Overview and short description of acceptance, separation and synthesis strategies recommended by the study’s SHEI change agents (CAs) with illustrative quotes (translated from German and partially shortened)
| Strategy cluster | Management strategies | Tension(s) | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strategy type: acceptance strategies | |||
| Focus on positive communication | Communicate about best practices and role models of one’s own and/or other universities to inspire and empower action | Various | I think it is important to create understanding for both poles within the university, one can explain: what do policy makers want, what does the university want? (Q 9:23) |
| Increase understanding of divergent value systems: when tensions arise due to differences between academic and government agencies’ value systems (e.g. academic freedom vs public agency demands), explain these to constituents and encourage mutual understanding | Mainly: degree of autonomy | ||
| Enhance visibility of SD activities: share information about SD activities to increase activists’ motivation and provide universities’ leaders with best practice examples they can highlight | (De)central structures and individual role(s) | ||
| Focus on process management | Adopt participatory approaches: involve individuals, ranging from “giving them a say” to co-decision-making | Mainly: commitment- mandate | For many people, the primary interest is to address the topic [of SHEI], to communicate, to get involved by sharing one’s perspectives about it. (Q12:43) |
| Provide service like an overview of SD activities at universities, linking actors and asking for feedback on one’s SD initiatives | Mainly: (De)central structures and commitment-mandate | ||
| Demonstrate unique added value for collaborating in SHEI process to the various individuals and groups (e.g. students, faculty, staff, administration) from whom one is seeking buy-in or support | Mainly: commitment-mandate | ||
| Build on personal strengths | Use Guerrilla tactics to “just do” what seems necessary even when there is no mandate to do so | Various | I actually notice that it's better for my mental hygiene if I don't think about it so much, but simply work through tasks. (Q 13:25) |
| Draw on personal qualities like resilience, perseverance, patience and persistence; draw on one’s dedication to SD to cope with tensions | Various | ||
| Actively seek support | Secure support from leadership: sensitize leadership to the issue of sustainability and obtain their support, as some CAs may not act unless directed to do so; also create awareness of CAs’ work and the tensions they experience | Various | You need people who support the ideas and who, because of different interests … simply support the topic …. Because otherwise you're pretty much on your own and you … end up frustrated … (Q 13:13) |
| Leverage advocacy from bottom-up actors (e.g. students) who can make different and potentially more radical pleas than faculty and staff; use this strategy deliberately to increase pressure on universities to change | (De)central structures and resource allocation | ||
| Network to seek allies within and outside the university (e.g. NGOs, government) for support | Various | ||
| Strategy type: separation strategies | |||
| Collective action for sustainable development | Set up working groups to promote networking within and between universities as well as beyond to distribute the workload and motivate each other | Various | How can [sustainability efforts] be strengthened at the individual university? … through working groups …, e.g. on education for sustainable development, climate, energy or whatever. This is perhaps less high-profile, but perhaps more effective within one's own university than something that comes from the network [of universities’]. (Q10:51) |
| Appoint representatives: designate one individual per institute or department to form a working group to implement SD initiatives or identify and recruit volunteers for this role | (De)central structures and individual role(s) | ||
| Establish separate organizational entities with a sustainability focus | Fund internal SD projects: university leadership provides funding for projects to support internal cooperation between institutes to address societal SD challenges | Scientific performance(s) | In the area of research, we have our own internal call for proposals. The rectorate also provides money for certain topics. And there is a general demand for inter- and transdisciplinary participation. (Q8:40) |
| Strategy type: synthesis strategies | |||
| Change the mission | Change the university’s goals: work toward incorporating sustainability as central to being a “responsible university” | Various | Especially for transformative developments and CA activities, it is necessary to understand one’s respective discipline in relation to the big picture … (Q 8:11) |
| Change assessment and evaluation criteria to support inter- and transdisciplinary sustainability science | Scientific performance(s) | ||
| Reflect on understanding of one’s discipline: question one’s role in one’s respective discipline, recognize and publish work to contribute to a sustainability challenge (e.g. the sustainable development goals) | Scientific performance(s) | ||
