Examining a Change Process from a Systems Thinking Perspective: a Case Study from One Academic Department

In today’s rapidly changing world, higher education is faced with challenges stemming from globalization versus localization, corporatization versus liberal arts values, and public versus private good. These challenges require creative approaches and innovations to develop new solutions. Additionally, tensions also exist within institutional sub-units such as academic departments. In response to similar pressures and declining enrollment, one university academic department held a day-long retreat to reexamine its programs and discuss curriculum and program modifications to better meet student needs. This paper used a systems thinking approach to unpack the creative tensions that arose at the individual faculty, department, and institutional levels during the implementation of the retreat and described their implications. Based on the findings, we recommend four strategies for administrators and faculty members to facilitate change efforts within their system: to motivate faculty, to mobilize diverse stakeholders, to creatively push boundaries, and to implement transparency to promote collaboration.