Building an Informing Business School: A Case Study of USF’s Muma College of Business

Abstract

As the complexity of a system grows, the challenge of informing the stakeholders of that system grows correspondingly. Nowhere is that challenge more daunting than in business education, where globalization, technological innovation, and increasingly complicated regulations continuously transform the business environment facing graduates and practitioners. Informing science theory proposes that different levels of complexity require different channels if effective informing is to be achieved. The paper first examines how two important sources of complexity-the diversity of clients and the ruggedness of the business landscape-are changing, and how these changes demand vastly more interactive informing channels if impact is to be achieved. Using an exploratory case study methodology, it then takes a detailed look at how one institution-the University of South Florida's Muma College of Business-has introduced a variety of new channels, many of which enable informing flows without necessarily directing them, to adapt to these environmental changes. It then considers both outcomes related to these individual informing channels and college-wide outcomes related to a broad and deep mosaic of informing flows. Finally, it considers the question of the resources required to support these new channels and the relationship between resource acquisition and channel introduction. The proposed framework for looking at business school informing channels can be applied by administrators, faculty members, and key stakeholders in understanding, evaluating, and planning programs and activities supporting informing in a complex environment. Ultimately, the informing business school framework may also provide a means for communicating impact to business school accrediting agencies (such as AACSB).

University-Industry Collaboration in Higher Education: Exploring the Informing Flows Framework in Industrial PhD Education

“…A framework model for looking at business school informing channels developed by Gill et al (2016) has its overall aim to function as a strategic tool to identify and assess resources spent on activities related to informing channels and forms. This model is based on the premises of growing complexity of the environment and growing participant diversity of the stakeholders/clients being informed.…”

“…Universities should also act as a provider of trained researchers, and there is increased interest in collaborative PhD education, i.e., third-cycle education (Borrell-Damian et al, 2010;Gill & Mullarkey, 2015;Grimm, 2018;Gustavsson et al, 2016;Roolaht, 2015). Furthermore, there are calls for higher education to embrace an entrepreneurial approach (Giones, 2019, Klofsten et al, 2019 in order to inform society and act as knowledge hubs embedded in society (Bölling & Eriksson, 2016;Gellerstedt et al, 2018;Gill et al, 2016;Lind et al, 2013;. Research impact and innovations are highly valued by governments, thus of crucial importance for universities (Altbach et al, 2019;Gellerstedt et al, 2018;Rampersad, 2015;Selsky & Parker, 2005).…”

“…Research impact and innovations are highly valued by governments, thus of crucial importance for universities (Altbach et al, 2019;Gellerstedt et al, 2018;Rampersad, 2015;Selsky & Parker, 2005). Hence there is a demand for increased exchange of information in university-society collaborations in order to generate and disseminate new knowledge, research findings and innovations (Bölling & Eriksson, 2016; as well as for academia to understand industrial practices (Gill et al, 2016;Kihlander et al, 2011). However, translation of research findings into societal benefits and practice is lengthy and may take up to 10-17 years from research funding to publication (De Jong et al, 2014;Houghton et al, 2010;Morris et al, 2011).…”

“…In order to achieve deeper insights and analyze this kind of university-society collaboration from different perspectives, an informing flow framework, originating from Gill et al (2016) is applied. This informing science framework is closely related to the WIL approach as it stresses transdisciplinary work and exchange of knowledge from one field to another in order to break down boundaries between collaborating actors that hinder the flow of knowledge by using information technology (see Cohen, 2009).…”

“…This model is based on the premises of growing complexity of society and growing participant diversity of the stakeholders/clients being informed. In their framework the stakeholders/clients were categorized as the students, the research community, and the community of practicing managers that employ the students as the three most important stakeholders (Gill et al, 2016). In this paper the collaboration is viewed as a cross-fertilizing not only of disciplines but also of university and industry/theory and practice related to industrial PhD third-cycle education in informatics with the specialization in WIL.…”