Universities as the engine of transformational sustainability toward delivering the sustainable development goals: “Living labs” for sustainability

1. Introduction

We face global environmental, social and economic challenges, approaching a tipping point that threatens to overstep our planetary boundaries. In 2015, 193 countries came together to define and adopt the sustainable development goals (SDGs) – the first agreed actionable agenda by the global community for all citizens comprising a suite of objectives and targets for worldwide sustainable development by the year 2030 to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity (United Nations General Assembly, 2015). With higher education institutions being locally rooted and globally connected, they offer significant opportunities to deliver against the SDGs, working with faculty, staff and students, as well as their wider stakeholder community and alumni body (Findler et al., 2019; Trencher et al., 2014; Cortese, 2003). As Jeff Sachs (Director, UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network) said “Advancing the SDGs is the ‘moon shot’ for our generation.” (Sachs, 2018). Sustainability is a goal for today, with the SDGs a compass in a world defined by volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) conditions, and universities have a critical role to play as change agents.

Higher education can help shape new ways for the world, tackling the grand challenges of our day as reflected in the SDGs (United Nations General Assembly, 2015; Trencher et al., 2014). Being at the forefront of scientific and technological advances in undertaking global research and educating future leaders and professionals, universities deliver impactful knowledge in every sector across all nations and act as anchors in the communities they serve nationally and internationally. Universities can help facilitate change toward a more equitable society and a better world by adopting the SDGs at a strategic level in pursuit of sustainability and as a means of connecting higher education with business, industry, healthcare, community partners and entrepreneurs (Findler et al., 2019; Stephen et al., 2008). However, sustainability often sits on the margins of mainstream subjects, with academic work in the field largely separate from campus operations and community service such that universities struggle to integrate sustainability into their governance and business models (Evans et al., 2015). It is here that the present study offers insights into approaches a university might adopt in pursuit of delivery toward the SDGs given that a more transformative approach is needed to connect the university community across the institution, as well as with the external communities it serves and interacts with locally, nationally and internationally. Focusing deliberately and proactively on the SDGs, change within the university and with external partners can help deliver a more sustainable and inclusive future. Here, the radical adaptive changes needed to deliver institutional transformation aligned with the SDGs were explored in different settings using a multiple case study approach.

We have been deliberate in the use of some key terms: “sustainability” is used to describe the overall strategic aspiration, shared purpose or mission of the transformation, while “sustainable development,” as represented by the SDG framework, we take to refer to the means of achieving that strategic mission. We have not taken each of the SDG goals or targets individually, rather the SDGs are used as a collective world strategy against which universities are but one actor in the ecosystem of change. A “living lab” is defined as a situation or circumstance where real-world sustainability challenges are formally addressed in stakeholder partnerships (König and Evans, 2013), a form of experimental governance (Evans et al., 2015); framed in this way, each of the case studies examined is in effect a “living lab.” While the concept has been adapted over the years, there is renewed interest in living labs as a sustainability-oriented cross-cutting approach to the SDGs in higher education and research (Waheed, 2017; Evans et al., 2015; Trencher et al., 2014).

Drawing on examples of different ways of strategizing this agenda in a university setting, an example is given from each of the UK, Bulgaria (Europe) and USA. The first, a UK university undergoing pan-institutional to redefine its academic priorities around enterprise and sustainability to differentiate it in an increasingly marketized and disrupted global higher education sector (Purcell et al., 2016); this mission-led change went on to catalyze and accelerate change in business, civic and community settings in the wider region (Purcell et al., 2017). The second, a university in Bulgaria (Europe) working to co-create transformational change programs with a business-sector association to help create sustainability leaders to support sustainable development by business. The final case draws out how a research-intensive Ivy League USA university is leading change through its professional sustainability services, activating students and faculty around shared purpose and creating connections with external companies and civic partners relevant to the university’s mission.

Projects that draw upon the university’s own assets, across its academic and operational domains, to tackle sustainable development challenges can draw upon the human capital and resource infrastructure of the institution itself in the manner of a “living lab.” Offering real-world learning and research opportunities for students and faculty, the university itself can become a test bed for SDG solutions (Brundiers and Wiek, 2011). In this way, pedagogic innovation and research opportunities emerge, focused on stakeholder priorities but aligned with the academic mission of the institution (Rosenberg Daneri et al., 2015). Professional, administrative and executive staff can engage with faculty and students, tackling campus challenges as well as strategic projects including those within the academic domain (Budwig, 2015; Evans et al., 2015). Reaching out to develop living labs with external organizations, such as local government or business, can connect a university with a wider stakeholder group and help drive local innovation or create community-level projects (Rosenberg Daneri et al., 2015). A “living lab” model can therefore function as a convening framework supporting formal intra- and inter-organizational governance (Waheed, 2017). The solutions emerging from living labs can deliver social, economic and/or environmental benefits to the university itself, to its wider community and potentially society at large thereby accelerating progress toward delivering the SDGs.

