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Innovation processes in higher education

1979; Routledge; Volume: 4; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/03075077912331377027

1470-174X

Barbro Berg, Bertil Østergren,

Social and Educational Sciences

Summary The paper contains a brief description of the research we have undertaken on innovations and innovation processes in higher education [1] Berg, Barbro and Östergren, Bertil. 1977. Innovations and Innovation Processes in Higher Education, Stockholm: National Board of Universities and Colleges. [Google Scholar]. Within the framework of a larger project (a study of educational planning for Swedish Higher Education [2] R and D for Higher Education, 1977:12, Stockholm: National Board of Universities and Colleges. [Google Scholar]), we have made seven case studies of innovation processes and tried to relate them to an attempt towards a general theory of innovations. We have built on, and tried to exemplify, the field theory of the social psychologist, Kurt Lewin [3] Lewin, Kurt. 1951. Field Theory in Social Science New York [Google Scholar]. This means that we view change as being realised through a form of political process, determined by the strength of the different forces within a social system. We have tried to define the characteristics of higher education as a social system and the factors which determine the nature of the various forces towards a certain type of change.