This section will focus on how best to embed innovations in people in order to:
- Raise the aspirations of staff and students.
- Motivate staff and students to adopt innovations.
- Transfer expertise, knowledge and know-how to staff and students.
Key tips for changing people and culture include:
- Consider simple approaches such as using early adopters as mentors or buddies to help cascade knowledge to other staff or the use of local (departmental) champions.
- Develop a vision of how well your project will be embedded in 3-5 years’ time and then identify the enablers and barriers to make the vision happen.
- Develop a communications and stakeholder engagement strategy and plan with a prime goal of raising the aspirations of staff and students and motivating them to adopt innovations.
- A communications and engagement plan should aim to convey key simple messages following the “WHY – WHAT – WHEN – WHO – HOW” principles.
- Consider using change management techniques developed by the sector to overcome people and culture issues.
- Motivate staff and students to adopt innovations by providing case studies, backed up by strong evidence and testimonials from students and staff.
- Use technology in a “blended” approach to effectively communicate with stakeholders and to get over key messages e.g. using podcasts, vidcasts and screencasts.
- Develop Communities of Practice (CoP) or Special Interest Groups (SIGs) to sustain dialogue and build expertise and resources – but these must be “owned” by the community.
- Ensure senior managers are targeted with the communications plan (e.g. Pro Vice-Chancellors, Principals, Deans and Heads of School/Department) – these people are resource/budget holders and can advise on how best to embed innovations within institutional structures and processes.
- Incorporating staff support and training into existing institutional mechanisms such as staff development programmes, professional qualifications, peer review and performance review processes.
Key Resources
Change Management infoKit.