Given the pluralistic nature and competing goals of a university, being a professional organization largely run by faculty who are scholastic, management needs to be by persuasion with leadership effected through the articulation of a compelling change narrative (Purcell et al., 2017; Rosenberg Daneri et al., 2015). Placing sustainability as a central strategic agenda, can connect the different constituencies within the university and with others outside the university to progress achievement of the SDGs with networks convened around shared purpose. Here, each case study seeks to identify the route taken to strategize sustainability as the aspiration, with sustainable development as represented by the SDGs being how we get there. Common themes and leadership insights of interest to those involved in re-framing sustainability as a transformational agenda within a university or in partnership with a university have been identified.

2. Materials and methods

A multiple case study approach (Stake, 2013; Eisenhardt, 1989) was adopted given its usefulness in obtaining an in-depth appreciation of an issue or area of interest in its natural real-life context. While comparison among universities is difficult, using the mission as a parameter is an established approach (Purcell et al., 2016). Different ways of strategizing sustainability as the overall aim, with the SDGs being the means to that end, were examined in a university setting experienced first-hand and over time by one or more of the authors with the lead author connected to each case: in the UK (Plymouth University [PU] by WP); in mainland Europe (American University in Bulgaria [AUBG] by WP and JS); and in the USA (Harvard University [HU] by HH and JS). The review of each case was undertaken in 2018 with a different timeframe for each case as follows: PU 2007-2015; HU 2010-2018; and AUBG 2017-2018. The case study approach was selected as it allowed the dynamics of each situation to be explored, with multiple levels of enquiry undertaken within a single study. Through the examination of archival materials (PU), interviews (PU, AUBG), visits (AUBG, HU), observations (PU, AUBG, HU) and experience (PU, AUBG, HU), key insights in each case have been drawn out to identify any common patterns and/or relationships across the cases; the lead author provides a connectivity across each of the three cases offering oversight in arriving at a common view of the observations. It is not an intention of the account to advertise the universities concerned, rather, each of the three cases has been selected to illustrate the journey toward sustainability, at a strategic level, using the SDG framework to support actions that move toward delivering sustainable development. Each case is different in terms of scale, whether pan-institutional (PU), a collaborative project with external partners (AUBG) or driven centrally by a professional services unit working with students and faculty (HU). Common themes emerging across various dimensions from each instrumental case study have been determined, noting that PU is a retrospective change program (2008-2015), AUBG is a relatively new change initiative (2017-date) and HU a mature one (2010-date).

In assembling these cases, key insights into the “living lab” model in action were sought in pursuit of securing a better understanding of the actuality, and thus the potential, of universities to accelerate delivery of the SDGs. Key features of the transformation, from the perspective of leadership and governance, together with examples of key outcomes are given to illustrate the far-reaching impact of placing sustainability center stage in strategy, rather than being merely a compliance or regulatory agenda. Others have reported comprehensively (Ferrer-Balas et al., 2008; Lozano, 2006; Wright, 2002) on key barriers and drivers of a “sustainable university”; this is not repeated here. However, where appropriate, insights relevant to enabling leaders deliver change through the adoption of a strategic approach to sustainability are drawn to enable those planning, or amid, delivery toward the SDGs within a university setting and/or with external partners.

3. Results

Each of three “living lab” case studies are described, highlighting key benefits realized and leadership and governance insights relevant to change and transformation in adopting strategic sustainability as an aspirational agenda for transformation secured by change projects delivering toward the SDGs. The framework adopted to review these cases relates to our conceptual model of how the senior management hierarchy (SMH; the bounded executive command-control system) interacts with the more agile unbounded community of social networks (CSN; groups that convene around shared purpose projects, including standing committees, task and finish groups and informal assemblies) (Purcell et al., 2017).

4. Discussion

Universities operate in a global market with increasing pressure to attract students, undertake world-class research and be impactful through innovation and their work in communities, as well as meeting the rising expectations of students and other key stakeholders demanding quality, value and a lifelong return on investment (Purcell et al., 2016). Using a multiple case study approach to examine three different sustainability-led transformations in a university setting, key features of the change process together with illustrative outcomes were explored to secure insights relevant to leaders effecting change as a route to sustainable development and delivery toward the SDGs (United Nations General Assembly, 2015). The conceptual leadership and governance framework (Purcell et al., 2017) was used to draw out common themes and relationships among the cases as these universities move beyond the so-called “third mission,” where teaching and research are taken as the first and second missions with any applied works in either sphere considered “other” or third (Trencher et al., 2014; König and Evans, 2013). While comparison among universities is difficult, using the mission as a parameter is an established approach (Purcell et al., 2016).

