Creating a Pipeline for Innovation Within Your College or University: A Guide for Higher Ed Leaders and Innovators

Building the capacity for continuous innovation is the factor that will determine which colleges and universities survive and which will thrive in the future. Much attention has been paid to how higher ed leaders can support entrepreneurs in launching startups that can improve society outside the walls of the institution; less attention has been paid to how we can support entrepreneurial faculty, staff, students, and departmental leaders in launching similarly innovative ventures that improve the internal workings of their own college or university. Higher education attracts many creative individuals, but within the traditional hierarchical and disciplinary organizational structures, few incentives, rewards, and supports are provided for those who think outside the box or color outside the traditional lines. Yet, given the adaptive challenges facing our institutions today, rarely, if ever, has it been more important for leaders to accelerate those creative responses that are already being piloted in a grassroots manner on their own campus; to find new solutions; and to provide systemic support for the creativity and innovation of their students, faculty and staff. David Kiel’s new book provides both the research-tested conceptual framework for such systemic support, and an in-depth study of what support can make a difference at every stage of bringing an innovative venture to fruition (from ideation and pilot all the way through to a sustained venture that has a transformative impact on the institution’s mission, financial health, and reputation). Replete with interviews with institutional leaders and innovators, practical examples and strategies that have been tested in the field, and worksheets for applying this thinking to your own campus offers, Creating a Pipeline for Innovation Within Your College or University offers a unique roadmap that will prepare higher ed leaders to empower innovation at every level within their institution—in action, not just in name.