What Higher Education Can Learn from Business and Industry

Abstract

Many colleges and universities have traditionally provided local and regional companies with various types of management assistance and employee training programmes. Indeed, consultation with the private sector has long been recognized as one of the primary functions of higher education. In recent years, however, consensus has been growing that this is not a one-way street. Business and industry can also play an important role in the struggle to keep academe viable in the midst of philosophical, cultural and economic turmoil. The management strategies currently being used by many corporations are proving to be instrumental in helping those industries remain vital in terms of both customer satisfaction and overall profitability. Such strategies include more innovative uses of technology, focusing more extensively on quality and customer service, the use of teams and group decision making, better ways of motivating employees, a renewed emphasis on training, and fostering a greater respect for legal and ethical issues as well as diversity. While not all of these ideas and concepts have direct application to higher education, many are at least worth serious consideration. This paper explains how many of the ideas and practices prevalent in the corporate world can be of substantial value to academic administrators as they endeavour to keep higher education responsive to the needs of contemporary society.