It was clear that the strategic sustainability in pursuit of the SDGs needs to be led, placing critical emphasis on the role of leaders at all levels and particularly the ways in which the SMH engages with and activates the CSN (Purcell et al., 2017); this was a key finding in each case. This may be mission-led, as in PU, business-led, as in the AUBG case, or service-led as illustrated by the HU case. Given that most campuses function as microcosms of society, with housing, transport, food outlets, health services and so on, they can easily become a test bed for exploring SDG solutions. This serves to connect the university with the society it serves, locally and globally. High-impact tangible outcomes emerged in these cases, each a “living lab,” producing benefits for faculty and student scholarship, as well as a more connected university community (Rosenberg Daneri et al., 2015; Trencher et al., 2014; Stirling et al., 2013).

The key aspects of transformation of universities toward sustainability, in considering the “sustainable university” have been described in detail (Ferrer-Balas et al., 2008) noting barriers and drivers of change from academic freedom to external pressures. As illustrated by the PU case, the role of champions (“enablers”) was determined to be a key characteristic (Ferrer-Balas et al., 2008). With AUBG, the role of external stakeholders was central to the transformation, a position noted previously (Lozano, 2006). With HU, we are not aware of another example whereby a central university professional service department has led a pan-institutional agenda related to the SDGs; this is to be commended given the expertise and assembling power the central team has available to support strategic sustainability at the whole institutional level.

With PU, even though the university’s mission-led transformation was an act of self-preservation in response to widespread disruption in the higher education sector, its tricameral approach to strategic sustainability created value across economic, social and environmental dimensions. The role of visionary leadership (Trencher et al., 2014; Ferrer-Balas et al., 2008) and stakeholder engagement (Rosenberg Daneri et al., 2015; Lozano, 2006) meant that the university community became hyperaware of wider global trends, enabling it to react with agility to emerging change in pursuit of the sustainability (Purcell et al., 2017; Evans et al., 2015; Stirling et al., 2013). A strong institutional culture was key, that is, the way people talked about, acted upon and indeed thought about sustainability and enterprise while at work and in their private lives. This relied upon a peer network of so-called Enablers working with people as they translated the institutional change mission into a personal change journey as a critical part of the work of the CSN (Purcell et al., 2017). The transformation of the university became a source of inspiration for the transformation of the local community, which contributed to the sustainability of the university and its wider community in the manner of circularity. For example, raising awareness of the university’s offerings by community outreach and engagement activities drew people into the university to seek advice, commission consultancy and research as well as undertake courses and programs and become philanthropic donors. PU became more entrepreneurial and sustainable, able to thrive in a VUCA environment and sustain a competitive position in a dynamic policy landscape and global sector.

With AUBG, the demands of the client (as represented by BSDA) created an opportunity to develop new academic networks and programs and brought the university into closer dialogue with major local employers gaining an insight from BSDA’s CEO members into future-facing challenges relevant to the university’s mission to develop ethical leaders. The BSDA members are connectors with society (Ferrer-Balas et al., 2008) who are being exposed through the new program not to just-in-time fixes for immediate business problems, but to a personal and professional transformational learning experience setting up C-suite executives and senior staff to lead in situations characterized by ambiguity and disruption. Re-framing sustainability as a solution rather than another problem is key to unleashing innovation and challenging leaders to function at a systems-level rather than in operational silos (Nidumolu et al., 2009).

With HU, the OFS acts as a connecter (Ferrer-Balas et al., 2008) drawing the CSN of talented faculty, students and staff around shared purpose – the university’s sustainability plan – but using the language that excites them of research, teaching, discovery, innovation and learning to communicate co-creation using a “living lab” model (König and Evans, 2013). Participants work across disciplinary and theory/practice gaps addressing “real-world” projects of local/global benefit, driving up student engagement and employability as well as research funding and impact. The OFS also acts as a convener, bringing together examples of “living lab” projects and making these more visible and impactful at the institutional level serving to showcase its work relevant to the SDGs. This interdisciplinary driver of change has been recognized (Ferrer-Balas et al., 2008) and is a pattern emerging from this study.

The convening power of universities can be harnessed to bring together a range of actors in a “neutral” space, as per the “living lab” model described here, reflecting the interdependence of teaching and research and the societal importance of higher education. Participants from different areas within the university and with external people and organizations can come together to collectively address real-world sustainability issues. The “living lab” is a dynamic network, combining an institution’s intellectual and other resources with practical sustainability challenges on- or off-campus. It effectively dissolves boundaries between the traditionally segregated activities of education, research, external engagement, operational and administrative practice (Evans et al., 2015).

