Abstract:

Engagement implies thoughtful interaction with the world external to the Higher education institutions (HEI) and has been depicted using words such as partnering, consulting, mutual benefit, communication, and philanthropy. Such engagements occur with stakeholders who are described as any group or individual who can affect or are affected by the achievement of an organisation. HEIs are now engaging with a wide set of stakeholders. The types of engagement with stakeholders may relate to: graduate formation, workforce development, research and innovation, social enhancement, and market advancement.

This study explores the external stakeholders with whom Irish HEIs engage and the influences on engagement practice and measurement drawing on new institutional sociology (NIS) and stakeholder theory. It considers the impact of institutional isomorphism and stakeholder salience on HEI engagement with external stakeholders. HEIs cannot attend to all claims on their organisation from the wide range of external stakeholders. Hence, stakeholder salience is significant in determining the degree to which the claims of stakeholders are given priority based on three attributes: stakeholder power to influence, the legitimacy of the stakeholder’s claim, and the degree of urgency of the stakeholder’s claim. Stakeholders therefore can mediate the isomorphic institutional effects proposed by NIS, by acting as buffers or amplifiers of institutional pressures. Conversely, institutions can mediate stakeholder pressures by legitimating a stakeholder’s claim.

The research adopts a qualitative approach using an exploratory case study. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis. The interviews were conducted with Heads of Department and top managers in the case HEI to assess and analyse their perspectives. Documents analysed include legislation, publications by the case HEI and the Higher Education Authority (HEA), correspondence between the case HEI and the HEA, and other publicly available material.

The results confirm that external stakeholder engagement is influenced by institutional, macro factors such as policy, culture and norms as well as stakeholder proximate factors such as local employer needs. The study highlights the variety of external stakeholders with whom the case HEI engages proposing that combined stakeholder and institutional influences have determined the types of engagement.

Keywords:

Higher education engagement, Stakeholder theory, New institutional theory, engagement measurement.