Research Snapshot: Strategic management of internationalisation
Strategic management of internationalisation in higher education institutions, the lens of international office professionals
Publication date: 11 December 2023
This research project was conducted by a team of two practitioners and two researchers. Our goal was to examine the planning and decision-making processes in higher education institution internationalisation and to understand how internationalisation strategies are developed. To achieve this, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a total of 23 international office professionals (IPs) working in different HEIs to answer the following research question: "In what ways do IPs conceptualise internationalisation, understand their needs and roles, and perceive strategic planning, institutionalisation and management of internationalisation in Turkish and European HEIs?.This included 12 European participants from nine countries: Belgium (1), France (2), Finland (1), Italy (1), Ireland (1), Poland (1), Portugal (1), Spain (1), and the Netherlands (3) and 11 participants from Turkey. Specifically, this paper aims to gain an understanding of internationalisation strategy development by identifying similarities and differences in European and Turkish HEIs regarding IPs’ participation in decision-making and strategy development in internationalisation.
The IPs, multitasked professionals as defined in Table 1 are the executors of the strategies identified by the university leadership but not active participants in the strategy development in internationalization.
About the authors
Key findings from the research
- The intricacy of the conceptualisation of internationalisation: The concept of internationalisation is difficult to characterise, even for people who have worked in the field for years. Although a diverse understanding of internationalisation was reported, there is a strong tendency to see it as marketisation and competition, with a weak focus on global and multicultural values.
- The strategies, management, and decision-making on internationalisation: The HEIs generally follow the traditional process of top-down strategic planning, while there are few examples of strategic thinking embedded in processes in collaboration with IPs. However, it is imperative to clarify the roles of IPs in strategic planning and decision-making.
- The role and needs of IPs: The roles and responsibilities of IPs are more operational and entail managing exchange programmes, recruitment, agreements, student satisfaction. There is an emergent need for better management of international offices, the recruitment of IPs, and professional development because an IP is a profession that requires specific qualifications. However, there is no pre-determined career path for this profession.
- Institutionalisation of internationalisation in HEIs: For better institutionalisation of internationalisation, deliberate strategies should include curriculum, research, and campus services, along with student, academic, and administrative affairs. These strategies should go beyond quantitative measures, which will contribute to society in a meaningful way.
