Chapter 14: Management Challenges in the Pathway of Sustainable Innovation

This chapter discusses how institutions might strategically incorporate sustainability and innovation, given changing societal demands. It aims to identify, through a review, the problems of sustainability and innovation management at institutions and propose solutions to improve them.

A descriptive methodology uses secondary data from various studies and available institutional reports. Thus, a general description of the challenges faced by the higher education institutions (HEIs) is presented, and different possible solutions are explored.

The text outlines challenges in achieving sustainability and innovation, such as outdated infrastructure, high renewable energy costs, and balancing tradition with modern demands. Case studies include Stanford University’s budget and renovation hurdles for energy efficiency, the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s struggle to fund traditional programs while innovating, the University of Cambridge’s lack of sustainability research funding, and Yale University’s efforts to promote diversity and inclusiveness. These examples highlight the financial, structural, and social complexities in advancing sustainability in higher education.

The study is based on secondary data, so nuances and experiences cannot be captured. Primary research would provide further insights regarding the effectiveness of strategies and interventions.

This chapter presents a novel overview of challenges to sustainability and innovation in institutions since it synthesizes secondary data into an overview. This has identified specific institutional issues and developed strategies for improvement that might be valuable to academic leaders and policymakers.