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Organizational change for sustainability education: a case study of one university's efforts to create and implement institution-wide sustainability competencies.
- Source :
-
International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education . 2021, Vol. 22 Issue 3, p497-515. 19p. - Publication Year :
- 2021
-
Abstract
- Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine how the process of creating and implementing sustainability competencies across a university illuminate dynamics of organizational change. The push to advance education for sustainable development in higher education will likely require transformation of existing policies and practices. A set of shared sustainability competencies could guide the integration of sustainability throughout an institution. Design/methodology/approach: This paper reports on a case study of one US university, the University of New Hampshire (UNH) that developed institutional-level sustainability competencies. The process used to create and implement sustainability competencies is outlined, and key factors that influenced the associated organizational change are identified. Findings: Very few US universities have institutional-level sustainability competencies. At UNH, drivers of organizational change such as overcoming disciplinary boundaries, developing a common vision and working from the bottom-up enabled the creation of institutional sustainability competencies, but the same processes were not enough to drive deeper implementation of the competencies. Originality/value: This paper not only identifies the context-specific drivers of the development of institutional sustainability competencies, but also identifies universal themes that can be applied to other institutions embarking on a similar process. Additionally, this paper serves as a foundation for future research exploring how the process of creating institutional sustainability competencies may be linked to how effective they are in shaping subsequent sustainability education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 14676370
- Volume :
- 22
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 148879661
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-09-2019-0285