Diversity and Change Agents in Higher Education

Recent studies suggest that higher education (HE) is experiencing massive transformations throughout the globe as technologies, markets, and government policies on university management produce significant changes in the daily operations of universities (Dee et al., 2023; Deem et al., 2007; Geiger, 2004; Slaughter & Rhoades, 2004). Change agents, aligned to leadership, have become an established part of HE systems, just as in other public services (Wallace et al., 2023). By contrast, other analyses note that HE is a highly institutionalized field where the pace of change is often slow, norms and traditions support the status quo, and decoupled organizational structures forestall new initiatives (Dill, 1999; Krücken, 2003; Leišytė et al., 2017). At present, we are witnessing collective action by staff as well as students (Klemenčič, 2024) and a polarization of beliefs and values on campuses in many countries. HE institutions are seen as “catalysts” in the creation of a sustainable future, urging higher education institutions (HEIs) to change both their syllabuses and their culture (Žalėnienė & Pereira, 2021). Matters of diversity, inclusion, and belonging on campuses are also significantly contributing to the process of organizational transformation.

Transformation of/in the HE sector has been addressed through several angles from different streams of literature: Warnings have been put forward about the effects of managerial transformation on diversity and inclusion in HE (Leišytė et al., 2021); praise has been raised for the potential of disruptive innovations and events such as Covid-19 (Treve, 2021) in improving quality of and access to HE; concerns that the transformation of HE has merely exacerbated the stratification and inequalities that have long characterized the sector have been addressed (Dee et al., 2023, Leisyte et al., 2021). Nevertheless, many studies overlook the agency and roles that diversity and intersectionality play in bringing about organizational transformation in HE institutions. This thematic issue aims to shed light on the role of academic and administrative staff, including students, in fostering change in organizational practices, academic norms, and routines in HE towards diverse and inclusive organizations, especially focusing on the characteristics of individual and collective agents of change.

To understand the role of diverse actors in transformation, we draw on Wheatley (2006), who postulates that transformational change occurs through processes encompassing complex and constant interactions among stakeholders in HE institutions. In HE, transformation is often the result of planned and emergent changes. The web of intertwined interests and interactions offers possibilities for fostering collaboration between stakeholders at multiple levels who seek to transform HE. Another possibility, however, is that these intertwined interests simply reflect a convergence in the priorities of elite actors. Transformations occur under those conditions, but residual effects only deepen issues of stratification, hierarchical power relations, and inequalities found in HE (Dee et al., 2023).

Transformation towards an inclusive university could be perceived as a move from narrow notions of inclusivity focusing on students with disabilities, for instance, to wider concepts (Mora et al., 2021). Intersectional approaches towards teaching and learning are experimented with and may also bring transformational change in teaching practices and organizational routines (Mense & Sera, 2019). New dimensions of diversity have been developed that are closely linked to inclusion practices and initiatives for both staff and students in university programs (Leišytė et al., 2021). Diversity is also increasingly associated with the decolonization of curricula—following violent student protests in countries like South Africa (Jansen, 2019)—and the questioning of “potential for change” promoted in special programs for newly appointed black academics (Belluigi & Thondhlana, 2019). At the same time, transformation is continually challenged by managerialism (Grummell & Lynch, 2016), neo-liberalism (Neumann, 2020), and cultures of precarity (Courtois & O’Keefe, 2015). The role of digital disruptive innovations, such as AI, can turn out to mediate these processes of transformation and bring forward various biases when it comes to diversity, inclusion, and intersectionality (Ulnicane, 2024; Williamson, & Komljenovic, 2023).

We invite authors to consider and explore any of the following questions and topics, among others:

• The role of responsible transformation vis-à-vis neoliberalist regimes and managerialism, and how resulting tensions can be resolved in inclusive ways.
• Academic-led initiatives and policy actions that have been institutionalized into new study programs or services oriented to promote diversity and inclusion in HE institutions.
• Research about academic staff or students from a variety of backgrounds and their role and agency in fostering change on campus via collective action or academic self-governance.
• The role of academics in fostering participation, action, and organizational change when it comes to transforming HE institutions or the working conditions of academics.

References

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Courtois, A. D. M., & O’Keefe, T. (2015). Precarity in the ivory cage: Neoliberalism and casualisation of work in the Irish higher education sector. Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies, 13(1), 43–66.

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