Oregon State University: Impact Studio — Advancing a University’s Institutional Innovation Capability

Public research universities in the United States (US) and many around the world face rising challenges associated with escalating costs, shifting demographics, changing public perceptions of the value of college degrees, growing student loan debt and eroding public sector support, among other things. Arguably, the scale and pace of change universities must execute to address those challenges are rising. Yet, as highly decentralised organisations with strong traditions of shared governance, advancing institutional innovation within universities can be difficult. Many universities need to increase their rate of institutional innovation in order to protect and strengthen delivery of their research, teaching and engagement missions. Moreover, universities need to innovate faster and more effectively to capitalise on opportunities that emerge and are pursued rapidly by others in an increasingly competitive higher education sector. In 2018, Oregon State University established a function and set of associated practices — called Impact Studio — that are designed to expand the institution’s internal innovation system and capability. The aim is to strengthen Oregon State’s ability to identify or create new value and respond creatively and nimbly to fast-changing trends in higher education, while still respecting shared governance norms and the locus of expertise naturally resident at different levels of the organisation (departments, schools, colleges, and administrative divisions and units). Since its genesis, Impact Studio has stewarded the development and launch of eight adjacent growth initiatives. In the process, Oregon State has learned a number of lessons about institutional innovation that may inform other universities’ efforts.