TY - JOUR

T1 - Many roads lead to sustainability

T2 - A process-oriented analysis of change in higher education

AU - Barth, Matthias

N1 - The writing of the article was supported by a fellowship in the PostdocProgramme of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

PY - 2013/4

Y1 - 2013/4

N2 - Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to comparatively analyse activities to integrate sustainability in teaching, research and operational practice in different higher education institutions, which differ both in the degree of how far implementation goes and in regards to the most active stakeholders. Against that background, the paper explores, in a process‐oriented focus, which drivers and barriers are experienced as most important and how they relate to each other.Design/methodology/approach– A comparative multi‐case study has been conducted, with two main steps to structure the research process: first, desktop research was used to select appropriate cases in a theoretical sampling. Second, data from interviews with relevant stakeholders in each case were analysed according to the constant comparison method.Findings– Across all cases, three distinctive patterns of implementation processes emerged, each of them with a unique set of influencing factors. For each pattern, drivers and barriers, as well as their relevance, are experienced differently and specific key constructs can be found to explain the implementation process.Research limitations/implications– The research focused on German institutions of higher educations and all cases are drawn from that population, which might limit the generalizability.Practical implications– It is hoped to provide valuable insights for future implementation processes and for various ways to support a sustainable transition in higher education.Originality/value– This is one of the first papers to consider the process of implementation and the interaction between drivers and barriers. The value of the paper lies in its potential to help in understanding what role different drivers and barriers play in different patterns of implementation.

AB - Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to comparatively analyse activities to integrate sustainability in teaching, research and operational practice in different higher education institutions, which differ both in the degree of how far implementation goes and in regards to the most active stakeholders. Against that background, the paper explores, in a process‐oriented focus, which drivers and barriers are experienced as most important and how they relate to each other.Design/methodology/approach– A comparative multi‐case study has been conducted, with two main steps to structure the research process: first, desktop research was used to select appropriate cases in a theoretical sampling. Second, data from interviews with relevant stakeholders in each case were analysed according to the constant comparison method.Findings– Across all cases, three distinctive patterns of implementation processes emerged, each of them with a unique set of influencing factors. For each pattern, drivers and barriers, as well as their relevance, are experienced differently and specific key constructs can be found to explain the implementation process.Research limitations/implications– The research focused on German institutions of higher educations and all cases are drawn from that population, which might limit the generalizability.Practical implications– It is hoped to provide valuable insights for future implementation processes and for various ways to support a sustainable transition in higher education.Originality/value– This is one of the first papers to consider the process of implementation and the interaction between drivers and barriers. The value of the paper lies in its potential to help in understanding what role different drivers and barriers play in different patterns of implementation.

KW - Sustainability education

KW - Comparative case study

KW - Germany

KW - Higher education

KW - Higher education for sustainability

KW - Organizational change

KW - Sustainability

KW - Universities

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84875615793&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1108/14676371311312879

DO - 10.1108/14676371311312879

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 14

SP - 160

EP - 175

JO - International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education

JF - International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education

SN - 1467-6370

IS - 2

ER -