The Organisational Drivers That Enabled Health Promoting Policy Change Within Australian Universities—A 2016 Move to Smoke‐Free Campuses Case Study

Issue Addressed Universities are complex organisational settings for health promotion, operating as workplaces, educational institutions and influential community leaders. In 2016, Australian universities were progressively adopting smoke‐free campus policies within a broader expansion of smoke‐free public policy and tobacco control measures. However, across the sector, implementation was inconsistent. This study examines factors that enabled smoke‐free policy change during this formative period, using university tobacco policy as a case study of health‐promoting organisational change. Methods This study conducted semi‐structured interviews in 2016 to explore the experiences of 32 staff across 10 Australian universities and examine organisational and contextual influences on the development and implementation of smoke‐free policies. Data were analysed using an inductive approach informed by Kotter's stages of change. Results Similar organisational dynamics supported smoke‐free policy change across institutions. Senior executive support acted as a catalyst for change, while internal champions sustained momentum and operationalised policy implementation. Resource investment, organisational priorities and external influences also shaped implementation. Conclusion The findings provide insight into how Australian universities navigated smoke‐free policy change during a formative period of tobacco‐control implementation. While the specific policy context has since evolved, the findings highlight organisational processes that influenced the development and implementation of health promoting policy.