Absolutely nailed the nested disruption trap. I've seen so many orgs get stuck fixing funding or immediate staffing crises while completely missing the tectonic shift underneath. The real kicker is when leaders mistake reaction for strategy and end up doubling down on adaptations that make sense locally but accelerate their irrelevance systemically.
Lack of funding has serious consequences, as one of your City predecessors found out. The spate of dept closures in universities gives serious cause for concern. Cardiff, Nottingham, Cambridge, etc. etc.
I do not doubt that funding is a serious issue. I think we need to be having regional and national conversations about disciplines. Rather one larger, vibrant, provider than many sub-scale loss-making Departments, I feel. Obviously, we need to consider access and ‘cold-spots’.
“Life is lived forwards, but only understood backwards”. We need to talk about how we think about the future, and how that can shape how we act in the present.
Indeed, and in learning to talk about the future together (using ways that enable us to explore the layers and different dimensions) we can, through time-travelling collaborative leadership, explore what might be possible. Doing this is likely to increase the willingness for structural and organisational change of those involved.
Absolutely nailed the nested disruption trap. I've seen so many orgs get stuck fixing funding or immediate staffing crises while completely missing the tectonic shift underneath. The real kicker is when leaders mistake reaction for strategy and end up doubling down on adaptations that make sense locally but accelerate their irrelevance systemically.
Thank you. The risk is of course associated with a spiral of reactive responses with each turn of the spiral happening at an accelerated pace.
Interesting observations. For a strong critique of disruption see Lepore: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/06/23/the-disruption-machine
Lack of funding has serious consequences, as one of your City predecessors found out. The spate of dept closures in universities gives serious cause for concern. Cardiff, Nottingham, Cambridge, etc. etc.
I do not doubt that funding is a serious issue. I think we need to be having regional and national conversations about disciplines. Rather one larger, vibrant, provider than many sub-scale loss-making Departments, I feel. Obviously, we need to consider access and ‘cold-spots’.
“Life is lived forwards, but only understood backwards”. We need to talk about how we think about the future, and how that can shape how we act in the present.
Very much agree. We need, for example, to reflect on the evolution of the HE system. The current shape is of relatively recent origin.
Indeed, and in learning to talk about the future together (using ways that enable us to explore the layers and different dimensions) we can, through time-travelling collaborative leadership, explore what might be possible. Doing this is likely to increase the willingness for structural and organisational change of those involved.
Yes! Would be good to understand models for doing this.