Abstract
The sustainable development agenda can be strongly impacted by higher education institutions (HEI) and their stakeholders. With a strong impact on raising the sustainability awareness of future professionals and leaders, HEI is a driver of economic growth, at the heart of the sustainable development goals (SDGs), and in promoting sustainability. Governance can influence sustainability initiatives and the adoption of SDG initiatives can be delayed by issues of governance and organizational culture. Presenting a holistic approach to governance, this chapter aims to understand how Portuguese higher education institutions are exploring their entrepreneurial and innovative potential; more specifically, leadership and governance. Using the HEInnovate tool, a self-assessment tool for higher education institutions, and an initiative of the European Commission in partnership with the OECD, a powerful tool is presented for helping HEIs assess their current situation and identify potential areas for action.
TopIntroduction
The sustainable development agenda can be strongly impacted by the Higher Education Institutions (HEI) and their stakeholders (Sivapalan 2016; Wals et al. 2016). They are drivers for the accomplishment of the complete set of goals, through their responsibility for human capital, expertise, and innovation (Chankseliani & McCowan, 2021). With a strong impact on raising the sustainability awareness of future professionals and leaders (Collins, 2017), HEI stand out as a model of sustainability (Wright, 2004) and are also crucial for generating solutions for environmental problems (Hesselbarth & Schaltegger, 2014).
In fact, through different perspectives, HEI can address sustainable development, namely from institution governance, campus operation, community outreach, and assessment and reporting (Cortese, 2003; Lozano et al., 2015). It can also contribute to the development of a program for consciousness-raising educative actions (e.g. related to hunger, gender, and climate change, among others), as well as critical thinking for research questions (Ligozat et al., 2020). Nevertheless, the process of adopting sustainability practices in HEI has been very slow (Lozano, 2006; Velazquez et al., 2006; Xiong & Mok, 2020) and especially due to a lack of interest, awareness, resistance to change and funding (Bautista-Puig, et al, 2022).
When HEI are requested to play an active role in finding solutions for society's concerns, sustainability signifies an important theme (Soini et al, 2018). HEI are engines of economic growth (Trencher et al., 2014), at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and in the promotion of sustainability (Bautista-Puig, et al, 2022). Research remains scarce on what concerns governance and sustainable development within higher education (Baker-Shelley et al., 2017; Mader et al., 2013). In this sense, sustainability appears linked with governance as HEI has a new societal contract with society and the environment (Gibbons, 1999). The advantages of HEIs stem from the transactional view of education that builds social entrepreneurship (Dacin et al., 2011), the critical ethics-based view (Johnson et al., 2016), and the creation of learning eco-systems that interconnect networks and spread the need for governance, adding adaptability (Crow, 2010).
Governance repercussions can influence sustainability initiatives and the adoption of Sustainable Development Goals (Bauer et al., 2018; Moon et al., 2018). Initiatives may be delayed by governance issues (Rasche et al., 2017) and organizational culture (D'este & Perkmann, 2011), among other factors (Apostolopoulos et al., 2018), which highlight the relevance of taking a more holistic approach to governance, and the implication of academic-business partnerships and knowledge exchange (Etzkowitz, 2003; Etzkowitz & Klofsten, 2005).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Sustainable Development: Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Governance: Refers to structures and processes that are designed to ensure accountability, transparency, responsiveness, rule of law, stability, equity and inclusiveness, empowerment, and broad-based participation. Governance also represents the norms, values, and rules of the game through which public affairs are managed in a manner that is transparent, participatory, inclusive and responsive.
Entrepreneurship: It is a way of thinking, reasoning, and acting that is obsessed in opportunity, all-inclusive in method and where leadership is connected to create and retain value.
HEInnovate: It is a self-reflection, not a benchmarking, tool for Higher Education Institutions who wish to explore their innovative potential. The self-assessment tool is free and it is available in all EU languages.
Innovation: Is the implementation of a new or significantly improved product (good or service), process, a new marketing method, a new organizational approach or business model in business practices, workplace organization or external relations.
Sustainable Entrepreneurship: Sustainable entrepreneurship is a business strategy focused on increasing value for society, the environment and the company or business.
Sustainability: Is the balance between the environment, equity, and economy. It is “the integration of environmental health, social equity and economic vitality to create thriving, healthy, diverse and resilient communities for this generation and generations to come. The practice of sustainability recognizes how these issues are interconnected and require a systems approach and an acknowledgement of complexity.”