What are effective ways to involve international partners in HEA leadership stakeholder engagement?

1 Why engage with international partners?

Engaging with international partners can bring many benefits to your HEA leadership, such as expanding your network, enhancing your reputation, accessing new resources, and learning from diverse experiences. However, it also requires careful planning, communication, and evaluation to ensure that the engagement is meaningful, relevant, and sustainable for all parties involved. You need to consider the goals, values, and interests of your international partners, as well as the potential challenges and opportunities that may arise from the collaboration.

2 How to identify and select international partners?

The first step to involve international partners in HEA leadership stakeholder engagement is to identify and select the most suitable ones for your context and purpose. You can use various criteria to narrow down your options, such as the academic quality, reputation, and impact of the potential partners; the alignment of their vision, mission, and strategic priorities with yours; the compatibility of their culture, values, and practices with yours; and the feasibility and availability of their resources, expertise, and support. You can also consult with your existing stakeholders, such as students, staff, alumni, and industry partners, to solicit their feedback and recommendations.

3 How to establish and maintain relationships with international partners?

Once you have selected your international partners, you need to establish and maintain positive and trusting relationships with them. This involves setting clear and realistic expectations, roles, and responsibilities for each partner; communicating regularly and effectively through various channels and platforms; providing and seeking feedback and recognition; resolving conflicts and issues in a respectful and constructive manner; and celebrating and sharing successes and achievements. You also need to be flexible and adaptable to the changing needs and circumstances of your international partners, and to respect their autonomy and diversity.

4 How to design and implement collaborative activities with international partners?

The next step to involve international partners in HEA leadership stakeholder engagement is to design and implement collaborative activities that are mutually beneficial, relevant, and impactful. You can use various methods and tools to co-create and co-deliver these activities, such as online surveys, focus groups, workshops, webinars, podcasts, blogs, newsletters, social media, and learning management systems. You can also use various frameworks and models to guide and evaluate these activities, such as the logic model, the Kirkpatrick model, the SWOT analysis, and the balanced scorecard. You need to ensure that these activities are aligned with your strategic objectives, outcomes, and indicators, and that they are responsive to the feedback and needs of your international partners.

5 How to monitor and evaluate the engagement with international partners?

The final step to involve international partners in HEA leadership stakeholder engagement is to monitor and evaluate the engagement process and outcomes. You need to collect and analyze various types of data, such as quantitative, qualitative, and anecdotal data, to measure the effectiveness, efficiency, and impact of the engagement. You also need to report and disseminate the results and findings to your internal and external stakeholders, such as your senior management, board, funders, regulators, and accreditors. You need to use the evidence and insights from the evaluation to inform and improve your future engagement with international partners, and to identify and address any gaps, challenges, or risks.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?