just for starters) to define such a list. From there, taking these factors and building conceptual models that hypothesizes the relationships between them begins to answer the question of "How do these factors influence organizational innovation?". The final part of a theory building process could involve testing your model with empirical data to establish the strength of causal relationships, or you could go further into qualitative data collection to ask "Why does a specific factor influence organizational innovation?"
One template that I can recommend for approaching this is Rothaermel et al. (2007) University entrepreneurship: A taxonomy of the literature, https://www.scheller.gatech.edu/directory/faculty/rothaermel/pubs/07ICC.pdf
There is no link between the government of the state, the university and the enterprise, which leads to a bad innovation policy.
Hi there.
Your question is interesting. I just conducted an extensive audit on the largest of the 3 sectors of the UCLouvain (i.e. Human Sciences) and I can share the following elements:
Like for any organisation, all the elements listed bellow can be either a lever or a barrier depending on the context and the way there are applied/used.
Cheers,
GB
I have an article in review about this issue (Preprint Differences in influence: different types of university empl...
) in which I argue that universities can be interpreted as patchworks and because of that innovation throughout the organization is very difficult to manage.
I agree with @Gaetan - the factors that impact innovation are not new. What is your definition of innovation? There are many. What is your innovation mandate? Innovation for innovation's sake does not work. What does an innovation ecosystem look like? There are many models depending on how you answer the first two questions. The biggest barrier will always be leadership and the commitment to invest in the short term for a future benefit.
Universities need to promote Business Incubators, open to receiving investments from Business Accelerators.
Fredrick Sanga thanks for input, networking between Universities, Firms and Government is indeed essential besides clear objective innovation policy.
Simon Ford profoundly thankful to you. the research you shared is of huge importance. i would surely go in detail.
Gaetan Bonny bundle of thanks, i have jotted down your input for innovation. there are many factors but
Innovation policy, Networking among universities, firms and Government, Clear vision and intention about being innovative, leadership, challenged practices (teaching, research, support), behaviors and talents, rigid laws, investment, business incubators, effective and efficient use of teams, measuring and monitoring the progress of innovation, culture for innovation are really meaningful if institutions are curios for innovation. Said Ali Naas Ton Kallenberg Lory Block Roberto - Minadeo Arnulf D. Schircks thanks all is there any thing more good for me to read ???
When you have an appropriate policy on Research Development and Innovation, you will never remain the same, because it has been seen that innovation is 50% impact factor in economic growth. Harnessing research and innovation works from learning centers and scholars is inevitable for sustainable development.
I agree with much of what Gaetan says. I am currently researching culture, market orientation and innovation in law firms. Most (law) firms will 'say' they are market oriented or in you case, innovative, but when you actually study their culture , many of their underlying assumptions, behaviours and artefacts are indeed barriers.
To innovate, you firstly need a guiding vision and strategy. Championing and active leadership need to foster the right commitment, behaviours and action. A clear process of ideation, selection and implementation should be adopted. Adequate resources (people, time, finance) are necessary as is a culture of openness and acceptance to (an element of) risk and failure. You always need to establish metrics and a process for gathering and sharing new ways of learning. In my industry (legal), where a 'Handy person culture' prevails, innovators face barriers immediately. It is all about attitudes, commitment and culture.!
Dear Colleagues,
Most of the previous answers, starting from a very detailed answer by Gaetan Bonny, present innovations as a deliberate strategy. As a teacher and consultant in organizational design, I must disappoint you -- most innovations in academia are emerging and often inefficient measures to cope with less or more serious problems.
The first problem is the remuneration system. In many universities administrators now earn much more than just professors. Thus, the number of vice-rectors and deputy deans increases quickly. Each top-ranked administrator must be surrounded by supporting staff, so the number of administrative departments in university headquarters is also increasing,
The second problem is the ego. To attract a really good scientist, you should offer to her/him title of a department head or at least a laboratory. Thus, the person-centered teaching and scientific units are mushroomed.
Third, universities are still weak in using project management techniques. Thus, as you are lucky to get a large grant, instead of a flexible working group in most cases a new research institute is established.
Fourth, when the number of units surpasses all norms of the span of control, you start centralization efforts, merging departments, research centers, administrative units etc.
As a result, most universities nowadays experience constant organizational innovations in two opposite directions -- increasing the number of units and top managers and also weak attempts of centralization of some activities, process and working groups.
Cheers,
I.G.
Dear Colleagues,
I missed to mention the fifth factor behind organizational innovations in academia. 30 years ago students RUN AFTER the professors, there were evening classes of popular professors (not necessary full professors, but sometimes creative young assistant professors) besides the teaching schedules, in such classes the time was split between presentation of new ideas by teachers and carefully prepared presentations on interesting topics by students. I still remember occasional lectures in halls with 1000+ places which cannot absorb all students from different departments willing to listen to unique persons talking on some not that hot topics, like history of antique philosophy. This was a very prestigious pastime of students.
