Sustainability Education and Organizational Change: A Critical Case Study of Barriers and Change Drivers at a Higher Education Institution
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Conceptual Framework: A Change Management Perspective
2.1. Organizational Change in HEIs: Barriers and Change Drivers
2.2. Organizational Change in HEIs: A Process Model
3. Context: KSU Academic Sustainability Efforts Before 2017
4. Methods
5. Results
- Five of 10 barriers were of high significance; 5/10 barriers were of moderate significance. There were no low-significance barriers.
- Six of 10 barriers had three dimensions; 3/10 had two dimensions, 1/10 had one dimension. KSU barriers were complex.
- Only one moderate-level change driver existed in the authority dimension; this dimension was missing in nine change-driver cells. The absence of authority change drivers showed how current SD change agents were limited in their power.
- No existing change drivers were of high impact. Sixteen of 17 existing change drivers were of moderate impact; 1/17 was of low impact.
- Only 2/10 self-determination cells had no change driver; if actions existed in these cells, one (about university-wide funding) would be significant, but the other (about the state emphasis on student retention, degree progression, and timely graduation) would likely have only low impact because SD advocates were unlikely to influence state-level oversight at the Board of Regents.
6. Discussion
7. Limitations and Future Research
8. Conclusions
Experts in careers related to sustainability particularly require the ability to constantly remake their technical training in an arena in which successful strategies must be flexible and adaptive. Moreover, the integrative nature of sustainability challenges gives rise to a demand for “translators,” professionals with the understanding and communication skills to carry knowledge across the boundaries that divide communities of experts, policy makers, and the public.[31] (p. 8)
[i]ntegrating actions of conservation and human development, satisfying basic human needs, achieving equality and social justice for all, facilitating social self-determination and cultural diversity, managing legacy for future generations, maintaining ecological integrity, [and] developing new technologies and product manufacturing processes.[32] (p. 3)
Author Contributions
Funding
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Barriers to Change | Present at KSU |
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Related to Lack of Awareness | |
1. Lack of interest and involvement of the majority of the students and staff members | |
2. Lack of support by management and policy makers | ✓ |
3. Lack of professionalization and training of teachers | |
4. Lack of policy making in order to promote sustainability | ✓ |
5. Lack of standard definitions and concepts of sustainable development (SD) in higher education (HE) | ✓ |
6. Lack of recognition, change agents for SD are often not taken seriously | ✓ |
7. SD seen as a threat to academic freedom and credibility | |
8. SD is not seen as relevant to a certain course or discipline | ✓ |
Related to the Structure of Higher Education | |
9. Conservative disciplinary structure of HE institutions (HEIs), barely open to new paradigms | ✓ |
10. Inefficient communication and shared information both top-down and bottom-up | ✓ |
11. Resistance to change by education and research | |
12. Focus on short-term profit as a result of managerial thinking and policy making in HE | |
13. Lack of interdisciplinary research as a result of insufficient coordination and cooperation | ✓ |
14. Overcrowded curriculum | |
15. Focus on content-based learning | ✓ |
Related to the Lack of Resources | |
16. Lack of money, SD is not seen as a priority for funding | ✓ |
17. High work pressure and lack of time; SD is often combined with other tasks | ✓ |
18. Lack of access to information, due to absence of measuring instruments or by unwillingness of staff | |
19. Lack of consistent legislation (phrased in this work as policy support from governing bodies) | ✓ |
20. Lack of qualitative and quantitative performance indicators | |
21. Technical problems | |
22. Lack of physical place |
Verhulst & Lambrechts’ Barriers to Integration of SD in HEI | Dimensions of Empowerment as a Change Driver | |||||
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Barriers at KSU | Awareness | Structure | Resources | Authority | Resources & Specialization | Self-Determination |
Barriers Existing Before 2017 | ||||||
Narrowly disciplinary & unintegrated SD concept | (5) Lack of standard definitions & concepts of SD in HE (8) SD is not seen as relevant to a certain course or discipline | (9) Conservative disciplinary structure of HEI, barely open to new paradigms | (16) Lack of money; SD is not seen as a priority for funding (17) High work pressure & lack of time; the responsibility for SD tasks is combined with other tasks (19) Lack of consistent [policy support from governing bodies] |
