INNOVATION, ENTERPRISE AND

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER IN HE:

CHALLENGING OUR TRADITIONAL

VALUES AND IDENTITIES?

AUA Development Conference

Birmingham

17th October 2012

Introductions

Dr Rachel Birds

Hunshelf Training and Consultancy Ltd

• 20 years’ experience in the further and higher education

sectors

• Universities of Northumbria, Warwick and Sheffield

• Company director

• Delivery, admin, management, delivery again…

You

Session outline

By the end of the session, participants will have:

1. Argued for their interpretation of the purpose of a university

2. Identified common values and cultures within the HE sector (if

any!)

3. Shared their experiences of commercial or quasi-commercial

activities in the HE sector

4. Evaluated the impact of those activities on their own or

colleagues’ job roles

5. Considered how far professional identity is affected by

changing job roles in HE

What is a university?

Organisational culture

• Is a university different from other

organisations?

• What do we value in higher education?

• What is academic culture?

• Does it only apply to ‘academics’?

• Culture or cultures?

What do you think?

The university as a commercial enterprise

•What sorts of commercial activities does a university enter into?

•Share your experiences!

The impact on our jobs

The impact on our jobs

The impact on our jobs

Where does commercialisation fit?

•Changing roles? Blended/blurred?

•New identities? Different worlds?

•CPD/Professionalisation

•AUA values

•Case study

In common with all progressive organisations, we have developed the following set of shared values both as a guide and framework for personal and corporate behaviour in the governance and management of our University and in every aspect of our activities.

Our values:

• The highest academic, professional and ethical standards and service to our stakeholders, clients and partners and, in particular, putting our students first

• Supporting our people and recognising and rewarding excellence and leadership

• Working together for the advancement of the University

• Innovation, creativity, enterprise, courage

• Diversity, humanity, fairness and respect

• Pride in our heritage and the distinctive difference we make to the world

• Investing passion in all that we do.

How do we see ourselves?

Session outline

By the end of the session, participants will have:

1. Argued for their interpretation of the purpose of a university

2. Identified common values and cultures within the HE sector (if

any!)

3. Shared their experiences of commercial or quasi-commercial

activities in the HE sector

4. Evaluated the impact of those activities on their own or

colleagues’ job roles

5. Considered how far professional identity is affected by

changing job roles in HE

Further reading

• Allen-Collinson, J. (2006) Just ‘non-academics’? Research administrators and

contested occupational identity. Work, Employment and Society 20(2): 267-

288

• Bok, D. (2003) Universities in the Marketplace: The Commercialization of

Higher Education. Princeton: Princeton University Press

• Deem, R., S. Hillyard and M. Reed (2007) Knowledge, Higher Education, and

the New Managerialism: The Changing Management of UK Universities

Oxford: Oxford University Press

• Gordon, G. and C. Whitchurch, Eds. (2010) Academic and Professional

Identities in Higher Education: The Challenges of a Diversifying Workforce.

Abingdon: Routledge

Keep in touch

dr.rachel.birds@gmail.com