Nowadays students RUN FROM professors. Just look at RG discussions on how to increase the attendance rate of classes, another question is how to get attention of students physically presented in classes but looking into their gadgets. So, a lot of organizational innovations in academia nowadays are the attempts to find different forms of extra-class activities of students which are related somehow with accumulation of knowledge, instrumental and social skills, professional and societal experience etc.
My n=1 experience at Rice University points to one aspect: the individual professor or staff member's desire to innovate, willingness to take risks and comfort level with unorthodox procedures, outcomes and initiatives. In my n=1 experience, having an innovative team member has resulted in innovative classroom approaches and also support for innovative research. Even though the department may be more conservative and risk averse. I have seen that there are some individuals more accepting of new proposals both within the class teaching method and structure, or within areas for research and exploration. Some are simply "Dr. No's" and shoot you down with a "Not in My Watch you Don't." Would be interesting to administer a Myers Briggs type tests to see which institutions are more populated with risk takers, which I will assume is a proxy for innovation stimulators, and which are more populated with those who follow the rules and procedures. I am willing to help in this if anyone is interested. Best, Lin Giralt, CMC, MBA.
Igor Gurkov thanks for your valuable feedback, I really appreciate the way you have elaborated on the topic on innovation in universities.
Well, the first problem of remuneration actually varies country to country, but indeed it is crucial factor. why a person would work for innovation when there is no reward. point is taken. but how remuneration can influence students in universities, if you can elaborate please do so.
2. how a designation can help a young scientists or students help to be innovative
3. Centralization can be a big hurdle to innovation indeed. if i am not wrong, i would need some suggestion how to impact your ideas into my research project for students and faculty innovation. Thanks again for your experience sharing
Excellent insight by Gaetano Bonny. Would be nice to have a study available on RG.
I think that a leader (i.e. Dean)'s open mindset and willingness to innovate the organization is essential.
Many education systems are still traditional. In order to implement a smooth organizational innovation there should be a systemic change.
- Subjects taughts
-Grading criteria
- needs of the classroom should be aligned with environmental and social variables
- Transform mindsets through awareness
- Have professors with innovative mindset who can understand and drive the change
Interesting debate about the issue, as i am working as Director to Science and Technology Innovation Department in a university. These insigths into innovation drivers, conducted specially by Gaetan Bonny and Igor Gurkov reveals a substantial research about innovative capacity in academic settings. It would be good indeed to revise a publication on RG
Academic incubators of innovation and entrepreneurship are developed at universities to support innovation and entrepreneurship of students. Incubators are also a supplement to the educational program in the field of activating the innovation and entrepreneurship of students. Incubators sometimes also perform functions or cooperate with a career office for students. Career offices collect employment offers and organize internships for students through cooperation with companies and institutions that employ or give practice to students.
Sometimes academic incubators of innovation and entrepreneurship also cooperate with various institutions and companies in which students find employment or take apprenticeships. In addition, academic incubators of innovation and entrepreneurship, cooperating with various institutions and companies, enable the establishment of clusters of innovation, in which various economic entities, public institutions, scientific institutes and universities cooperate with each other. In this way, the possibilities of entrepreneurship development and generation of innovative solutions in assumed and developed research projects and startups are increasing.
Sometimes, also with the innovation cluster or business incubator, financial institutions cooperate, primarily banks offering financial support in the form of preferential loans for developing innovative startups. However, at the early stage of the establishment of business activity by students and organizations, the most important role is provided by substantive support in the field of advising on the formal and legal issues and accounting service of the university, lecturers and employees of the academic entrepreneurship incubator.
Best wishes
Dariusz Prokopowicz thanks for your feedback, may be we can streamline and work on innovation
The vision and strategic goals of the educational institution can spur innovation. Also the availability of research grants, incentives, promotion on the job and recognition in certain feild of study could act as impetus to spur creativity and innovation.
Considero que en muchas universidades se aprecia un interés indiscutible por las metodologías pedagógicas innovadoras. No obstante, no es generalizado, pues solo grupos precisos de docentes, departamentos o instituciones se involucran en proyectos de esta cualidad. En muchos casos la innovación se percibe como un proyecto total y único en el currículo y los docentes se implican en este proceso manifestando su insatisfacción por las maneras tradicionales de enseñanza.
El impacto se concreta en un cambio profundo de cultura, de docencia, del rol del profesor y de la estructura organizativa, existiendo en muchos casos una diversificación en las fuentes de financiación.
Cada vez se percibe menor resistencia de los docentes a la innovación, predisposición para romper con esquemas tradicionales y por implicarse en procesos más novedosos y comprometidos con el aprendizaje de los estudiantes.
Los aspectos metodológicos implícitos en el tipo de docencia impartida, como el trabajo colaborativo, el interés por la docencia y el rol del docente, como persona que favorece el proceso de aprendizaje de los estudiantes, son los valores preponderantes en las innovaciones, aunque se debe seguir trabajando en la falta de formación o información sobre la innovación, así como en la inseguridad con las nuevas metodologías o la desconfianza a perder el rol de profesor más tradicional, sobre todo en las generaciones de docentes de más edad.
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