This document summarizes a presentation given at the AUA Development Conference in Birmingham on innovation, enterprise, and knowledge transfer in higher education and how they challenge traditional university values and identities. The presentation outlined that it would discuss differing interpretations of a university's purpose, identifying common cultures in higher education, experiences with commercial activities in universities, their impact on jobs, and how they affect professional identity with changing roles. It also included slides on organizational culture, commercial activities universities engage in, and how individuals see themselves in light of these changes.

1. INNOVATION, ENTERPRISE AND
KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER IN HE:
CHALLENGING OUR TRADITIONAL
VALUES AND IDENTITIES?
AUA Development Conference
Birmingham
17th October 2012

2. Introductions
Dr Rachel Birds
Hunshelf Training and Consultancy Ltd
• 20 years’ experience in the further and higher education
sectors
• Universities of Northumbria, Warwick and Sheffield
• Company director
• Delivery, admin, management, delivery again…

3. You

4. Session outline
By the end of the session, participants will have:
1. Argued for their interpretation of the purpose of a university
2. Identified common values and cultures within the HE sector (if
any!)
3. Shared their experiences of commercial or quasi-commercial
activities in the HE sector
4. Evaluated the impact of those activities on their own or
colleagues’ job roles
5. Considered how far professional identity is affected by
changing job roles in HE

5. What is a university?

6. Organisational culture
• Is a university different from other
organisations?
• What do we value in higher education?
• What is academic culture?
• Does it only apply to ‘academics’?
• Culture or cultures?

7. What do you think?

8. The university as a commercial enterprise
• What sorts of commercial activities
does a university enter into?
• Share your experiences!

9. The impact on our jobs

10. The impact on our jobs

11. The impact on our jobs

12. Where does commercialisation fit?
• Changing roles? Blended/blurred?
• New identities? Different worlds?
• CPD/Professionalisation
• AUA values
• Case study

13. In common with all progressive organisations, we have
developed the following set of shared values both as a guide and
framework for personal and corporate behaviour in the
governance and management of our University and in every
aspect of our activities.
Our values:
• The highest academic, professional and ethical standards
and service to our stakeholders, clients and partners and,
in particular, putting our students first
• Supporting our people and recognising and rewarding
excellence and leadership
• Working together for the advancement of the University
• Innovation, creativity, enterprise, courage
• Diversity, humanity, fairness and respect
• Pride in our heritage and the distinctive difference we make
to the world
• Investing passion in all that we do.

14. How do we see ourselves?

15. Session outline
By the end of the session, participants will have:
1. Argued for their interpretation of the purpose of a university
2. Identified common values and cultures within the HE sector (if
any!)
3. Shared their experiences of commercial or quasi-commercial
activities in the HE sector
4. Evaluated the impact of those activities on their own or
colleagues’ job roles
5. Considered how far professional identity is affected by
changing job roles in HE

16. Further reading
• Allen-Collinson, J. (2006) Just ‘non-academics’? Research administrators and
contested occupational identity. Work, Employment and Society 20(2): 267-
288
• Bok, D. (2003) Universities in the Marketplace: The Commercialization of
Higher Education. Princeton: Princeton University Press
• Deem, R., S. Hillyard and M. Reed (2007) Knowledge, Higher Education, and
the New Managerialism: The Changing Management of UK Universities
Oxford: Oxford University Press
• Gordon, G. and C. Whitchurch, Eds. (2010) Academic and Professional
Identities in Higher Education: The Challenges of a Diversifying Workforce.
Abingdon: Routledge

17. Keep in touch
dr.rachel.birds@gmail.com