RCE Severn-2012

rce_proj_title
Submitted by RCEdaniella on Mon, 2012-08-06 00:00
1. General Information
Contact Name(s): 
Daniella Tilbury
Geoff Scott
Organizational Affiliation : 
University of Gloucestershire
University of western Sydney
Role in the project: 
Project Partner
Project Director
E-Mail Address(es): 
dtilbury@glos.ac.uk
G.SCOTT@uws.edu.au
2. Project Information
1. Project title: 
Turnaround Leadership for Sustainability Higher Education
2. Project Description: 
The project seeks to challenge and change leadership thinking and action of senior managers in Universities and Colleges. Research studies tell us that less than 2% of the world’s population attend higher education but more than 80% of the decision-makers in industry, community and politics are graduates of universities. Higher Education has an enormous ‘leverage factor’ when it comes to influencing societal transformation and addressing the interlocked challenges of social, cultural, economic and environmental sustainability. Yet, learning for sustainability is mostly absent for the student experience.

This international research and development project is resourced by the Australian Office of Learning and Teaching and the Sustainable Futures Leadership Academy (SFLA) UK. This two year research project initiated in 2010 involved nearly 500 Higher Education leaders from across four continents either as a respondent to its online survey or as a participant in the workshops, lending huge weight to the results. The aim of the project is to harness the expertise of these leaders, in order to establish the key competencies and skills necessary for leadership, giving our universities and colleges a more central role in addressing the specific challenges of social, cultural, economic and environmental sustainability now facing our world.
3. Project Status: 
Finished
4. Key Words
Other: 
Sustainability, Higher Education, Leadership
5. Project categories
Project categories: 
Research
6. Expected outcomes:: 
The results of the study will feed into the programmes offered by the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education as from autumn 2012. They have been incorporated into the offerings of the Salzburg Global Academy and will constitute the basis of an international leadership programme to be hosted in Malaysia on the 29-30th September 2012.
7. Duration of the Project:: 
2010 - 2012
3. Project Leadership & Vision
8. Project coordination (e.g. teams): 
The international project team is comprised of three leaders of ESD initiatives in the UK, Australia and the USA: Daniella Tilbury from University of Gloucestershire (UoG), Geoff Scott from University of Western Sydney, Australia. Leith Sharp of Harvard University and Elizabeth Dean, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Students) at the Australian National University.
9. Leadership structure
a. Administration: 
6
b. Transactional: 
2
c. Transformational: 
2
4. Project results
10. Project results : 
The project is already having wide-ranging impact across the entire higher education sector, not just within the UK, but globally. Ten key recommendations and associated ‘good practice’ guidelines for addressing them have been identified and endorsed by the 500 Higher Education leaders from across the world who have been involved either as a respondent to its online survey or as a participant in the workshops on the results:

1. Acknowledge the distinctive challenges and complexity of ESD leadership

2. Sharpen the focus and understanding of ESD in Higher Education

3. Context counts: align the system to support ESD and its leaders

4. Implement an ESD quality management tracking and improvement process

5. Put in place the right incentives

6. Give focus to the key capabilities and competencies identified as being central to effective ESD leadership

7. Sharpen ESD leader role focus and selection

8. Make sure everyone is clear on how the processes of change implementation and organisational transformation work

9. Engage the disengaged

10. Apply the most productive approaches to professional development identified in this study

In the longer term, the project will encourage:

- Accelerated leadership for sustainability in Higher Education Institutions.

- New sustainability leadership corridors- spaces for leaders to work together, sharing and developing new skills and capabilities.
• A group of leaders who are ready to act as change agents to advance the transformation of higher education for sustainability across the world.
11. Contribution to reforms and innovations: 
The international networks and commitments exist – this research project is an attempt to focus energy in order for the sector to act in concert to take up the challenge and use Higher Education to build a better future and the next generation of leaders capable of making it happen.
13.Core Partners: 
The international project team is comprised of three leaders of ESD initiatives in the UK, Australia and the USA: Daniella Tilbury from University of Gloucestershire (UoG), Geoff Scott from University of Western Sydney, Australia. Leith Sharp of Harvard University and Elizabeth Dean, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Students) at the Australian National University.
5. Partnership and networking
14. Project Network
a. Information network: 
2
b. Knowledge network: 
4
c. Innovation network: 
4
6. Participation
16. Participation opportunities
a. Informational participation: 
2
b. Consultation participation: 
7
c. Decision influencing participation : 
1
7. Education & Learning
19. Educational activities
a. Theory: 
2
b. Discussion: 
5
c. Interactive and Multidimensional "action oriented education": 
3
8. Research Integration
20. Research & Development (R&D): 
The project was implemented in five phases:

1. A series of development meetings with key leaders of ESD in countries around the world to build ownership of the project and to clarify key issues, directions and outcomes.

2. Identification of experienced EfS leaders in Higher Education Institutions worldwide.

3. A survey distributed in 2011 to 188 of the identified ESD leaders in universities and colleges across Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Canada, the UK and the European mainland. This focused on: i)the world of the ESD leader in Higher Education, ii)key satisfactions, challenges, areas of role focus and effectiveness indicators, iii)key leadership capabilities and strategies iv)best approaches to leadership selection and development. This survey generated extensive qualitative as well as quantitative data.

4. Sector feedback on the results during a series of workshops involving an additional 300 key informants in a range of leadership positions from 70 universities, colleges and peak bodies in Australasia, North America, the UK and Europe. These workshops focused on the veracity and key implications of the survey results.

5. Report and action on recommendations - Ten key recommendations for acting on the results of this study have emerged and been collated in a report. These have been identified and endorsed by the 500 Higher Education leaders from across the world who have been involved either as a respondent to its online survey or as a participant in the workshops which tested the veracity and implications of the results. All 10 areas for action are interrelated meaning ESD can be effectively embedded, led and scaled up in our universities and colleges.
21. Research partners: 
The international project team is comprised of three leaders of ESD initiatives in the UK, Australia and the USA: Daniella Tilbury from University of Gloucestershire (UoG), Geoff Scott from University of Western Sydney, Australia. Leith Sharp of Harvard University and Elizabeth Dean, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Students) at the Australian National University.
22. Description of research
a. Disciplinary: 
1
b. Interdisciplinary: 
1
c. Transdisciplinary: 
8
Type: 
Project Reports
Region: 
Europe
Community: 
Higher Education
Issue: 
Higher Education
Country: 
United Kingdom