Dr Fred Dahlmann is an Associate Professor of Strategy & Sustainability at Warwick Business School, University of Warwick, UK. His research and teaching focus on understanding how companies respond to global sustainability challenges in their business strategies, management practices, and corporate governance systems, specifically factors that shape how companies address climate change and reduce corporate carbon emissions. Fred is also interested in the emerging phenomenon of purpose in business and its role within the wider sustainability transformations as well as the ethical implications of the Anthropocene for business and managers. Fred’s research has been published in leading academic journals and books. Fred holds a BSc Construction Engineering Management (Loughborough University), MSc Management (University of Bath), and PhD Management (University of Bath). Prior to joining WBS, he also gained professional experience in the construction sector and worked as an energy analyst in London.
In a recent interview with Higher Education Digest, Dr Fred Dahlmann discussed his experience with Higher Education sustainability and strategy. He shared his views on the strategic goals of higher education institutions, the culture of sustainability on campus, and many more.
How do you define the intersection of strategy and sustainability in higher education?
Higher Education institutions are increasingly called on to consider their role and impact on sustainability in ways that are constantly growing in terms of scope and complexity. Much depends on their interpretation of sustainability in the first place, though in practice for most the narrower response to the climate emergency is giving way to a recognition that sustainability embraces a diversity of issues and concerns that are, at least for now, best reflected in the ambitions and targets covered by the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Apart from their inherent interest in Goal 4 – Quality Education – HEs are also beginning to realise their strategic goals (e.g., pursuits of knowledge, truth, and justice, societal relevance, internationalisation and growth, digitalisation and innovation) are all directly linked to, enabled and affected by all other SDGs. Consequently, the need for strategic alignment between “traditional” aims and sustainability is becoming ever more pressing and urgent. Ignoring the intersection between strategy and sustainability risks creating organisational incoherence, operational inefficiencies, and the potential for backlash and resignation among staff, students, and society.
While the complexity involved in addressing sustainability undoubtedly leads to many new tensions and trade-offs, HEs are uniquely placed to address, experiment with, and critically reflect on the issues involved in the hope they can inspire and support other actors and institutions (e.g., government, public and private sector, nonprofits and communities) with their insights and experiences.
How does sustainability align with the strategic goals of higher education institutions?
Consequently, integrating sustainability into HEs’ strategic goals creates both external and internal imperatives. Externally, sustainability represents an issue and agenda of such global significance and urgency requiring the collective power and resources of all HE institutions to engage with the problems and challenges facing people and planet in the 21st century. The interconnected ecological and socio-economic dimensions provide a multidisciplinary and multifaceted “call for action” which institutions focused on research and education must engage with in order to stay relevant.
Internally, sustainability raises a multitude of organisational questions and considerations that equally require holistic and strategic engagement. Spanning research, education, and operational functions, they cover questions ranging from grant funding, publications, impact creation and innovation, dissemination, outreach and engagement to recruitment and widening participation, curriculum and programme design, teaching methods and philosophies, as well as local space, building and asset management, energy production and consumption, waste, mobility, logistics, and catering. Regardless of whether they target specific SDGs or a nexus of interconnected sustainability goals, in all circumstances, sustainability considerations can inform choices, decisions, and behaviours.
What are some key considerations when developing a sustainable strategy for a university or college?
Universities and colleges must therefore develop sustainability strategies that are not created in isolation from, but rather in conjunction and alignment with, other institutional and operational strategies. Achieving this requires deep reflections on and revisions of existing governance arrangements and policy procedures in order to integrate decision-making in both effective and inclusive ways. Committee structures, terms of references, job titles and descriptions, promotion criteria and incentives, but also internal and external communications as well as efforts and initiatives for wide-ranging engagement are all critical building blocks needed to ensure sustainability strategy is not treated as a tick-box exercise but rather becomes part of the institutional culture and lived reality of faculty, staff and students alike.
How important is collaboration with students, staff, and external partners in advancing sustainability goals?
Leadership is another essential ingredient for effectively integrating and achieving sustainability goals. In this context, it is important to recognise that knowledge and expertise are likely to be diffused and may reside in very different parts of the organisation. It may also be patchy and incomplete, but passion and interest are vital for initiating debate and momentum. Collaboration with students (including alumni!), staff, and external stakeholders therefore becomes critical for identifying early-stage champions and for developing initial coalitions-of-the-willing and interested. However, over time it is also essential to formalise such efforts and, importantly, to recognize and reward those who initiated changes in practices, policies, and outcomes to avoid disappointment and burn-out.
How can universities effectively engage with stakeholders to foster a culture of sustainability on campus?
Addressing sustainability inherently entails a pursuit of continuous improvement and innovation which requires a culture of open-mindedness and willingness to engage across traditional functions, departmental silos, and job roles. More than ever, HEs also need to develop a certain level of risk tolerance to encourage and incentivise the development of novel ideas, processes, and practices. But there is also a need for humility, a desire to listen to and especially work with outside partners. Transparency is key as is the development of trust to ensure all sides understand each other’s intentions and interests. Importantly, HEs need to be clear on their own targets and metrics implied by their sustainability strategies in order to evaluate progress and affect changes where and when necessary.
Looking ahead, what trends do you foresee in the integration of sustainability practices into higher education strategies?
There are certainly key trends that will increasingly lead to HEs appear to resemble each other in terms of their practices and strategies. These include sustainability-oriented education policies and initiatives at national levels, but also international reporting initiatives such as the Times Higher Education Impact ranking or the QS World University Sustainability rankings. While the latter are improving transparency and creating incentives for HEs to measure and compare their efforts, they also risk creating identical profiles and processes which may not necessarily be in the interest of addressing sustainability as an issue. HE leaders should therefore weigh up the extent to which, beyond compliance with policy, rankings indeed promote genuine contributions towards engaging with issues of sustainability or simply lead to incorporating sustainability as a basic hygiene factor without a clear sense of how each institution can develop innovative and unique answers and approaches that are relevant for its specific context.
Aligned with these trends, there is also a growing need for improving data and information capture, both for external and internal reporting purposes. Beyond being able to identify individuals with relevant knowhow and skills across colleges and campuses, using novel data processing tools and software will become essential for developing a clearer picture of how institutions perform against their own strategic goals and targets and for better understanding the potential of existing and new networks and collaborations.
How can universities ensure the sustainability of their initiatives in the long run?
Much like all other initiatives, success, and longevity depend on leadership, resources, and widespread commitment over time. Paying lip service without meaningfully underpinning targets and initiatives with the necessary finances, staff, and other support is likely to lead to disappointment and disengagement. Similarly, people will need to see that this is not a short-lived issue but is deeply integrated into all other targets and processes with meaningful and (at least partially) measurable outcomes targeted in years to come. More importantly, HE institutions need to ensure their sustainability strategy is clearly anchored within their own purpose and values to ensure future strategic choices and decisions will continue to take them into account. Sustainability is a defining issue of our time, HEs must engage with it strategically to demonstrate their role and relevance in service to society.