Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) is committed to innovation and transformation. We are focused on achieving the priorities identified in our strategic plan—New World. New Thinking. 2020-2025—which is built on change for the future of postsecondary education, student success, and aligning education with emerging careers. “Our goal for the next five years — and beyond — is to deliver a world-class student experience to a growing and diverse network of learners that reinforces SAIT’s connection between education and career the first time, every time” (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, 2023, p. 3). Achieving this change vision requires strategic planning as well as cultural, systems, process, and program shifts. As such, the areas responsible to the Vice President Academic, or academic portfolio, are approaching change through a unique transformation strategy, inclusive of an incubator model, collaboration, and adaptability.

A Collaborative Approach to Change

Historically, the schools at SAIT operated with an independent mindset; students followed a structured program path, and the systems and processes in schools did not always align with each other or with the institutional systems. In summer 2024, a team was established to reduce silos by building more connections across schools and bringing together academic leaders to partner creatively and strategically.

Senior leaders in the academic portfolio are collaborating to explore potential change and to grow an institutional mindset. We are undertaking innovative strategies to support required changes in the academic portfolio. The academic leaders at SAIT have adopted an unconventional, iterative, and relationship-driven approach rather than a traditional project-based approach. The intent is to balance the ever-changing complexities and volume of work with a desire to keep pace with the changing needs of students, industry, and emerging workplace skills. An incubator model is being used to test ideas and approaches for transformation, emphasizing inclusive multi-perspective thinking while allowing change to occur iteratively and to be assessed through the change process. SAIT’s incubator model operates on rapid prototyping, data-driven decision-making, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and strong industry alignment. These principles ensure that we stay responsive to evolving needs while maintaining educational quality. This approach fosters agility, challenges the status quo where needed, and allows for continuous learning and adaptation. Organizational effectiveness and design principles taken from change management theory have also been adapted to align with the business of academia.

Key Projects and Lessons Learned

Several incubator projects focused on collaboration and adaptability within the academic portfolio have moved forward since 2024. One of the early challenges addressed through an incubator was a decision-making and approvals bottleneck resulting from the historical and policy-driven responsibilities of the Vice President Academic (VPA). The approach taken was to look at the problem from different angles and to focus on structural improvements, considering span of control, sphere of influence, and how to delegate authority to members of the academic leadership team. The result will be a distribution of decision-making authority across academic leaders, reduced operational time required by the VPA, and improved academic leadership capability and involvement across the schools.

Another incubator initiative tested a span of influence and control idea that resulted in the development of an Executive Dean role. The Executive Dean became responsible for three of SAIT’s largest schools, while the remaining schools reported directly to the VPA. The three high-growth schools reporting to the Executive Dean were each led by an individual Dean, two of whom were new to their positions and one who was a long-term SAIT Dean. The purpose of this incubator was to provide an opportunity for additional new leader support, to understand and reimagine siloed processes, and to remove more operational duties from the VPA. However, this structure did not harmonize with deeply established leadership access or provide operational relief for the VPA. Further investigation and evaluation determined that this model created authority discrepancies between the schools, creating confusion and delays. Taking this design through the incubator process provided the opportunity for reassessment, design insights, and brainstorming. The resulting evaluation indicated that all Deans should report directly to the VPA, as the people leader, and that the Executive Dean position should be reclassified as an Associate Vice President Academic working with all schools on operational mandates, challenges, and problem-solving. The goal was met structurally, and the academic portfolio is now ready to delve into operational efficiencies and reimagine the student experience.

In like fashion, other incubator projects resulted in unanticipated results. One incubator convened a team of leaders to assess whether SAIT required a School of Apprenticeship. SAIT has apprenticeship programs spread across several schools, and it was thought that a School of Apprenticeship would create institutional efficiencies and improve the experience for apprenticeship students. The result of this project confirmed that the current model of trades and apprenticeship spread across multiple schools was working well and that the development of a School of Apprenticeship would not realize a return on its consolidation investment. Instead, it would result in further siloing and would be unlikely to alter the student experience. The outcome of this incubator was a recommendation for the development of an Office of Apprenticeship to create efficiencies in operations tied to apprenticeship without changing the current school structure. The office will focus on alignment of the apprenticeship portfolio across schools and will ensure that all apprenticeship programs operate cohesively, providing a common experience for students and faculty.

Adapting to Evolving Needs

While not all initiatives have seen a successful conclusion, the incubator model allows for constant learning, recovery, and shifts in thinking. One of the incubator projects focused on joining two units at the institution to lead six workstreams tied to teaching and learning. The new Centre for Teaching and Learning is to include quality assurance, program development, course development, scholarly activity, faculty development, and digital learning. The intent of the Centre for Teaching and Learning incubator was to move through a change management process over several months, with a focus on incremental changes benefitting the institution. During the implementation of this project, significant challenges were encountered, including understanding the complexities of merging teams, interim leadership structures resulting in delays in role and direction clarities, and evolving budget constraints requiring a shift in approach. The incubator project was closed to allow the complexities identified to be addressed by new permanent leadership. It is anticipated that the incubator and focus on incremental change, collaboration, and adaptability will be applied once the complexities are addressed over the next several months.

Shaping the Future

Senior academic leaders continue to identify areas for change and several new incubator projects are being designed to support SAIT’s academic transformation. The projects being developed focus on testing an interdisciplinary ambition, exploring the business of academia, and achieving efficiencies while breaking down traditional silos across schools. The efforts underway are advancing a mindset and actions that are nimble, flexible, collaborative, and adaptive while working in the liminal space between schools. Insights are being gained that will result in a culture shift for the institution’s academic portfolio in support of the current strategic plan and a new strategic plan expected later in 2025.

The anticipated outcome is a resilient and future-focused academic structure, better positioned to support SAIT’s mission of delivering a world-class student experience and supporting students by better preparing them for the multifaceted problems of today’s industries. By embracing a team-driven, iterative approach, SAIT is not just navigating change, it is leading it, ensuring that students are prepared not just for today’s workforce, but for the evolving careers of the future.

As noted in our strategic plan, “SAIT is changing and proud to be leading change — we didn’t get where we are by staying the same” (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, 2020, p. 1). Over the next two to three years, the anticipated result of our efforts is that SAIT will be successfully positioned for resiliency and longevity.

References

Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. (2020). New world. New thinking. 2020-2025. https://www.sait.ca/assets/documents/about-sait/new-world-new-thinking.pdf

Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. (2023). Our path forward. New world. New thinking. 2023-2025. https://www.sait.ca/assets/documents/about-sait/strat-plan-priority-framework-web.pdf

Maureen Toews, Ph.D., is Special Advisor to the Vice President Academic, and Jayne Steffler is Director, Academic Transformation, at Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Opinions expressed in Leadership Abstracts are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the League for Innovation in the Community College.