| Change business rules | Define travel time as working time: expand the definition of “working hours” by including time spent commuting using public transport, if it is used to work (e.g. answer emails) | Resource allocation | For example, regarding travelling, you could also take external effects … into account and thus create a completely different picture. (Q 10:21) |
| Lengthen the time horizon on capital projects by considering a longer time horizon (e.g., 10 versus the typical 3–5 years) investments in green technology or (renovating) buildings can then be justified more easily financially | Resource allocation | ||
| Internalize external costs of CO2 travel emissions by changing the costs of travelling and thus promote more sustainable modes of travel | Resource allocation | ||
| Strategy cluster | Management strategies | Tension(s) | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Focus on positive communication | Communicate about best practices and role models of one’s own and/or other universities to inspire and empower action | Various | |
| Increase understanding of divergent value systems: when tensions arise due to differences between academic and government agencies’ value systems (e.g. academic freedom vs public agency demands), explain these to constituents and encourage mutual understanding | Mainly: degree of autonomy | ||
| Enhance visibility of SD activities: share information about SD activities to increase activists’ motivation and provide universities’ leaders with best practice examples they can highlight | (De)central structures and individual role(s) | ||
| Focus on process management | Adopt participatory approaches: involve individuals, ranging from “giving them a say” to co-decision-making | Mainly: commitment- mandate | |
| Provide service like an overview of SD activities at universities, linking actors and asking for feedback on one’s SD initiatives | Mainly: (De)central structures and commitment-mandate | ||
| Demonstrate unique added value for collaborating in SHEI process to the various individuals and groups (e.g. students, faculty, staff, administration) from whom one is seeking buy-in or support | Mainly: commitment-mandate | ||
| Build on personal strengths | Use Guerrilla tactics to “just do” what seems necessary even when there is no mandate to do so | Various | |
| Draw on personal qualities like resilience, perseverance, patience and persistence; draw on one’s dedication to SD to cope with tensions | Various | ||
| Actively seek support | Secure support from leadership: sensitize leadership to the issue of sustainability and obtain their support, as some CAs may not act unless directed to do so; also create awareness of CAs’ work and the tensions they experience | Various | |
| Leverage advocacy from bottom-up actors (e.g. students) who can make different and potentially more radical pleas than faculty and staff; use this strategy deliberately to increase pressure on universities to change | (De)central structures and resource allocation | ||
| Network to seek allies within and outside the university (e.g. NGOs, government) for support | Various | ||
| Collective action for sustainable development | Set up working groups to promote networking within and between universities as well as beyond to distribute the workload and motivate each other | Various | |
| Appoint representatives: designate one individual per institute or department to form a working group to implement SD initiatives or identify and recruit volunteers for this role | (De)central structures and individual role(s) | ||
| Establish separate organizational entities with a sustainability focus | Fund internal SD projects: university leadership provides funding for projects to support internal cooperation between institutes to address societal SD challenges | Scientific performance(s) | |
| Change the mission | Change the university’s goals: work toward incorporating sustainability as central to being a “responsible university” | Various | |
| Change assessment and evaluation criteria to support inter- and transdisciplinary sustainability science | Scientific performance(s) | ||
| Reflect on understanding of one’s discipline: question one’s role in one’s respective discipline, recognize and publish work to contribute to a sustainability challenge (e.g. the sustainable development goals) | Scientific performance(s) | ||
| Change business rules | Define travel time as working time: expand the definition of “working hours” by including time spent commuting using public transport, if it is used to work (e.g. answer emails) | Resource allocation | |
| Lengthen the time horizon on capital projects by considering a longer time horizon (e.g., 10 versus the typical 3–5 years) investments in green technology or (renovating) buildings can then be justified more easily financially | Resource allocation | ||
| Internalize external costs of CO2 travel emissions by changing the costs of travelling and thus promote more sustainable modes of travel | Resource allocation | ||
Note:
“Tension(s)” refers to tension(s) that were mentioned within the context of a particular management strategy
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