Common themes among the different case studies were identified. Central was that of shared purpose as represented by sustainability and/or the SDGs (United Nations General Assembly, 2015). A move by a university toward strategic sustainability can present a major challenge for university leaders, with tensions arising, for example, between institutional goals, cultural preferences, and individual and organizational drivers; these tensions can have a knock-on effect on resources and effort. Perhaps the greatest challenge for leadership is to foster an innovative approach throughout the organization, and thereby potentially be perceived as a challenge to the rightful academic independence of departments. This requires sustainability to move center stage to inform the strategic mission of the university to accelerate change and co-create the future. A transformation of this magnitude requires time for the community to do its work at the individual, group and community levels in terms of socializing the change and this is probably one of the biggest challenges to face when, along with leadership of the transformation itself, short-term results are required. Each community, like everyone, has its own amount of time required for its transformation, depending on its level of development, and so leadership of these processes requires very specific capabilities to manage the frustration, fear, uncertainty and loneliness that can arise throughout the entire transformational process. It is here that the SMH and CSN (Purcell et al., 2017) working in harmony can deliver against the strategic agenda of the SDGs.

Other common themes were collaboration and transdisciplinary approaches. Real sustainability challenges do not respect disciplinary boundaries or theoretical models, and therefore cannot be effectively addressed through these narrow lenses (Budwig, 2015; Brundiers and Wiek, 2011). This is highly relevant to the SDGs given pollution and poverty do not respect geography. Collaboration is central to the co-creation process inherent in a “living lab” study, enabling a constant cycle of experimentation, prototyping and testing. Systems thinking by leaders also characterized the approach needed to bring sustainability center stage, understanding the interdependence and inter-connectedness within their organization, as well as to global society and the natural world.

The collegiate nature of the university sector with its shared governance models and different constituencies and performance drivers, means that sustainability at a strategic level must be led (Waheed, 2017; Purcell et al., 2017; Trencher et al., 2014), with leaders at all levels acting with purpose. Leadership is needed to harness the social forces and inspire people to take actions around a shared vision of the future. The change needs to be anchored in the culture, reminding us that cultural change comes at the end of a transformation and not the beginning. The “living lab” framework can become a part of transformative institutional change that draws on both top-down and bottom-up strategies. Recognizing leadership from students and stakeholders was also important, as they bring their unique and diverse perspectives to sustainable development projects (Trencher et al., 2015).

This study is limited in scope to three cases and the authors recognize their own role as leaders and researchers brings its own biases. While each is an exemplar of a distinctive strategy adopted in pursuit of delivery toward sustainability and/or the SDGs, they cannot capture the richness and depth of interactions between a university or college and society at large in pursuit of sustainable development (Findler et al., 2019; Evans et al., 2015; Rosenberg Daneri et al., 2015; Trencher et al., 2014; Lozano, 2006). With PU’s whole institutional strategy able to “touch” every aspect of the university’s academic and professional activities, the approach became so embedded over the eight years since it launched that its impact as a change initiative was lost such that innovation resources were slowly withdrawn. Perhaps a marker of success, but a risk factor to deepening the strategic impact of the mission. With AUBG, it is simply too soon to measure the impact of a targeted professional executive development program on driving behavior to delivery against the SDGs. While the program has already survived the transition to a new CEO in one of the lead companies, there is of course a danger that the projects launched under the program will not deliver enough business value through sustainability to be continued. With HU, the OFS continues to innovate and co-create projects with students and faculty in a well-resourced and research-intensive environment. Careful attention to determining impact and outcomes as well as a robust communication strategy look set to support HU’s efforts in this regard.

Overall, key to university engagement with the SDGs was the strategic alignment of the academic mission with sustainable development in its broadest definition (Rouxle and Pretorius, 2016). An effective means of framing this was to adopt a “living lab” model that can bring a range of projects under one governance framework. This model also brings the on-campus professional sustainability team into closer dialogue with faculty and students to tackle real-world problems through experiential teaching and learning and/or research and development projects whether conducted within the university or with external partners (Clifford and Petrescu, 2012). The potential of higher education to deliver against the SDG 2030 agenda is profound (Findler et al., 2019; Sachs, 2018) and, as the university becomes more connected to the society it serves, the journey to sustainable development can be accelerated (Cortese, 2003). Partnerships within and with universities can help higher education making a fuller contribution to sustaining the economic, environmental, cultural and intellectual well-being of our global communities (Lozano, 2018).