Universities and science organisations do not evolve in isolation. Their strategies, structures and possibilities are shaped by wider systems – policy frameworks, funding regimes, international trends, organisational cultures, and societal values.
Over the past 30 years, I have worked with European, national and regional organisations, ministries and agencies across more than 25 countries, analysing higher education and research systems and supporting their development. I have seen how transformation capacity at institutional level is affected by the ways in which organisations relate to their wider system context and how understanding the relation between institutional and system logics can enhance transformation capacity.
This work often draws on comparative international analysis, connecting local challenges with broader developments across higher education systems.
Through comparative studies for European organisations, national ministries and sector bodies, I have contributed to shaping debates and informing decision-making at multiple levels of the higher education system.
Working across diverse national and institutional contexts has required the ability to navigate different cultures of governance, decision-making and academic practice.
In this context, understanding system dynamics is a precondition for:
Over time, my experience in systems and policy development has led to an increasing focus on the insight that systems do not change through internationally informed and well-designed policy alone but through the people and organisations acting within them. This is why my work today connects systems development with:
Systems insight becomes effective only when it is understood and acted upon.
I continue to engage in selected system and policy mandates where they contribute to broader transformation processes, with a focus on supporting organisational and individual transformation capacity and agency through strategy work, leadership development and coaching.
If you feel that this might be the right moment to reflect and explore yourself and your path, coaching can support this process.
