What question did this study set out to answer?

The central aim is to explore how technological universities can successfully integrate sustainability into their traditional missions.

March 24, 2026Open Access

How can Universities Become Transformative Change Agents? Sustainability Strategizing in European Technological Universities

EKErkki KaroTallinn University of Technology SSShobhit ShakyaTallinn University of Technology CVCorinna Nathalie VollTechnical University of Denmark

Puntos clave

The central aim is to explore how technological universities can successfully integrate sustainability into their traditional missions.
Empirical analysis of sustainability strategizing in four European technological universities.
Examination of how these universities manage traditional missions alongside sustainability demands.
Investigation of co-creation as a tool for developing sustainability-oriented capabilities.
Findings indicate sustainability is often treated as an add-on rather than integrated into core strategies.
Many universities struggle with managerial challenges that impede their role as sustainability change agents.
The analysis reveals the need for developing new capabilities to effectively contribute to sustainability transitions.

Resumen

The paper discusses the challenges universities face in responding to the calls to contribute to sustainability transitions. In these calls, universities are expected to be reflexive and co-creative and act as transformative change agents. Universities also face other expectations to improve the strategic management of their traditional missions of teaching, research, and societal service. We discuss how these latter expectations create especially for technological universities complex managerial challenges that become hurdles in becoming transformative change agents for environmental sustainability. Empirically, we examine sustainability strategizing in four European technological universities and ask: a) How are technological universities balancing their delivery of traditional missions and sustainability-oriented expectations? b) What role does co-creation play as a potential tool for developing capabilities to carry out sustainability-oriented roles? We show that sustainability tends to be added to existing activities without redesigning core strategies, structures and managerial practices. This "add-on" approach tends to be ineffective, and universities need to consciously focus on developing novel capabilities to implement complex tasks such as contributing to sustainability transition.

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