How digitally empowered executives are shaping the transformation of higher education

The digitally empowered executives: HE leadership summit, part of our support for leading digital change, offered higher education leaders a rare opportunity to come together for meaningful conversations and to build confidence in implementing digital initiatives.

Leaders value a "safe space" to share vulnerabilities

A valuable element of the event was creating opportunities for leaders to reflect on their own digital confidence using our anonymous discovery tool, which acts as a mirror for them to assess their own digital confidence and sparks some frank discussions.

Niamh Lamond, registrar and chief operating officer, Swansea University, said:

“The exercise helped attendees realise that as university leaders we need to put far more emphasis on digital capability from top to bottom, immersing ourselves in this and being good role models in how we use tech and digital tools. There’s only so much you can do as a leader when you’re juggling a lot, but if you’re a bit more hands-on we understand it more and relate more to it. That was certainly something I came away with.”

Dan Hughes, digital leadership and culture programme lead at Jisc, felt the assessment was essential in helping leaders open up and feel comfortable about discussing personal challenges:

“Executives, by definition, have done well and know a lot. Admitting a lack of confidence or capability can feel vulnerable. We wanted to create a safe space where people could be honest – even admit they didn’t understand something – without others reacting in shock or losing confidence in them. That focus on the person, not just the organisation, was key to the day and the real difference comes from what they take away as individuals, which then translates into organisational impact.”

Digital transformation is not just an "IT responsibility"

A recurring theme was the need for buy-in for digital change not just from leaders, but from people at every level.

Antony Moss, pro vice chancellor education and student experience at London South Bank University, explains:

“I think for too long, the IT function was seen as the place that does digital, and if you want anything done, you go to them. Whereas actually now digital is a whole-of-university issue and something that requires institutional engagement from the very top.

“I think the challenge is how do we embed that change? Because it's a huge culture shift for people to actually believe in what they're doing and it's not a short-term thing. These are big shifts in the way that people interact with technology and with each other.”

Niamh Lamond adds:

“It’s not digital that drives the change – it’s the problems. What do we need to do differently, and how can we use digital to achieve that end? Rather than: ‘We’ve got a digital tool, how are we going to use it?’”

Change has people at its heart – and they need to understand the reasons for it

Niamh Lamond says:

“There's a lot of people who are exhausted by change, so it's a constant job of leadership to keep people buoyant and help them see why this is a good thing to do. We need to be bold in how we solve problems especially when we have fewer resources to deliver.

"I think what digital transformation means is changing the way that we work, and that is a much harder thing to land than just getting the new system in place. It’s about taking people with you, explaining why you're doing things, constantly communicating, checking in, listening, hearing where the problems are and doing your very best to address them.”

Niamh adds that winning hearts and minds can be a painful process, but the end results are worth it:

“Some colleagues said they just won’t be able to engage particular academics in technology. But I believe most academics understand why we’re using certain technologies, the benefits of doing so, and will support the change. Maybe it also needs more storytelling and as a sector haven’t been good enough at that.”

Technology must be tailored for each institution’s unique circumstances

While institutions across the higher education sector face common challenges – including financial constraints and a reluctance by some academics to embrace change – each is unique, and so there is no one-size-fits-all executive strategy.

Recognising these differences is key to success. For example, at London South Bank University the diversity of its student base is a major influencer to the approach, as Antony Moss explains:

“We're probably one of the most diverse, if not the most diverse, universities in the country, and I have responsibility for our access and participation work, which is effectively making sure that where we're delivering good outcomes and experiences for our students, doing that equitably and ensuring no student groups are left behind.

“It’s not just about factors such as ethnicity – for example we have around twice the proportion of students who are also parents and three times the number who have caring responsibilities for relatives, compared to other institutions in our region. My motivation and interest in the work around digital transformation is in what we could be doing with emerging technologies, beyond taking traditional and outdated ways of doing things and digitising them, to make university as accessible as possible for those students.”

Providing leaders with actionable insights

Both Niamh and Antony came away from the summit with ideas that are already taking shape in their institutions. Niamh Lamond says:

“It was one of the most productive days I’ve had for a long tim. Much of the value was in talking to people, being inspired, and coming away thinking: I’ve got a lot to learn here.

“The event consolidated ideas I’d already had, and I will carry that forward into my planning for the next year. Ideas and tools that should help us progress our digital strategy in terms of upskilling staff and integrating innovation and digital development.”

For Antony Moss, the summit has led to work exploring the potential of AI:

“Some of the things we are now doing came directly out of the summit, or they're things that we were thinking about, and attending the session helped to crystallise them,” he says. “For example, we’re exploring the use of a particular form of AI as a kind of a personal tutor, and working in collaboration with Jisc on that technology.

“We’ve also signed up to one of Jisc’s pilots using AI for marking and feedback, which is something that came out of the day. It’s helped me to sense check some of the thoughts I've had about the approach, to share some of my own thinking, and to know where we are in relation to what others are doing.”

Jisc’s role in empowering collaboration

Attendees appreciated the opportunity to share insights with peers and those in varying roles, and Jisc’s role in enabling the discussions.

Antony Moss concludes:

“To be able to meet with a mix of people with a similar level of seniority within their organisations but in different roles really added value to the day. The summit is a great example of Jisc using its convening power in the sector.”

Find out more

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