Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 348-365 |
| Number of pages | 18 |
| Journal | Higher education policy |
| Volume | 37 |
| Early online date | 14 Mar 2024 |
| Publication status | Published - Jun 2024 |
Abstract
In recent years, new expectations have been placed on universities, demanding academic contributions towards solving large-scale, interdisciplinary challenges. This is in conflict with existing insights from university governance research, which emphasises that scientific communities focus on reproducing disciplinary practices that are unsuitable in addressing societal challenges, because the problems associated with them are usually large-scale, complex and interdisciplinary. In light of this seeming paradox, we revisit the question of how—and on which theoretical grounds—universities may still be able to develop suitable internal governance mechanisms that allow them to address complex societal challenges effectively. Because university leaders are usually unable to coerce individual researchers to address such challenges in their research simply through their bureaucratic powers, we will argue that university leaders can, however, leverage individual researchers' agency to deviate from routine and disciplinary practice by developing novel or legitimising existing interdisciplinary scripts necessary to deal with such societal problems. Specifically, we outline that university managements can create a dual role consisting of the communication of legitimising interdisciplinary research on societal challenges, as well as providing for the necessary degree of interdisciplinary coordination by convening researchers around these topics.
Keywords
- Change-agency, Governance, Interdisciplinary, Societal challenges, University
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Sciences(all)
- Education
- Social Sciences(all)
- Sociology and Political Science
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In: Higher education policy, Vol. 37, 06.2024, p. 348-365.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Can University Leaders Effectively Promote Research on Complex Societal Challenges?
T2 - A Change-Agency Perspective
AU - Kroll, Henning
AU - Schubert, Torben
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © International Association of Universities 2023.
PY - 2024/6
Y1 - 2024/6
N2 - In recent years, new expectations have been placed on universities, demanding academic contributions towards solving large-scale, interdisciplinary challenges. This is in conflict with existing insights from university governance research, which emphasises that scientific communities focus on reproducing disciplinary practices that are unsuitable in addressing societal challenges, because the problems associated with them are usually large-scale, complex and interdisciplinary. In light of this seeming paradox, we revisit the question of how—and on which theoretical grounds—universities may still be able to develop suitable internal governance mechanisms that allow them to address complex societal challenges effectively. Because university leaders are usually unable to coerce individual researchers to address such challenges in their research simply through their bureaucratic powers, we will argue that university leaders can, however, leverage individual researchers' agency to deviate from routine and disciplinary practice by developing novel or legitimising existing interdisciplinary scripts necessary to deal with such societal problems. Specifically, we outline that university managements can create a dual role consisting of the communication of legitimising interdisciplinary research on societal challenges, as well as providing for the necessary degree of interdisciplinary coordination by convening researchers around these topics.
AB - In recent years, new expectations have been placed on universities, demanding academic contributions towards solving large-scale, interdisciplinary challenges. This is in conflict with existing insights from university governance research, which emphasises that scientific communities focus on reproducing disciplinary practices that are unsuitable in addressing societal challenges, because the problems associated with them are usually large-scale, complex and interdisciplinary. In light of this seeming paradox, we revisit the question of how—and on which theoretical grounds—universities may still be able to develop suitable internal governance mechanisms that allow them to address complex societal challenges effectively. Because university leaders are usually unable to coerce individual researchers to address such challenges in their research simply through their bureaucratic powers, we will argue that university leaders can, however, leverage individual researchers' agency to deviate from routine and disciplinary practice by developing novel or legitimising existing interdisciplinary scripts necessary to deal with such societal problems. Specifically, we outline that university managements can create a dual role consisting of the communication of legitimising interdisciplinary research on societal challenges, as well as providing for the necessary degree of interdisciplinary coordination by convening researchers around these topics.
KW - Change-agency
KW - Governance
KW - Interdisciplinary
KW - Societal challenges
KW - University
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85149988248&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1057/s41307-023-00307-2
DO - 10.1057/s41307-023-00307-2
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85149988248
VL - 37
SP - 348
EP - 365
JO - Higher education policy
JF - Higher education policy
SN - 0952-8733
ER -