Embedding and Sustaining Your Initiative

Changing People and Culture and can advise on how best to embed innovations  Consider simple approaches such as using early within institutional structures and processes. adopters as mentors or buddies to help cascade knowledge to other staff or the use of local Vision and Scenario Planning (departmental) champions. Develop a vision of how well your project will be embedded in 3-5  Motivate staff and students to adopt innovations by years’ time and then identify the enablers and barriers to make the providing case studies, backed up by strong evidence vision happen .Do another Rich Picture  and testimonials from students and staff. Managing resistance  Incorporating staff support and training into existing Any change initiative is likely to encounter resistance, which may institutional mechanisms such as staff development stem from anxiety over identity, role and job security, or simply from programmes, professional qualifications, peer review inertia. and performance review processes. Embrace the resistor and see it from their point of view. WIIFT? Creating Appropriate Organisational Structures Communications  Institutions should consider setting individual project  Develop a communications and stakeholder innovations within a context of overall (& cyclic) engagement strategy and plan with a prime goal of continuous Improvement – where there is a focus on raising the aspirations of staff and students and addressing key institutional/local goals, drivers and motivating them to adopt innovations. needs (the “big picture”), embedding and “joining up” innovations and reviewing/reflecting on the impact of  A communications and engagement plan should aim to the innovations – akin to action research. convey key simple messages following the “WHY – WHAT – WHEN – WHO - HOW” principles.  Innovation project teams do not always have the motivation or wherewithal to take responsibility for  Ensure senior managers are targeted with the embedding innovations, therefore project teams need communications plan (e.g. PVCs, Deans and Heads of to transfer “ownership” of their innovations. Schools) – these people are resource/budget holders Embedding and Sustaining Your Initiative  Change agents (or champions) in a devolved model teams should work with the “owners” of specific can take on ownership and responsibility for facilitating institutional strategies to embed their innovations within uptake of innovations. the strategies.  Heads of faculties/schools are key stakeholders in When considering stakeholder needs, the needs of regards to embedding innovations as they can set stakeholders such as employers, sector bodies (e.g. sector direction and allocate time and resource – innovation skills councils) and professional/standards bodies should project teams therefore need to convince and motivate also be embraced. them to adopt their innovations. Innovations can be embedded into processes, systems  Communities of Practice need to be set up in an and services, such as QA/QE and curriculum design, institution to support networking of change review and approval processes, ICT systems to support agents/champions in order to facilitate sharing of ideas, curriculum design, review and approval and curriculum knowledge and expertise between faculties and design/review support services. schools.  Innovation projects should consider developing a  Service departments should consider adopting a true sustainability and embedding plan – to align with the “partnership” approach with academics in order to communications and stakeholder engagement plan. facilitate the uptake of innovations. This partnership approach should also apply to inter-working between Team working service departments, where “turf wars” can block co- Teams are generally more effective at achieving change than groups. A operative working. Critical to developing such team can be defined as “a small number of people with complementary partnerships are (a) developing a common language, skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and (b) overcoming traditional “master/slave” relationships common approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable and (c) creating win-win goals/activities. Becoming more business-like and entrepreneurial  Focusing on impact and returns on investment. Embedding or Aligning with Strategies and Systems Innovations are far more likely to be adopted throughout  Evaluating costs/benefits. an institution if they can support specific institutional or  IPR and licensing. faculty/school goals, needs and drivers. Innovation project Embedding and Sustaining Your Initiative  Working with key influencers and budge holders. Capacity Building  Developing a sustainability and embedding plan. Stakeholders should be supported in their acquisition of the tools, resources and processes necessary to be able to transfer Dealing with the loss of talent innovations successfully