A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Strategy as Practice—Multilevel Institutional Work to Induce Change in Higher Education




AuthorsStenvall-Virtanen, Sari

PublisherJohn Wiley & Sons Ltd

Publication year2025

JournalHigher Education Quarterly

Article numbere70047

Volume79

Issue4

ISSN0951-5224

eISSN1468-2273

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.70047

Web address https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.70047

Self-archived copy’s web addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/499117790


Abstract

The characteristics of institutional work in higher education change is an understudied topic in research. This article describes an institutional change process in higher education by analysing multilevel institutional work. Drawing on the results, the paper presents a modified process model on the multilevel institutional work and the related micro–macro linkages. The model describes how micro-level strategy work connects with organisational strategy, the macro-level development and policy. Based on the results, the institutional change in higher education is characterised by the interplay between practice work and boundary work in a process, which has special characteristics at different stages. The empirical focus of the study is in the engineering and technology education in Finland. Using a theory-informed, mixed-methods single-case study design, this study explores the characteristics of multilevel institutional work and transformation mechanisms. The results generate theoretical knowledge on the micro–macro linkages of the institutional change process in higher education.


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Funding information in the publication
The author acknowledges and declares a short research funding for doctoral researchers granted by the Turku University Foundation. The funding made it possible for the author to work full time with the analysis and writing of the article for two (2) months at the end of 2024.


Last updated on 2025-07-08 at 07:08