Understanding the Operational Environment: Leveraging Knowledge for Strategy

As universities face growing uncertainty and complexity regarding their futures, having effective tools to analyze the external landscape and inform strategy is crucial. For this purpose, a comprehensive literature review was produced as part of the project Analysis of the International Operating Environment of the University of Turku and Global Situational Picture of University Operations.

The review serves a navigational purpose by providing a conceptual framework grounded in recent research to map out key dimensions, models and trajectories relevant to universities. The review presents trends, countertrends, arguments, discourses, and critical remarks that presented in international research literature concerning universities. Its scope covers issues such as general purpose of the universities, their global and local orientations, research strategies, teaching and students, and technology and infrastructure.

This detailed analysis is a preliminary step in connecting foresight and strategy. First, the review enables the university to understand trends. By examining probable and possible trends in different domain relevant to its function and place in society, universities can gain insights into the current and future landscape of higher education. This understanding can guide strategic decisions and help institutions stay ahead of the curve.

Second, the review enables the university to identify strategic directions: The discussion of different models of how certain aspects of universities, such as their purpose in society or their global/local orientation, might look like in the future provides understanding of potential strategic directions. This knowledge is crucial for universities to align their strategies with their core mission and the changing external environment.

Third, the review enables to anticipate challenges and opportunities: The review not only explores what are the most foregrounded and conspicuous trends and insights but also delves into possible and radical insights in the literature. This comprehensive outlook equips universities to anticipate challenges and opportunities, ensuring they are not caught off guard by disruptive shifts in the higher education landscape.

We should also notice that universities around a globe form a heterogenous group where the functioning of the universities differ – not least because of the different societal contexts where universities are embedded. However, this heterogeneity does not make understanding international discourses irrelevant to our university. Quite the contrary: While the review focuses on university models similar to the current situations, it also acknowledges the importance of understanding different institutional models and external contexts. This understanding is crucial for several reasons.

First, we have to be aware of global dynamics and interconnectedness. The higher education landscape is globally interconnected. Changes in one part of the world can have ripple effects elsewhere. By understanding how different institutions operate and respond to their unique challenges, universities can better prepare for potential shifts in their own operational environment.

Second, this heterogeneity allows inspirational learning from different contexts: The models and trends discussed in the review, including those from different institutional contexts, can serve as a source of inspiration. They can help universities think outside the box, fostering innovation and strategic thinking.

Third, and most importantly, what now is the context in somewhere else might become our context in the future – societies can change unexpectedly. Therefore, understanding how universities operate in different contexts allows us to future-proof ourselves for many types of changes that could arise.

Now we have seen how the review enables us to think about the future of universities in a future-oriented way. In addition to this, it is preliminary step that allows the use of foresight in more action-oriented issues. The insights within the literature review can be applied by universities in various strategic and practical ways.

One area is to guide overall strategic direction. By raising awareness of broad trends in areas like education, technology and societal needs, environmental analysis helps universities align institutional goals and initiatives with external developments. Considering diverse future scenarios also allows creating flexible strategic plans that ensure adaptability to unforeseen changes.

Another application is enhancing strategic responsiveness. Producing a comprehensive review and conceptual scheme is the first step for a continuous process of environmental scanning. Such scanning needs some scheme that organizes how the environment is monitored and the review produces the scheme. An ongoing updated understanding facilitates adaptable strategies that can rapidly incorporate new information. Moreover, embedding scanning into operations fosters an organizational culture attuned to change. For example, identifying valuable future skills informs proactive curriculum development, while scanning global challenges steers research agendas towards high-impact questions aligned with societal needs.

The review also assists in informing broad strategic resource allocations and choices. Providing a foundation to understand the external context, the analysis allows more informed discussions when weighing university investments or initiatives. Additionally, by revealing key strategic themes, environmental insights can direct detailed planning and actions across departments. Also, stakeholder engagement is strengthened using review insights to discern diverse interests and identify potential partnership opportunities that match university strengths with external priorities.

Finally, despite the extensive analysis and future-oriented perspectives, the review ultimately underscores the profound complexity and multidimensionality of challenges confronting modern universities. While potential pathways are illuminated, identifying strategic trajectories requires weighing complex social, ethical and practical trade-offs with no simple solutions. Core academic values must be balanced with expanding societal roles, tradition balanced with imperatives of change, and global ambitions reconciled with local commitments. Any strategic course involves difficult yet crucial choices regarding research priorities, resource allocation, partnerships and operational models. Perhaps the key insight is acknowledging universities as complex adaptive systems embedded within broader evolving ecosystems locally and globally. Like captains of great ships, university leaders must chart courses factoring known and unseen obstacles across unsettled seas, re-evaluating bearings continually. Success will depend on institutional agility, resilience and collaborative decision-making among diverse stakeholders.

If the review serves any purpose, may it be promoting the strategic acumen and imaginative capacity to navigate difficult but deeply consequential issues ahead.