648
B. Giesenbauer and M. Tegeler
4.2 Learning Labs and Innovation Hubs
While the SDGs are helpful to promote the evolution of HEIs by their content and
structure alone, teaching methodologies need to be adjusted, too. To promote the
development of competencies for future challenges, teaching needs to guide students
toward self-directed and research-based learning. Learning labs might at first be
closely linked to classic 2.0 research and yet open up the formerly linear transfer
of knowledge, thus enabling the emergence of post-modern and integral problem
solvers.
If overcoming the challenges of SD implies transforming HEIs themselves, then
learning labs are a helpful means to reach this ambitious goal. In the beginning, labs
might be more conservative and be formed by students and teaching staff only, but
over time this arrangement might involve more and more stakeholders relevant to the
issues at hand. In the end this might lead to inter- and transdisciplinary innovation
hubs, where different stakeholders work together to design innovative solutions for
complex challenges (Scharmer and Kaufer 2013; see e.g. Armstrong et al. 2014).
4.3 Leadership Qualities
To shift toward HEI 4.0 a whole institution approach is needed (Mader and Rammel
2015) which implies an integrative leadership concept. Therefore, in line with the
assumptions made by Scharmer and Kaufer (2013), building collective leadership
capacities is crucial for the transformation of HEIs. Scharmer and Kaufer (2013,
p. 243) propose the need for awareness-based leadership technologies:
The capacity to facilitate processes of profound societal innovation is grounded in mindful
leadership and awareness-based leadership technologies that link the intelligences of head,
heart, and hand. These methodologies combine state-of-the-art organizational learning tools
with participatory innovation techniques and blend them with awareness-based leadership
practices.
Following the reasoning of Beck and Cowan (1996), HEIs have to shift from 2.0
toward 4.0 one step at a time without skipping intermediate steps. Therefore, leadership quality in general has to be raised at HEIs before more advanced techniques
can be applied. At the beginning this might imply the need to strengthen the positive
breakthroughs of the modern worldview, namely process optimization, efficiency
and questioning assumptions, in order to prepare the ground for healthy and sustainable evolution of HEIs. Furthermore, HEIs should at the same time shift toward a
dialogue- and stakeholder orientation and include more reflective and active learning
arrangements to facilitate the emergence of HEI 3.0 and to minimize the negative
impact of the still dominating modern worldview.
B. Giesenbauer and M. Tegeler
4.2 Learning Labs and Innovation Hubs
While the SDGs are helpful to promote the evolution of HEIs by their content and
structure alone, teaching methodologies need to be adjusted, too. To promote the
development of competencies for future challenges, teaching needs to guide students
toward self-directed and research-based learning. Learning labs might at first be
closely linked to classic 2.0 research and yet open up the formerly linear transfer
of knowledge, thus enabling the emergence of post-modern and integral problem
solvers.
If overcoming the challenges of SD implies transforming HEIs themselves, then
learning labs are a helpful means to reach this ambitious goal. In the beginning, labs
might be more conservative and be formed by students and teaching staff only, but
over time this arrangement might involve more and more stakeholders relevant to the
issues at hand. In the end this might lead to inter- and transdisciplinary innovation
hubs, where different stakeholders work together to design innovative solutions for
complex challenges (Scharmer and Kaufer 2013; see e.g. Armstrong et al. 2014).
4.3 Leadership Qualities
To shift toward HEI 4.0 a whole institution approach is needed (Mader and Rammel
2015) which implies an integrative leadership concept. Therefore, in line with the
assumptions made by Scharmer and Kaufer (2013), building collective leadership
capacities is crucial for the transformation of HEIs. Scharmer and Kaufer (2013,
p. 243) propose the need for awareness-based leadership technologies:
The capacity to facilitate processes of profound societal innovation is grounded in mindful
leadership and awareness-based leadership technologies that link the intelligences of head,
heart, and hand. These methodologies combine state-of-the-art organizational learning tools
with participatory innovation techniques and blend them with awareness-based leadership
practices.
Following the reasoning of Beck and Cowan (1996), HEIs have to shift from 2.0
toward 4.0 one step at a time without skipping intermediate steps. Therefore, leadership quality in general has to be raised at HEIs before more advanced techniques
can be applied. At the beginning this might imply the need to strengthen the positive
breakthroughs of the modern worldview, namely process optimization, efficiency
and questioning assumptions, in order to prepare the ground for healthy and sustainable evolution of HEIs. Furthermore, HEIs should at the same time shift toward a
dialogue- and stakeholder orientation and include more reflective and active learning
arrangements to facilitate the emergence of HEI 3.0 and to minimize the negative
impact of the still dominating modern worldview.