ID194 Embedding Adaptability as a Core Pillar of Keele’s Strategy

The Idea

Keele should position itself as a university that is good at change, with adaptability and responsiveness embedded as a core pillar of our strategy. 

We need a strategy that sets clear priorities, goals and ambitions, something against which we can align our decisions. However, we are operating in a context that is constantly evolving and not fully within our control. Government policy, funding, technology, and student expectations will continue to change in ways we cannot fully predict over a 10-year period. 

Because of this, part of putting our best foot forward as an institution is ensuring we can respond when those conditions change. 

This means building a university that is equipped with the skills, capacity, systems, data and ways of working to think, decide, and act strategically in response to change; responding deliberately rather than reacting under pressure. 

This is also about culture. Keele needs to be a place where change is not something done to people, but something that is understood, expected, and actively delivered across the organisation. 

Adaptability should not be viewed as a standalone objective, but as an enabling capability that supports the successful delivery of every other strategic priority.

Why This Idea Should Be Considered

The University is operating in a landscape that is not fully within its control. 

Our long-term strategy will provide direction, but many of the factors that shape success in higher education are constantly changing and difficult to predict. Without built-in flexibility, the risk that a strategy becomes fixed and unable to shift as realities emerge is high. 

The pace of change facing higher education is accelerating. Financial pressures across the sector, advances in artificial intelligence and digital technologies, changing student expectations, demographic shifts, regulatory reform, and increasing competition are reshaping the environment in which universities operate. In this context, the ability to adapt quickly and effectively is becoming a critical institutional capability rather than a desirable attribute. 

We are a complex institution with robust governance, and in many ways that protects us. But it can also lead to slower responses, increased pressure on staff, and a reliance on reactive decision-making. 

Embedding adaptability as a core pillar ensures the University is better able to respond to change in a deliberate and strategic way. 

Adaptability is not only about responding to challenges. It is also about identifying and capitalising on opportunities more quickly, whether through new partnerships, emerging technologies, innovative educational models, research opportunities, or changing market demands. 

By strengthening our ability to anticipate, assess, and respond to change, we can improve organisational resilience while also enhancing our capacity for innovation and growth.

How We Would Implement This Idea

This would be implemented by explicitly embedding adaptability and responsiveness into the strategy as a core pillar from the outset. 

In practice, this requires both capability and cultural alignment across the institution, with shared accountability for adaptability embedded at all levels of the University. 

This could include: 

• Embedding change leadership and change management as core organisational capabilities rather than specialist activities 
• Building on existing continuous improvement practices to empower staff at all levels  
• Leveraging organisational development and change expertise to support a more change-positive culture  
• Securing buy-in from leaders at all levels to model and support change  
• Improving confidence in data through clearer governance, ownership and investment in supporting systems and infrastructure 
• Reducing inefficient processes that limit capacity  
• Ensuring staff have the tools and support needed to manage change  
• Supporting recruitment, development, and retention approaches that value adaptability, continuous improvement, and openness to change 
• Maintaining open and transparent communication, with staff and stakeholders engaged early in the development of ideas, proposals, and change initiatives 
• Engaging staff and stakeholders early to gather insight, identify potential impacts, and inform decision-making, while recognising that governance requirements, resource constraints, and implementation timescales may influence the pace and scope of change 
• Enabling informed decision-making at the appropriate level through clear governance, delegated authority, and alignment to strategic priorities 

Recognising that recent experiences of organisational change may have created uncertainty for some colleagues, building trust through transparency, engagement, and visible positive outcomes will be critical to embedding adaptability as a long-term organisational capability.  

Together, these would create the conditions needed to respond to change effectively. 

What Success Would Look Like

Success would look like a strategy that is both ambitious and adaptable. 

At a strategic level, this means a strategy that remains relevant over time, with the ability to adjust priorities and approaches as conditions change. 

At an organisational level, Keele would be recognised as a university that is able to deliver change effectively and respond to challenges in a deliberate and controlled way. 

Progress could be monitored through staff engagement and pulse survey data, helping the University understand whether colleagues feel increasingly empowered to contribute to improvement and change initiatives. 

On the ground, staff at all levels would feel empowered and confident to make improvements, adapt to change, and actively contribute to continuous improvement. Small-scale changes to ways of working would happen more naturally, without unnecessary barriers or disproportionate reliance on formal approval processes, while remaining aligned to the University’s overall strategic direction and governance requirements. The workforce would be more confident operating in a changing environment, with greater emphasis placed on adaptability, collaboration, and continuous learning. 

Building this confidence will take time. Change can be associated with uncertainty, particularly in a sector that has experienced significant financial and workforce pressures. Success would therefore depend on consistent leadership, transparency, meaningful engagement, and visible examples of change delivering positive outcomes for staff and students. 

Overall, Keele would continue to progress towards its long-term goals without being constrained by them.