Universities, like all organisations, need to change as the world around them changes. That impetus has never been greater than it is now: universities must adapt to global challenges, to the needs of students, to the demands of government and regulators, and to the opportunities new technology creates.

But achieving change is hard. Whatever the demands to change, the business of today’s research and education must of course go on – so change must always be delivered alongside day-to-day operations. And there is almost never universal agreement to any change – different groups take different views about what should come next or whether change is needed at all. That makes change controversial and inclined to engender dissent and distrust.

This report explores change initiatives in higher education institutions, considering why they are needed and why they are difficult to deliver. The author outlines how universities should carefully design change projects to maximise impact and likelihood of success.