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SD not part of general education or career development for all students; Faculty & administrators view SD as relevant only to a few disciplines (e.g., biological sciences, engineering, & architecture) The relevance to arts, humanities, social sciences, business, & education is not broadly accepted. | (2) Lack of support by management & policy makers (4) Lack of policy making to support SD (8) SD is not seen as relevant to a certain course or discipline | (9) Conservative disciplinary structure of HEI, barely open to new paradigms (10) Inefficient communication & shared information both top-down & bottom-up (15) Focus on content-based learning | (19) Lack of consistent [policy support from governing bodies] |
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SD has no university-wide academic funding | (2) Lack of support by management & policy makers (4) Lack of policy making to support SD | | (16) Lack of money; SD is not seen as a priority for funding |
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No state-level policy support for SD from the Board of Regents that oversees the university | (2) Lack of support by management & policy makers (4) Lack of policy making to support SD | | (19) Lack of consistent [policy support from governing bodies] |
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No clearinghouse for faculty with SD research interests to meet & collaborate | (2) Lack of support by management & policy makers (4) Lack of policy making to support SD | (10) Inefficient communication & shared information both top-down & bottom-up | (17) High work pressure & lack of time; the responsibility for SD tasks is combined with other tasks. |
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Low awareness of SD award winners & their achievements | (6) Lack of recognition; change agents for SD are often not taken seriously | (10) Inefficient communication & shared information both top-down & bottom-up | |
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Barriers Emerging in 2017–2018 | ||||||
Elimination of Sustainability Director position | (2) Lack of support by management & policy makers. (6) Lack of recognition; change agents for SD are often not taken seriously | (10) Inefficient communication & shared information both top-down & bottom-up (13) Lack of interdisciplinary research as a result of insufficient coordination & cooperation | (16) Lack of money; SD is not seen as a priority for funding |
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No authority present to promote or implement SD curriculum or reporting to academic organizations | (2) Lack of support by management & policy makers (4) Lack of policy making to support SD (6) Lack of recognition; change agents for SD are often not taken seriously (8) SD is not seen as relevant to a certain course or discipline | (9) Conservative disciplinary structure of HEI, barely open to new paradigms | (16) Lack of money; SD is not seen as a priority for funding |
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A state emphasis on student retention, degree progression, & timely graduation limits the abilities of faculty to design new programs. | (2) Lack of support by management & policy makers (4) Lack of policy making to support SD | (15) Focus on content-based learning | 17) High work pressure & lack of time; the responsibility for SD tasks is combined with other tasks. |
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New R2 designation places faculty under new pressure to publish & creates disincentives for curriculum development (as service work) as opposed to research. | | | (17) High work pressure & lack of time; the responsibility for SD tasks is combined with other tasks. |
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Faculty Resilience Approaches for Individuals and Small Groups of Faculty | |
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Resources |
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Academics |
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Innovation |
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Community |
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Collaboration |
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E. Akins, E., II; Giddens, E.; Glassmeyer, D.; Gruss, A.; Kalamas Hedden, M.; Slinger-Friedman, V.; Weand, M. Sustainability Education and Organizational Change: A Critical Case Study of Barriers and Change Drivers at a Higher Education Institution. Sustainability 2019, 11, 501. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11020501
E. Akins E II, Giddens E, Glassmeyer D, Gruss A, Kalamas Hedden M, Slinger-Friedman V, Weand M. Sustainability Education and Organizational Change: A Critical Case Study of Barriers and Change Drivers at a Higher Education Institution. Sustainability. 2019; 11(2):501. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11020501
Chicago/Turabian StyleE. Akins, Edwin, II, Elizabeth Giddens, David Glassmeyer, Amy Gruss, Maria Kalamas Hedden, Vanessa Slinger-Friedman, and Matthew Weand. 2019. "Sustainability Education and Organizational Change: A Critical Case Study of Barriers and Change Drivers at a Higher Education Institution" Sustainability 11, no. 2: 501. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11020501