Co-creating Visions with Higher Education Institutions: A Case Study in the German Higher Education Landscape

Abstract

Higher education institutions (HEIs) must navigate diverse stakeholder interests and align their efforts towards a common goal to sustainably fulfill their missions. Co-creating visions is a promising approach to developing shared visions and thus aligning stakeholders’ interests. However, there is a lack of methodological guidance to support individual institutions during these co-creation processes. To address this gap, this paper aims to understand the impact of providing external methodological support to co-create visions with a multi-stakeholder approach. It investigates the perceived benefits and challenges of the co-creation process, the key factors that contribute to its success, and how student participation is perceived in the process. The co-creation program was evaluated with 30 participants from 11 institutions that took part in the program. The results show that a systematic and moderated co-creation of visions supports stakeholders in clarifying their contribution to achieving a better future for higher education.

Keywords

• vision building
• futures thinking
• co-creation
• participation
• educational leadership