Addressing the Barriers to Design-Thinking Driven Problem Solving in Higher Education

The Higher Education structure was believed to be established to protect itself from either internally or externally motivated change. As time has progressed, ‘change’ has begun to trickle into Higher Education Institutions, with the belief that individuals with characteristics synonymous with ‘innovators’ have spurred change in this space. For Design Thinking to become the primary mode for problem-solving in relation to curriculum and learning design, we must first understand current staff members’ experiences of making changes within Higher Education, and identify the behaviours, attitudes and structural processes involved in making change. This paper will address the following research questions: Through understanding the barriers to making change currently experienced by Higher Educations staff, what can we do to create an environment where the principles of Design and Design Thinking can be fully embraced by members of the Higher Education community? This paper presents the findings from a qualitative research project conducted by the authors, where 32 members of staff in a selected Higher Education Institution were interviewed to understand their experiences of making changes to their teaching and working practices. Emphasis is placed on understanding the barriers to making change, namely: the embedded conservatism in Higher Education and associated fear of change; committee structures; energy; the current institutional understanding of ‘collaboration,’ and; the Institution’s commitment to making change. Drawing on the findings of this research, three actionable insights will be presented which will help Design and Design Thinking methods become embraced in terms of further developing teaching, learning, and working practices in Higher Education.