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Clemens Mader provides a distinct insight of potentials that assessment and quality management have in the sustainability transformation of the nexus of higher education, society and policy. Focusing on transformative assessment of processes, Mader explores cases from Europe, Africa and Asia. As a consequence he describes key principles of assessment for transformation that can be applied in any HEI system or culture. Mader concludes with a systemic model that draws attention to the iterative process of transformation assessment and outlines the role of quality management and assessment in scaling HEI sustainability initiatives from institutional to HEI system-wide, social, and policy level.

Owing to the development of a European Higher Education Area, the increasing autonomy of universities, and the development of global competition between universities and tertiary institutions, quality management has increasingly established itself as an organizational priority. More than ever, universities are required to make their quality system/development visible, and their achievements traceable.

Owing to the development of a European Higher Education Area, the increasing autonomy of universities, and the development of global competition between universities and tertiary institutions, quality management has increasingly established itself as an organizational priority. More than ever, universities are required to make their quality system/development visible, and their achievements traceable.

Local as well as global challenges including financial crises, climate change, poverty, social inequalities and loss of biodiversity can only be addressed successfully through initiatives and innovations that take a long-term perspective and are developed and implemented holistically and inclusively. This requires taking into account a variety of values and perspectives, and figuring out how best to link the disciplines and create relevant and feasible scenarios for sustainable development. This, in turn, requires people with systems thinking, interpersonal, anticipatory, strategic as well as normative competences (Wiek et al., 2011). As higher education institutions (HEIs) are the incubators of innovation and the producers of future decision-makers, they have the potential to become transformational institutions for society as a whole — to address not only the needs of today but the needs of tomorrow and the development of a sustainable future. But to do this they need to transform themselves (Rio+20 Treaty on Higher Education, 2014). And this poses a major change agenda as it requires them to develop a ‘fit for purpose’ institutional management, shared leadership through inclusive governance and open processes and education and learning programmes that enable people to take agency and undertake innovation through transdisciplinary research.