The Distinct project aimed to help universities identify and communicate what makes them distinctive. It was a collaboration between Brookes, Bournemouth, and Bradford universities funded by HEFCE from 2009-2012. The project sought to develop a shared understanding of distinctiveness, highlight the role of leadership, and transfer knowledge across the sector. Having a clear identity provides competitive advantages and enables loyalty. Being distinctive is about having a recognizable blend of attributes that are rare, valuable, and difficult to imitate. The project created workshops and published case studies to help other universities understand distinctiveness.

1. The Distinct project
Roger Grew, Strategic and Business Planning Director,
Oxford Brookes University
Anna Myers, Communications Manager, Distinct project
Panel guests:
Prof Graham Henderson, Vice-Chancellor of Teesside
University
Paul Hoskins, Chairman of Precedent

2. Background to the project
“Supporting universities in identifying and
communicating what makes them distinctive”
• HEFCE-funded, sector-wide
• A collaboration of three institutions – Brookes,
Bournemouth and Bradford
• Timeline: 2009 to Summer 2012

3. Purpose
• Develop a shared understanding of what distinctiveness is,
applying learning from outside the HE sector
• Capture lessons for developing and executing distinctiveness
strategies by examining the experience of the partner
institutions and other HEIs, and applying learning from
beyond the HE sector
• Highlight the role of leadership in developing and
communicating distinctiveness
• Transfer knowledge across the sector

4. Why distinctiveness?
• Distinctiveness concerns the values you hold, the culture
in which you do things, and the things that you offer
• There are cogent reasons for elaborating a distinctive
strategy:
• Firstly: distinctiveness confers a competitive advantage. This is
important because, in this increasingly challenging HE
environment, the need to compete will undoubtedly increase
• Secondly: a clear and cogent organisational identity enables
those who interact with the organisation to identify with it, and
become loyal to it

5. How does distinctiveness work?
• Being distinctive is not about being unique; it is about
being identifiable
• For universities, this often means a distinctive blend of
attributes
• Distinctive attributes should be ‘rare, of value, and
imperfectly imitable’
• A critical success factor is finding an expression of
identity that works both internally and externally

6. A workshop for the sector
• Workshop currently being created – for HEIs to establish
their distinctive attributes
• Enables an institution’s people – managers, directors,
student representation - to work together to understand
their university’s distinctive identity
• Pilot stage – to be shared with the sector in May

7. Case studies from the sector
• Institutions that we particularly admire for their work on
distinctiveness:
• City
• Leicester
• Loughborough
• Teesside
• Warwick
• Publish date: May 2012

8. Introducing our panel
• Roger Grew, Strategic and Business Planning Director
• Professor Graham Henderson, Vice-Chancellor and
Chief Executive of Teesside University
• Paul Hoskins, Chairman and Founder of Precedent
• Be ready with questions for the interactive panel debate
– this is your opportunity to understand how the
perspectives presented apply to your roles

9. Resources to support you
Resources available
at www.distinct.ac.uk
Check your handout
for resources we
feel are particularly
relevant to you

10. Events for you and your colleagues
Distinct will be presenting research outcomes and useful
resources at events this year:
22 March 2012:
• Marketing and communications professionals are welcome to join us
at our plenary at the CIM HE group annual conference
12 June 2012:
• Vice-Chancellors and senior leadership are welcome to our final
project conference, jointly hosted with CASE

11. Where to find out more
Web: www.distinct.ac.uk
Sign up to our e bulletin: contact@distinct.ac.uk
LinkedIn / Twitter: Distinct in HE